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.

It troubles me that people speak about writing for money as ugly and distasteful.

Although Salinger had long since cut me out of his life completely and made it plain that he had nothing but contempt for me, the thought of becoming the object of his wrath was more than I felt ready to take on.

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

Women writers have been told, forever, that our stories were not valuable. Not as valuable as men's stories about wars, business, power.

For 25 years, I did take my responsibilities as a pleaser of others sufficiently seriously.