Hey guys!

Hope you’re all doing well

This week’s blog post is about a book that is outside the YA genre?

My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff is a memoir that follows a young Rakoff, living in New York, working for a publishing agency. The chronicle looks at the trials and tribulations of being young in a big city whilst giving insight into Rakoff’s relationship with the infamous writer, J.D Salinger.

I rarely read autobiographies but I was immediately attracted to Salinger Year because of the setting. New York is one of my favourite cities in the world and Rakoff’s description of it certainly did not let me down. Her account of her day to day life was oddly encapsulating and her description of some of the harsh realities of being poor and young in a place as expensive as New York were actually hilarious.

Despite the story being entirely true the plot was perhaps one of the most interesting ones I’ve ever read. It is certainly true that the best autobiographies read like fiction and this was the case for My Salinger Year. The pacing was perfect and the characters (despite being real people) were pulsing with detail and flair. Rakoff’s recollection of her time with Salinger were so special and it was definitely intriguing to learn some secrets about a writer who is so infamously secretive. Also if you are looking at getting into publishing then this book is for you! I learnt a great deal about the world of getting a book from a writer onto the shelves from MSY.

I would definitely, even if you aren’t fond of autobiographies or memoirs, recommend My Sallinger Year.

I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars.

Keep on reading!
And thanks again Beth.