JD Salinger was an American writer who wrote short stories and fiction novels. Some critics don't like his books, others do. He had an extraordinary life and story. Salinger was an influential 20th century American writer whose works were much scrutinized. Jerome David Salinger was born on January 1, 1919. He was known as JD Salinger. He was born in New York, New York. His father's name was Sol Salinger. Her mother's name was Miriam Jillich Salinger. His father was Jewish and his mother was Christian. He had a sister named Doris who was eight years older than Jerome. She was born in Chicago. JD Salinger had dark hair and dark eyes. It seemed very mysterious. He was the second and youngest child. He grew up in a posh Manhattan apartment building. As a young man he was nicknamed Sonny. ("David Jerome Salinger")In 1932, Jerome was enrolled in Mcburney School. It was a private high school. He was the captain of his fencing team. He liked fencing very much. But he struggled in private school because he got terrible grades! Since Salinger's grades were very mediocre at private school, they sent him elsewhere. He was sent to military school. He began attending Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne, Pennsylvania in 1934. While there, he worked on the school newspaper and yearbook. Jerome David graduated there in 1936. (“JD Salinger Essay – Salinger, JD – eNotes.com”) Jerome David Salinger enrolled at New York University in 1937. He earned unsatisfactory intermediate grades during his second semester. However he never got decent grades. He left school and traveled in Europe. He went to Europe to study his father's import business. (“Jerome Da…half of the paper…true, and I respect that. Works Cited” Jerome David Salinger.” 2014. Biography.com website. May 19, 2014 http://www .biography.com/people/ jd-salinger-9470070. "JD Salinger Essay - Salinger, JD - enotes.com enotes.com, nd Web. 28 Apr. 2014. "Main Page . Np, nd Web. 28 Apr. 2014. .Salinger, J.D Web. April 28, 2014. "The Praise and Criticism of The Catcher in the Rye." The Praise and Criticism of The Catcher in the Rye, April 28. 2014. .