跟总统学习: 奥巴马最爱的8本小说

"Song of Solomon" by Toni Morrison

托妮•莫里森《所罗门之歌》

“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.

《所罗门之歌》出现在很多阅读清单上，因为它的作者获得了1993年的诺贝尔文学奖，并且该书本身也获得了1977年的著名的美国国家书评奖。

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.

有点像詹姆斯·乔伊斯的经典《尤利西斯》，这本书融合了历史元素、自由联想以及无法回答的问题，展现了主角的生活。莫里森以自杀和在密歇根大学医院出生的黑人小孩开始，探讨了复杂角色的黑人家庭生活、遗产以及可能的未来。

"Self-Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson

拉尔夫·瓦尔多·爱默生《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.

尽管这些散文不像19世纪中叶爱默生活着时那么流行，但是这部散文是作者最辉煌的成就之一。如《自立》中表达的那样，爱默生的哲学将非整合融入到了社会趋势中。他也是‘灵性之光’的虔诚信徒，尽管面临压力，他仍坚信神圣天意掌管了人性固有的闪亮，以及坚定自己的信念。

"For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway

厄内斯特海明威《丧钟为谁鸣》

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.

《丧钟为谁鸣》是海明威最著名的小说之一，讲述的是一个带有神话色彩的冒险故事。主人公是一个叫罗伯特·乔丹的老师，在西班牙内战中经历斗争找到了真爱。皮拉尔是其中最有影响力和充满激情的人物（虽然不是爱慕对象），他展示了“普通人”强烈的农民精神，呈现了作者的渔船的名字。

"The Federalist" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay

亚历山大·汉密尔顿,詹姆斯·麦迪逊和约翰·杰伊《联邦党人文集》

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

这本书由一系列关于美国宪法的有效性和重要性的文章构成，尽管它通常被称为《联邦党人文集》。现在普遍使用的政治短语的背后，例如“相互制衡”和“人权法案”，来收录于这85篇作品里。

"The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene

格雷厄姆·格林《权利与荣耀》

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.

虽然格雷厄姆·格林的小说《权利与荣耀》中的主要角色，不像耶稣那般纯粹的生活，但是墨西哥逃亡的经历展示了他与上帝极其相似的苦难。

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.

这位无名的牧师带着一个和过去情人所生、有酗酒问题的女儿，尽展人性的弱点，然而，他和《悲惨的世界》中的敌对中尉（无神论者）是全然相反的。根据John Updike1990年的纽约时报书评，格林亲自去墨西哥研究了两个月。

"FDR" by Jean Edward Smith

简·爱德华·史密斯《富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福传》

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).

虽然有很多写总统富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福的书，但是关注点都是同小儿麻痹症作斗争和外交政策。罗斯福总统同女人之间的关系，从他坚强而又自信的妈妈到他的秘书（他的挚爱，露西）都被隐藏了，还有日本拘留营以及新政的动荡也是如此。史密斯曾在另一位前任总统（格兰特）那里工作出色而出现普利策奖的提名名单上。

"The Quiet American" by Graham Greene

格雷厄姆.格林《文静的美国人》

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.

有谜团，也有社会评论。格林的书属于推理小说、历史、社会评论的阅读列表。表面上，它是关于一个美国男人、一个英国男人以及一个亚裔女子的三角恋故事。在人类悲剧的背后是法越战争的悲剧，它是越南战争的前兆。

"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak

莫里斯·桑达克《野兽家园》

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.

这部有插图的冒险小说几乎自从出版后就被列入书单中了。作为年度著名儿童图画书，桑达克的经典系列获得了1964年的凯迪克奖。

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.

马克思是一个非常可靠的孩子，他想要支配他的环境，尤其是他的妈妈。在一个有着可怕野兽的神奇岛屿上，这些他在家里永远不能做的事，他却可以控制和征服，在一场意志较量后，他最终成了受尊敬的国王。