【The Definition of Poignant*****】 American author JD Salinger perhaps crafted the nine best short stories ever written when he wrote "Nine Stories". Salinger packs these stories full of interesting stuff.. .. and he continues his theme that he wonderfully developed in "The Catcher in the Rye".. ..That is, the theme of the child vs. adult world, and more importantly the threshold that exists between the two.★★★★★ The first story, "A Perfect Day for Bananafish" along with two other stories.. "For Eseme" - with Love and Squalor.. And "Teddy"are among the strongest of the nine stories. His stories and the twists in them are like something out of a Quentin Tarantino movie. You'll be left in awe and amazement after reading some of these for the first time. And I really do urge people to read this book, not only once, but two or three times. So many details are threaded into these stories and they'll have you asking a lot of questions. Details like images of color as a representation of the two seemingly opposing worlds. Characters that represent the two seemingly opposing worlds. Thoughts, descriptions, twists!!!! And conflicts that force us to ask ourselves which world we would want to be in. I also recommend that you read these stories in the order they are placed in the book. There are nine of them, but each one seems to build on the themes presented earlier in the book. And even though each story stands on its own, they all seem to flow together nicely to an amazing climax at the end with the story of Teddy.!! Salinger is toying with some remarkable ideas here.. ..and I think what Salinger is arguing is that, yes we have to be adults.. ..But as adults we must never forget to stop and smell the roses. We must never forget what it's like to be a child and full of wonder and exploration, full of hope and dreams. And it's that message that really appealed to me in this book. So if you haven't, go read Nine Stories today, you don't want to miss it!