Word comes that these two giants have passed. Salinger, best known as a literary recluse, was 91. Zinn, a historian who rejected the notion that history is written by the victors, was 87.
Salinger's contributions to literature are beyond measure. His book, Catcher in the Rye, is easily in the American canon of literary works and a seminal statement on the American condition and spirit. Yet, he was best known for never granting interviews and maintaining his privacy.
Zinn was more outgoing. His major work, A People's History of the United States, was a landmark history, telling history from the point of view of the common man, rather than the elite.
He was also a fan of my friend, and former colleague, Lauri Lebo and her book, The Devil In Dover, an examination of the fight over intelligent design in the Dover schools.
They are gone, but their work will live on.
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