Long after Salinger sent me away, I continued to believe his standards and expectations were the best ones.

Although Salinger had long since cut me out of his life completely and made it plain that he had nothing but contempt for me, the thought of becoming the object of his wrath was more than I felt ready to take on.

Not only did I avoid speaking of Salinger; I resisted thinking about him. I did not reread his letters to me. The experience had been too painful.

I believe every one of us possesses a fundamental right to tell our own story.

Some literary types subscribe to the notion that being a writer like Salinger entitles a person to remain free of the standards that might apply to mere mortals.

As soon as you compromise your standards you become vulnerable to your competition.