Out of all the mandatory reading lists in high school, I think the most popular novel by far is J.D. Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye." I first read that book in 6th grade and didn't get it; reread it 9th grade and loved the book. Holden Caulfield is one of the most memorable teenage anti-hero's in literature. And despite all his angst and hypocrisy, he is strangely likable and resonant with adolescences. For 9th grade literature class, I remember illustrating one of the scenes from the novel into 6-panels. Now that I think of it, it was one of my first "doujinshi." Lol.
Supposedly, J.D. Salinger came out of seclusion after 30 years to rave about the new Terminator movie. I have not watched any of the Terminator franchise though all of my friends have given it good reviews. I may be tempted to go watch Terminator Salvation because Salinger praises it so much. In fact, I was not even aware that he was still alive, but he is 90 and thriving, it seems. He even allowed scholars to access his never-been-published works. (Why was he hanging on to them?) Amongst them are more than TWO DOZEN short stories, all of them are supposedly fan fiction on Terminator though of course not your typical run-of-the-mill sci-fi fanfic. His house is decorated with Terminator posters, figures and collectibles. In other words, J.D. Salinger is a Terminator otaku.
Finally. A respectable author (one that is one every high school reading list) coming out of the closet as a fan fiction writer. All the more to read Salinger.
Check out the article at theonion.com http://www.theonion.com/content/news/new_terminator_movie_brings_j_d?cnn=yes
