像總統(tǒng)那樣讀書: 奧巴馬最愛的8本小說

"Song of Solomon" ends up on many to-read book lists because of the author's 1993 Nobel Prize for literature, and because the book itself won the prestigious National Book Critics Fiction award in 1977.

《所羅門之歌》出現(xiàn)在很多閱讀清單上，因為它的作者獲得了1993年的諾貝爾文學(xué)獎，并且該書本身也獲得了1977年的著名的美國國家書評獎。

Somewhat like the James Joyce classic “Ulysses”, this book combines historical elements, free association, and unanswerable questions in the life of its main character. Beginning with a suicide and a black child's birth into a Michigan hospital, Morrison explores the complicated role of black family life, its heritage and its possible future.

有點像詹姆斯·喬伊斯的經(jīng)典《尤利西斯》，這本書融合了歷史元素、自由聯(lián)想以及無法回答的問題，展現(xiàn)了主角的生活。莫里森以自殺和在密歇根大學(xué)醫(yī)院出生的黑人小孩開始，探討了復(fù)雜角色的黑人家庭生活、遺產(chǎn)以及可能的未來。

"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson 拉爾夫·瓦爾多·愛默生《自立》

Although essays aren't as popular as when Emerson was alive in the mid-1800's, this essay has become one of the author's most notable achievements.Emerson's philosophy as expressed in “Self-Reliance” embraced a combination of non-conformity to social trends. Also a great believer in the 'light within', Emerson gives continual nods to a divine Providence while holding fast to man's inherent goodness, and the necessity of holding to one's own convictions despite the inclinations and pressures of the crowd.

盡管這些散文不像19世紀(jì)中葉愛默生活著時那么流行，但是這部散文是作者最輝煌的成就之一。如《自立》中表達的那樣，愛默生的哲學(xué)將非整合融入到了社會趨勢中。他也是“靈性之光”的虔誠信徒，盡管面臨壓力，他仍堅信神圣天意掌管了人性固有的閃亮，以及堅定自己的信念。

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway 厄內(nèi)斯特海明威《喪鐘為誰鳴》

One of Hemingway's most celebrated novels, “For Whom the Bell Tolls” is an adventure story of almost mythic proportions. The protagonist, a teacher named Robert Jordan, finds love and battle in the Spanish Civil War. Pilar, one of the most influential and passionate characters (though not the love interest), displayed the 'Everyman' fierce peasant spirit and embodied the name of the author's fishing vessel.

《喪鐘為誰鳴》是海明威最著名的小說之一，講述的是一個帶有神話色彩的冒險故事。主人公是一個叫羅伯特·喬丹的老師，在西班牙內(nèi)戰(zhàn)中經(jīng)歷斗爭找到了真愛。皮拉爾是其中最有影響力和充滿激情的人物(雖然不是愛慕對象)，他展示了“普通人”強烈的農(nóng)民精神，呈現(xiàn)了作者的漁船的名字。

"The Federalist" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay 亞歷山大·漢密爾頓,詹姆斯·麥迪遜和約翰·杰伊《聯(lián)邦黨人文集》

This book is made of a series of essays on the validity and necessity of the United States Constitution, though it is more commonly referred to as the Federalist Papers. The reasoning behind political phrases in common use today, such as “checks and balances” and “bill of rights”, are worked out in 85 numbered works

這本書由一系列關(guān)于美國憲法的有效性和重要性的文章構(gòu)成，盡管它通常被稱為《聯(lián)邦黨人文集》?，F(xiàn)在普遍使用的政治短語的背后，例如“相互制衡”和“人權(quán)法案”，來收錄于這85篇作品里。

"The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene 格雷厄姆·格林《權(quán)利與榮耀》

While the main character in Graham Greene's novel “The Power and the Glory” hasn't lived the pure life of Jesus, his experiences while on the run in Mexico provide an eery similarity to his Lord's sufferings.

雖然格雷厄姆·格林的小說《權(quán)利與榮耀》中的主要角色，不像耶穌那般純粹的生活，但是墨西哥逃亡的經(jīng)歷展示了他與上帝極其相似的苦難。

The nameless priest shows quite human flaws, with a daughter from a past love affair and a current drinking problem, while the antagonistic lieutenant (an atheist) appears more as a reverse Javier from Les Miserables. Greene personally suffered his way through a two-month research tour in Mexico, according to John Updike's New York Times review in 1990.

這位無名的牧師帶著一個和過去情人所生、有酗酒問題的女兒，盡展人性的弱點，然而，他和《悲慘的世界》中的敵對中尉(無神論者)是全然相反的。根據(jù)John Updike1990年的紐約時報書評，格林親自去墨西哥研究了兩個月。

"FDR" by Jean Edward Smith 簡·愛德華·史密斯《富蘭克林·德拉諾·羅斯福傳》

While many books have been written about Franklin Delano Roosevelt, focusing on his struggles with polio and foreign policy. FDR's relationships with women, from his strong and confident mother to his secretary (to his love-interest, Lucy) are covered just as well as the Japanese internment camps and the dynamics of the New Deal. Smith has shown up on the Pulitzer Prize nomination list, for a previous work on another former President (Grant).

雖然有很多寫總統(tǒng)富蘭克林·德拉諾·羅斯福的書，但是關(guān)注點都是同小兒麻痹癥作斗爭和外交政策。羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)同女人之間的關(guān)系，從他堅強而又自信的媽媽到他的秘書(他的摯愛，露西)都被隱藏了，還有日本拘留營以及新政的動蕩也是如此。史密斯曾在另一位前任總統(tǒng)(格蘭特)那里工作出色而出現(xiàn)普利策獎的提名名單上。

"The Quiet American" by Graham Greene 格雷厄姆.格林《文靜的美國人》

Partly a mystery, partly a social commentary. Greene's book belongs on mystery, history, and social commentary reading lists. Ostensibly, it's about a love triangle between an American, an Englishman, and an Asian woman. Behind the human tragedy is the tragedy of the French Indochina war, which served as a precursor to the Vietnam War.

有謎團，也有社會評論。格林的書屬于推理小說、歷史、社會評論的閱讀列表。表面上，它是關(guān)于一個美國男人、一個英國男人以及一個亞裔女子的三角戀故事。在人類悲劇的背后是法越戰(zhàn)爭的悲劇，它是越南戰(zhàn)爭的前兆。

"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak 莫里斯·桑達克《野獸家園》

This illustrated adventure book has been making book lists almost since publication. Sendak's classic won the Caldecott Medal in 1964, as the year's Most Distinguished Picture Book for children.

這部有插圖的冒險小說幾乎自從出版后就被列入書單中了。作為年度著名兒童圖畫書，桑達克的經(jīng)典系列獲得了1964年的凱迪克獎。

Max is a very relatable child who wants to dominate his environment, especially his mother. In a fantasy land of fearsome beasts, he is allowed to tame and conquer the way he would never be allowed to do at home, eventually becoming their honored king after a battle of wills.

馬克思是一個非?？煽康暮⒆?，他想要支配他的環(huán)境，尤其是他的媽媽。在一個有著可怕野獸的神奇島嶼上，這些他在家里永遠不能做的事，他卻可以控制和征服，在一場意志較量后，他最終成了受尊敬的國王