Alsen (emeritus, State U. of New York-Cortland) finds a method in the apparent illogic of mid-20th-century American writer Salinger's work by identifying the vision of life they embody. His goal is not to untangle every non-sequitur, but to show readers the method so they can do it themselves when the come across one. He also helps new readers to decide which order to read the books, and to compare works they are newly reading to those they have already read and at least partly digested. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)