通书读出他对他的学生们的努力的深深尊重。 临近书结尾时， 他去乡下看到孩子们都在打谷场做作业，他说： Here I could see the point of my job — not just the literature I taught, but also the simple fact that for nearly two years I had a role in an education system that included children like this.
"I sensed that this was a small part of what contributed to the passivity with regard to the Three Gorges Project in Fuling.The vast majority of the people would not be directly affected by the coming changes, and so they weren’t concerned.Despite having large sections of the city scheduled to be flooded within the next decade, it wasn’t really a community issue, because there wasn’t a community as one would generally define it. There were lots of small groups, and there was a great deal of patriotism, but like most patriotism anywhere in the world, this was spurred as much by fear and ignorance as by any true sense of a connection to the Motherland. And you could manipulate this fear and ignorance by telling people that the dam, even though it might destroy the river and the town, was of great importance to China.” ― Peter Hessler, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
And you could manipulate this fear and ignorance by telling people that the dam, even though it might destroy the river and the town, was of great importance to China.”
River Town, 书中作者是Peace Corps的美国小伙子， 96-98年在四川涪陵师范当外教， 跟读者我自己在国内读书的时间段有是重合的。 “书卷多情似故人”， 原来这句古诗还有另一层意境。 不仅让一身油烟的读者我，跟着作者走进一副清新淡雅的水彩画， 更让我再不同年龄段认识曾经的自己。
读历史书， 我偏爱读关于几十年前的历史书--原因是我发现这样读到的可以更接近历史的真相。 那么我们个人历史是不是也这样呢？ 隔着时空的距离， 甚至通过他人的视角，再跟自己理解的比较和拼凑起来， 会不会更接近真实呢。
他的素材来源于他这两年的生活， 每一副景色， 每一个人都是鲜活的， 可以读出他的素材取舍都很有讲究的， 其中有不少他的学生的作文，有的让我忍俊不禁，有的让我轻叹。 让我的心微微刺痛的则是他说到他让学生们写的Robin Hood在中国行侠仗义的故事。 绝大多数学生们写的都是都是Robin Hood在一群冷漠围观的人群里挺身而出， 或者抓小偷， 或者跳下河救人。 可20年后国内还是不能扶起路边摔倒的老人。
再让我的心刺痛的还有他提出来的国内人们也许对小家小团体很好， 但没有a sense of bigger community。 再有比如三峡工程将淹没涪陵一些地带， 但没有任何人有任何担心或者不同想法。
作者对20多年前他的学生的观察： 其一更相信和服从权威 其二观念更非黑即白， 而没有中间的灰色。 我想信息封闭和传统文化是因。 比如我家小男孩，在小学二年级的语文课就要做题，分辨facts vs. opinion。 我自己在国内呆到20出头， 连这个awareness都没有。
他行文的另一个特点是，从一件具体小事一层层引开， 跟当时的政府政策， 以及更深远的文化背景联系起来， 既有历史感， 又不会流于说教。
作者真是祖师爷赏饭吃， 骨子里就是作家的料--他善于观察，还特别勤奋，每天写日记，留存了学生们的作业， 而且伸出触角， 走到涪陵的大街小巷和百姓们交谈甚至成为朋友。 我在读书阶段的外教是个美国年轻姑娘，空余时间都在和美国朋友们party，中文一直在”你好 再见“的阶段。 这也无可厚非， 让我感慨的是一样的时空， 不同人的体会可以如此不同。
通书读出他对他的学生们的努力的深深尊重。 临近书结尾时， 他去乡下看到孩子们都在打谷场做作业，他说：
Here I could see the point of my job — not just the literature I taught, but also the simple fact that for nearly two years I had a role in an education system that included children like this.
小子每次都气馁地说和你们中国人没法辩论！
阿拉在迫不得已的时候会出来支持一下小的，老的真的混淆“facts vs. opinion“
"I sensed that this was a small part of what contributed to the passivity with regard to the Three Gorges Project in Fuling.The vast majority of the people would not be directly affected by the coming changes, and so they weren’t concerned.Despite having large sections of the city scheduled to be flooded within the next decade, it wasn’t really a community issue, because there wasn’t a community as one would generally define it. There were lots of small groups, and there was a great deal of patriotism, but like most patriotism anywhere in the world, this was spurred as much by fear and ignorance as by any true sense of a connection to the Motherland. And you could manipulate this fear and ignorance by telling people that the dam, even though it might destroy the river and the town, was of great importance to China.”
― Peter Hessler, River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze
所谓喝狼奶长大的我们这一代，有些习惯太难克服了，很多时候都是不知不觉的惯性。。。
记得不止我一个人在同学群里提出来，人家的回答简直了，“谁都这样呀”。还都是所谓知识分子，还都是喝过洋墨水的人。
一是它让我发现了许多我自己意识不到的思维定势，它点到了我熟视无睹的一些人情世故。看看一个外来人如何看待评伦我早已经习以为常的社会和文化，是件很有趣的事。
二是，文科生想要出头太不容易了。普林斯顿和牛津毕业，快三十了还没工作，背了学贷。他还算幸运的，有父母的支持，最终找到了适合他的路。别的文科生呢？
我也很喜欢读历史，特别是美国历史，因为短，所以简单。。也因为我是外来人，从来不知道美国历史怎么回事，比在这里长大的人还好，他们在中小学时也被灌输了一套。
其实，史实本身是一回事，那些历史学家的角度，描述更让我觉得有意思。
我是不是哪里理解差了
And you could manipulate this fear and ignorance by telling people that the dam, even though it might destroy the river and the town, was of great importance to China.”
facts vs opinion，米国这方面也很严重的，不然就不会那么多荒谬的假新闻满天飞了。
我的英文名字一直用到现在。到美国才知道是西班牙人常用的名字…他常带饼干糖果一类的来课堂，比起一脸严肃的中国老师受欢迎多了。
比如他提到了国内对教育的尊重（美国缺乏），再比如提到中国人对苦难的韧劲
我前面说在国内长期畅销--中国人民还是比较敏感，这本书如果没有对中国文化的尊重，很难长期畅销
何伟后面的书oracle bones 和country driving也很好看。他后来娶了个华裔也是作家，在中国住了很久，好像又去埃及呆了些日子，最近回美国来了