Author of "Catcher in the Rye" and "Franny & Zooey," of course. He turned 85 on
New Year's Day.
That was also the 27th birthday, incidentally, of Fauziya Kassindja of Togo,
who wrote her autobiography "Do They Hear You When They Cry." She fled Togo at
age 17 to escape her dead beloved father's greedy relatives, who tried to marry
her off to a strange man nearly 30 years her senior with three wives - and who
wanted her sexually mutilated as part of the wedding. Ironically, I heard that
now that FGM is so much better known as a political issue in the US, she would
have a much harder time getting asylum here than she did - and it was horrific
enough for her. While clearly not a kids' book, every teen can and should read
it. Her description of her loving family and the country she would never have
wanted to leave had her father lived are incredible.
Lenona.
FAQ
Profile
Private Messages
Log in
