Bloom's How to Write about J.D. Salinger - Hardcover

Grade 9 Up—In the first chapter, Kerr gives students excellent general strategies for writing about theme, character, form and genre, language, symbols and imagery, history and context, philosophy and ideas, and comparison and contrast essays. The techniques for writing an exemplary paper follow: preparing to write, thesis statements, outlines, body paragraphs, introductions, conclusions, citations and formatting, documenting sources, parenthetical citations, and avoiding plagiarism. The writing is straightforward and consistently supported with clear examples of strong versus weak practices. A model essay on Salinger's short story, "For Esmé—with Love and Squalor" is included. A general discussion precedes chapters devoted to one of Salinger's novels or short stories, e.g., The Catcher in the Rye, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish, "Uncle Wiggily in Connecticut," "Just Before the War with the Eskimos," Franny and Zooey, and Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters and Seymour. The format of these chapters follows the author's introductory discussion—that is theme, character, form and genre, etc. Suggestions for sample paper topics are included under every subheading. Bloom's introduction consists of a two-page essay on Salinger's Holden, specifically the character's place in the literary canon, especially in relation to Huck Finn. For librarians who want to counter the daily student complaint "I don't know where to start!" with concrete direction, Kerr's book might be the answer.—Joanne K. Cecere, Monroe-Woodbury High School, Central Valley, NY
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