If a man wishes to truly not be written about, he would do well not to write letters to 18-year-old girls, inviting them into his life.

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

For a parent, it's hard to recognize the significance of your work when you're immersed in the mundane details. Few of us, as we run the bath water or spread the peanut butter on the bread, proclaim proudly, "I'm making my contribution to the future of the planet." But with the exception of global hunger, few jobs in the world of paychecks and promotions compare in significance to the job of parent.

The real drug, I came to believe, was love.

My job is writing. I get paid to do it. When was the last time you heard someone challenge a doctor for making money off of cancer?

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.

At Home in the World is the story of a young woman, raised in some difficult circumstances, and how she survives. It tells a story of redemption, not victimhood.