BROOKLIN
Author James Salant, 35, died of a sudden heart attack on Aug. 25 in Brooklin.
His critically acclaimed 2007 memoir, “Leaving Dirty Jersey,” described how he left his home in Princeton, N.J., at age 17, for the life of a drug addict, and how he eventually recovered. Following that book’s publication, James continued writing short stories, restaurant reviews and television criticism for GQ and New Jersey Monthly. At the time of his death, he was writing a novel and continuing his wide-ranging study of history and literature. Also, since 2007, he had served as an educational speaker about the opioid crisis for colleges and criminal justice groups.
In 2010, he married Robin Damstra in Stockton, N.J. The couple moved to Maine in 2015, settling near James’s parents, Lydia and Nathan Salant of Blue Hill. He is survived by his loving wife, father, brother Joseph and many nieces and nephews.