Fascinating that it beat out both "Catch-22" and "Franny and Zoey" for the award in 1961. Perhaps, as the author implies, it was its introduction of experience

Fascinating that it beat out both "Catch-22" and "Franny and Zoey" for the award in 1961. Perhaps, as the author implies, it was its introduction of experience outside of the Heller/Salinger milieu that readers found refreshing for a change.