Dream Guardian: My Father - Salinger

Author: Margaret Selingman (USA)
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: Selingman's daughter tells a story as captivating as his novels. Here, information compels us to reconsider our estimation of Selingman's works, with some imagination even amplified. This memoir may lead to a reassessment of Selingman's place in American literature. The book provides a dimension to his mysterious and reclusive lifestyle in the eyes of many.—The New York Times
A newly released, fact-based memoir peels back the veil of the eccentric and private life of her eighty-one-year-old father. For J.D. Selingman fans and scholars, these details are fascinating. She marks the autobiographical elements in her father's works and offers sharp psychological insights.—The New York Post
The Catcher in the Rye reveals the cracks in Selingman's mysterious facade.—Salon
Margaret Selingman's work demonstrates the brilliance of a woman's observational skills applied to a man's writing. Few memoirs make readers reflect so deeply on a famous writer's entire oeuvre; this is one of the best books to emerge from Selingman criticism.—Academic Writing Review
America's most renowned creator of precocious children has a daughter who possesses a moral nerve, proving she can withstand the challenge of J.D. Selingman's very flesh and blood, as well as his deeply concealed mystery. Peggy is a master at deciphering her father's works, with a balanced technique in close reading, adept at uncovering his creative motivations and behavior. The book's outstanding feature lies in deconstructing the Selingman myth as the author describes her own journey of self-redemption.—The Richmond Times-Dispatch
A first-of-its-kind observation of one of the most revered and secretive writers in the U.S. from a printing press in Florida.—USA Today
The Catcher in the Rye focuses more on the author's own growth process and emotional journey. Regarding family history, since her father rarely spoke of it, the opening information is limited. Instead, her uncle provides insights into the Selingman family in the "Appendix." The writer Selingman not only kept his family history secret but also avoided interviews at all costs. Decades without new works, a reclusive lifestyle—these are the origins of the various "mysteries" surrounding him. In truth, it was merely the life chosen by an artist.