I know I write a health/fitness blog, but I’m shifting my focus today in honor of J.D. Salinger's passing away yesterday at the age of 91.
It appears that in May of this year, Mr. Salinger suffered a broken hip but maintained a pretty healthy lifestyle despite being 
the gardener and I’m sure his very meticulously selected diets and belief systems (among which included Zen Buddhism, Kriya yoga, Christian Science, homeopathy, acupuncture, half cooked lamb meat, and macrobiotics). Maybe his ardent attempts to merge his mental and physical lives were vital in assisting him to live such a peaceful and extended life?
This isn't a forum about why I think Catcher is a good/bad book, but I do think the novel's uniquely accessible style and tone help it to retain it's cultural significance almost sixty years after its publication. Like most things popularly celebrated, this novel's success was entirely accidental (and yet it wasn't), and until another work comes along to dethrone it, The Catcher in the Rye will remain the consummate story of what it's like having to grow up despite ourselves