“The Catcher in the Rye” J.D. Salinger

This Sunday, November 13th, would have been my dad’s 82nd birthday. You would know this as, “On November 13, Felix Unger’s was asked to remove himself from his place of residence; that request came from his wife.” My dad wrote that date into the opening credits of “The Odd Couple” so we would never forget his birthday. He loved his birthday. Two years ago, he had a big party to celebrate his 80th birthday in the parking lot of The Falcon Theatre. He played drums as caterers served guests mini grilled cheese, tomato soup and purple cupcakes, all his favorite micro-foods. I remember feeling strange because I had to wait in a long line to take a picture with my dad. When I was little I used to wish that my dad was a tax attorney or a dentist who only saw clients during the work-week. But he had different ideas, of becoming a movie director, which brought even more people into his life (and our lives) than television did. When he told me to read this book I was in junior high school and didn’t talk to him very much because I was a typical, fussy 7th grader. He made me play tennis all the time while I jokingly used to call him “The Great Santini.” But I did read “The Catcher in the Rye” after he recommended it, and I loved it. It felt like a special book that my dad and I could share and relate to because we knew what it felt like to feel different, and to be an outsider observing the world. Subsequently, I have moved many times in my life and always carried with me three copies of “The Catcher in the Rye,” as if two copies was too risky and four seemed over the top. Three copies of this little red paperback book always seemed just right. The story of Holden Caulfield’s three days in December of 1949 might seem like a simple book in the year 2016, but I still think it is special and it will always remind me of my dad, and how it remained one of his favorite books. To recommend “The Catcher in the Rye” to someone is to say, “I understand you. I see you. You are special, too.” To purchase this book on Amazon click here.