Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/178176
THIS WEEK WITH MARGARET This, That and the Other by MARGARET DICKSON The Second Coming of J. D. Salinger Generations of high school and college students know Salinger as the author of the classic book on teenaged angst, The Catcher in the Rye, whose suffering protagonist, Holden Caulfield, remains one of the most beloved — if tortured — characters in American fiction. The novel was published in 1951, and though it continues to speak to young people today, Salinger himself had had enough of the celebrity generated by the novel's overwhelming success. He retreated from New York City to the small town of Cornish, New Hampshire where he lived until this death in 2010. Salinger continued writing during the 1950s and early 60s while he lived the life of a reclusive hermit most of the time. Periodically he surfaced for a rare interview, and it is known that he did have strong friendships and several romantic attachments with much younger women and that he became involved with eastern religions. Except for the most devoted fans, though, Salinger slipped from public interest, but a new biography and documentary are sparking interests for all sorts of quarters. Old friends have spoken out on the likes of 60 Minutes, apparently willing to do so only because Salinger has gone to his reward. But the story is not over yet! Salinger's biographers, David Shields and Shane Salerno, assert that there is more to come — that Salinger had indeed been writing all these long years and that he kept new or retooled manuscripts locked in a vault with plans for public release between 2015 and 2020. These supposedly include more on the life of the suffering Holden as well as more on the Glass family, whom Salinger shared with readers after Catcher in the Rye in gems like Franny and Zooey. This Salinger fan can hardly wait! ••• "'Tis the season' of the giant fashion magazine, the proverbial September issue which previews all the fall fashions fit to print. It cannot be a surprise to anyone that fall and winter clothes featuring wool and leather are often among the priciest. I find that I read such tomes only in the waiting rooms of various offices these days, largely because stiletto heels have begun to make me think of broken hips. In addition, I am not six feet tall, nor do I weigh 110 pounds, which means that skinny jeans and much of the other fashion fare displayed on magazine pages either would not fit or would not be appropriate for me. And then there is the cost of all this. Something about a handbag costing in the five figure ranges makes me a bit queasy as do undergarments costing three or four figures. Hard to reconcile in an economy still reeling from the Great Recession…. And just FYI. The September issue of Vogue weighs nearly 5 pounds, has more than 900 pages, and costs a whopping $7.00. The other fashion tomes weigh in at slightly less tonnage and dollars, generally at $5.00 and some even less. Still a lot of trees dying in the name of beauty. ••• And speaking of beauty, how about a Miss American contestant with a tatt? I was amazed with one sashayed across my television screen with the Serenity Prayer inked on her midriff between her bikini top and bottom and another more modest one also on her ribcage. Pundits are speculating that Miss Kansas is the first tattooed Miss America contestant, but how can we know since many modern day tatts are located in spots generally covered by clothing. Let's just give her the benefit of the doubt. Miss Kansas seems like no ordinary Miss America contestant. Theresa Vail is serving in the Army while studying Chinese and Chemistry at Kansas State. She hunts deer with a bow, is an M-16 "marksperson," and is studying for her pilot's license. She says she is all about breaking stereotypes and, she has written that her Serenity Prayer is a reference to having been bullied as child and finding the strength to come through that experience. Theresa Vail is one of the 40 percent of folks in her Millennial generation who have decorated their bodies with ink. Miss Kansas did not become Miss America, so as far as we are aware, all our Miss Americas remain tattoo virgins. I am old enough to know not to hold my breath on this one, though. Life, and styles, change so quickly that MARGARET DICKSON, Connothing much surprises anymore. tributing Writer, COMMENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly.com. Daily Specials • Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Fresh Seafood • Hand Cut Steaks • Homemade Desserts • Italian & Greek • Children's Menu Banquet rooms available up to 100 guests UP & COMING WEEKLY'S Local Classifieds Stedman • Eastover • Spring Lake • Hope Mills • Fort Bragg 10 4 lines / 7 days = $11.95 All ads online! SEPT 25 - OCT 1, 2013 484-0261 1304 Morganton Rd. Mon-Sat: 6am-10pm Sun: 7am-2:30 pm Serving Fayetteville Over 50 Years! Ask us about Free Ads and Yard Sale Kits! • Contact Christina Edge • classifieds@upandcomingweekly.com 484-1009 www.upandcomingweekly.com WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM