2024.12.28 何伟《江城》Peter Hessler’s “River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze”: 读这一本书，如同面对镜子观察自己，一开始是有点伤自尊的，因为何伟对小县城的人性微妙评价得一针见血。比方说，小县城里的人对外国人的好奇和抗拒，以及面对外国人对历史或者政治上的批评的沉默，都与我学生时代的记忆遥相呼应。何伟笔下那低垂的头和沉默不语的学生，也是曾经的我。我看到豆瓣上有些读者认为何伟的语调高高在上，甚至写得有些冒犯。但我不这么认为。我认为他写得十分克制，而且十分写实，把中国的百姓的复杂的心理写得面面俱到。如果说在第一部里还能看到他与涪陵的隔阂，那么在第二部里就能读出他对这个小小江城的理解和喜爱。除了写出了小城居民的性情外，他还描写了他去新疆的见闻和他对中国男女两性关系的理解，都令我印象深刻。我认为每一个中国人都应该读一读这本书，看看从一个外国人的角度，是如何看待我们的。我们接受的意识形态的教育，不应该僵化我们的思想，而更应该鼓足勇气来接受别人的评价和改进自己。
Reading this book feels like looking at myself in a mirror. At first, it’s a bit humbling because Hessler’s accurate observations about human nature in small Chinese towns hit close to home. For example, the mixture of curiosity and resistance toward foreigners, as well as the silence in response to the critiques of history or politics from foreigners, resonate deeply with my own memories from my old student days in China. The bowed heads and silent students Hessler describes were once a reflection of me.

I’ve noticed some readers on Douban (a Chinese version of Goodreads) feel that Hessler’s tone is condescending or even offensive at times, but I disagree. I find his writing to be restrained, realistic, and remarkably thorough in capturing the complexities of the psychology of ordinary Chinese people. If there is a sense of distance in the first part of the book, the second part reveals his growing understanding and affection for the small riverside city he writes about. Beyond portraying the character of small-town residents, Hessler also shares his experiences in Xinjiang and his insights on gender dynamics in China, which impressed me a lot.

I believe every Chinese person should read this book to see how we are perceived from a foreigner’s perspective. The ideological education we receive since we were born should not rigidify our thinking but instead encourage us to face critiques with courage and strive for self-improvement.

2025.07.16 福山《历史的终结及最后之人》Francis Fukuyama’s “The End of History and the Last Man”: 这本书语言并不晦涩，但是读完花了我大半年的时间。老实说，我更喜欢此书的前、中部分，解释为什么独裁、专制体制最后可能被摧毁的原因，自由民主的优越性，资本主义与自由民主的相辅相成、历史的有方向性和自然科学的制约机制，以及人是由获得认可的欲望驱动的。我认为这些论述都非常有说服力，面面俱到，且由大量例子以便理解。但是我不同意本书的最后部分的我们现在处在历史的尽头的论述。如果说人是为了获得认可，并追求的是优越，那么尽管自由民主的资本主义国家提供了许多渠道去让人们在各个方面追求优越，使得欲望转变为更理性的形式，但这些优越，就像前半部分论证民族主义时所说的，不是完全的认可。既然有优越，就有一部分人是“主人”，另一部分是“奴隶”，永远有不平等，那么便没有真正的“普遍的认可”，也不会有定义里的“最后之人”，那种安全有保障、物质很丰裕，失去了劳动和斗阵必要的人。因此，就像福山强调的那样，自由民主并不是稳定的。

当然，福山的定义里，历史的终结意味着没有战争和血腥的革命。这个定义里不包括经济上的战争，比如贸易战之类的。按照这个定义，他说历史已经终结也可以理解。不同于福山的观点，我认为经济层面的战争也可以非常血腥，应该被包括在“历史的终点”的评判标准里。因此我认为说我们中的部分已经达到历史的终点的说法有些为时过早。就算我接受福山关于终点的定义，我认为很重要的强调虽然历史有方向性，但这并不代表历史是单方向的，它可前进、可倒退、可停滞。我想，这也是福山在这部书最后部分所想强调的。

This book is not obscure, but it still took me more than half a year to finish reading it. To be honest, I preferred the first and middle parts of the book, which explain why authoritarian and dictatorial regimes may eventually collapse, the superiority of liberal democracy, the complementary relationship between capitalism and liberal democracy, the directional nature of history and the constraining role of natural science, as well as the idea that humans are driven by the desire for recognition. I found these arguments highly persuasive, comprehensive, and supported by numerous examples that made them easy to understand.

However, I disagree with the book’s conclusion that we are now at the end of history. If humans are driven by the desire for recognition and seek superiority, then although capitalist liberal democracies offer many channels for individuals to pursue excellence in various aspects, e.g., transforming desire into more rational forms, this sense of superiority, as argued earlier in the discussion on nationalism, does not equate to full recognition. Where there is superiority, there will always be some who are “masters” and others who are “slaves,” which means inequality will persist. As a result, there can be no true “universal recognition” in every aspect of the society, nor will there ever be the so-called “last man” as defined (someone who is secure, materially abundant, and no longer needs to struggle or strive). Therefore, as Fukuyama himself emphasized, liberal democracy is not inherently stable.

In Fukuyama’s definition, the end of history means the absence of war and bloody revolution. This definition does not include economic conflicts, such as trade wars. From this perspective, it is understandable that he claims history has ended. However, unlike Fukuyama, I believe that economic wars can also be extremely brutal and should be included in the criteria for evaluating the “end of history.” Therefore, I think it is still too early to claim that some parts of the world have already reached the end of history. Even if I were to accept Fukuyama’s definition of the end, I think it is important to emphasize that while history may have a direction, this does not mean it is unidirectional, because it can move forward, backward, or stagnate. I believe this is also what Fukuyama sought to emphasize in the final part of the book.

2025.08.25 伊琳·卡蒙 / 莎娜·卡尼兹尼克《异见时刻：“声名狼藉”的金斯伯格大法官》Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Shana Knizhnik and Irin Carmon: 读这本书之前，我读过《成为波伏瓦》，所以很自然地猜想，金斯伯格大法官是否又是一位波伏瓦。老实说，她们有很多相似的地方，比方说都是天资聪颖，学业拔尖，面容姣好，在男性统治的领域占据一席之地，同时，时时刻刻面临忽略、嘲笑以及歧视。但金斯伯格大法官恐怕比波伏瓦更加幸福，首先在生活方面，如果这本书里关于金斯伯格大法官的丈夫马丁的介绍都是真实可靠的话，马丁在男女平等和尊重女性方面比萨特优秀太多了；其次是职业方面，成为大法官的鲁丝不必害怕仗义执言后的报复打击甚至是失去工作，于是她的人生更加快意恩仇，正色敢言。这令我感慨，想让女性真正站起来说话，合理的社会制度和社会保障必不可少，比起波伏瓦的时代，社会毕竟进步了一点。

此外，我觉得金斯伯格大法官的女性主义思想是承袭了波伏瓦关于女人的刻板印象是社会结构塑造的成果，因此，她积极地在打破法律对刻板印象的强化。金斯伯格大法官的成功给我的启示是，我们必须积极地努力地推动我们热爱的事业，广泛建立社会影响，并善于审时度势，抓住机会。当然，选择合适的人生伴侣非常重要，但遗憾的是并非所有人都有幸会牵手对的人，这不可强求，因此我们能做的首先是获得经济上的自足，成为一个独立、自主的个体。

Before reading this book, I had read “Becoming Beauvoir”, so it was natural for me to wonder whether RBG might also be a kind of Beauvoir. To be honest, they do share many similarities: both were gifted and outstanding in their studies, both had good appearances, and both carved out a place for themselves in male-dominated fields, while constantly facing neglect, ridicule, and discrimination. Yet RBG was perhaps more fortunate than Beauvoir. First, in her personal life, if the accounts of her husband Martin in this book are accurate and reliable, Martin far surpassed Sartre in terms of gender equality and respect for women. Second, in her career, RBG having become a Supreme Court Justice, did not have to fear retaliation or even the loss of her job for speaking out. This allowed her to live with a freer sense of justice and moral courage. It makes me reflect that for women to truly stand up and have a voice, sound social institutions and protections are necessary. Compared to Beauvoir’s era, society has indeed made some progress.

In addition, I feel that RBG’s feminist thought inherited Beauvoir’s insight that stereotypes about women are socially constructed. For this reason, she actively worked to dismantle the law’s reinforcement of such stereotypes. The inspiration I draw from RBG’s success is that we must pursue the careers we are passionate about with energy and persistence, build broad social influence, and be keenly aware of the times so as to seize opportunities. Of course, choosing the right life partner is of great importance. Unfortunately, not everyone is lucky enough to find the right person; it is not something that can be forced. What we can do, above all, is to achieve financial independence and become self-reliant individuals whose strength comes not only from external support but also from within.

2025.10.11 李珉真《柏青哥》Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: 一开始，我一直很好奇为什么书名叫柏青哥，因为柏青哥是一种赌博游戏, 而第一部、第二部并没怎么出现这个关键词。直到读到第四代所罗的经历才理解了柏青哥在这本书里的含义：柏青哥是在日韩国人，在根深蒂固的日本社会的偏见下，不加入黑帮之外的唯一出路。无论是聪明圆滑的吾朗，热情勤勉的摩撒，聪明正直的诺亚，还是最年轻一代有着优秀学历留学美国归来的所罗，他们性格能力各异，但在书里日本社会根深蒂固的偏见之下，他们只能选择经营柏青哥游戏厅。无论他们是否正直、富有，他们都无法成为真正的日本人。即使他们在日本出生长大，日语是他们的母语，他们也无法跳脱身为韩国血统所承受的偏见与歧视。我作为同样在异国他乡的第一代，十分感同身受。

这本书我是中英文一起读的，虽然内容一样， 但是英文的版本用词简练精准，对于英文写作很有参考价值。关于故事结构，我觉得很遗憾的一点是书里用曾祖母顺子的人生串联了整个家族在日本的发展，但其实我觉得关于顺子的描写其实不够深刻，其实她见证了一切， 包括韩国、日本历史政治变迁、丈夫被拘离世、儿子自杀、母亲病逝朋友回朝鲜后渺无声息等，但是她的心里描写看起来只是关于诺亚和摩撒，除此之外好像一个人机，什么心理活动都没有。本书的结尾停留在顺子去探望伊萨的墓，了解到诺亚于家人断联的那几年一直都有来祭拜伊萨，然后顺子在伊萨的墓里埋下了她两个儿子的相片截然为止。这样的结尾让我觉得故事结束得过于匆匆。

读这本书的本意是想了解韩国文化，没想到这本书着墨更多的日本社会的偏见与固执。一句话总结，这本书讲的是韩国人在日本的苦难奋斗史。

At first, I kept wondering why the book was titled Pachinko, since pachinko is a gambling game and the term hardly appeared in the first two parts of the novel. It was not until I reached the story of the fourth generation, Solomon, that I finally understood its meaning. For Koreans living in Japan, pachinko represented the only path to survival outside the yakuza within a society deeply rooted in prejudice.

Whether it was the shrewd and smooth Goro, the passionate and hardworking Mozasu, the intelligent and upright Noa, or the well-educated Solomon who studied in the United States, their personalities and abilities were very different, yet under Japan’s rigid social bias, they all ended up running pachinko parlors. No matter how honest or wealthy they became, they could never be accepted as truly Japanese. Even though they were born and raised in Japan and spoke Japanese as their first language, they could never escape the discrimination tied to their Korean heritage. As a first-generation immigrant myself, I deeply resonated with their sense of alienation.

I read both the Chinese and English versions of the novel. Although the content is the same, the English version impressed me with its concise and precise use of language, which I found very helpful for improving my English writing. One thing I found slightly disappointing is that while the novel uses the life of Sunja to connect the family’s story across generations in Japan, her characterization felt somewhat shallow. She witnessed everything: the political shifts between Korea and Japan, her husband’s arrest and death, her son’s suicide, her mother’s passing, and her family friend’s disappearance after returning to North Korea. Yet her inner world seems focused almost entirely on her two sons, Noa and Mozasu. Beyond that, she appears almost mechanical, with little emotional depth revealed. In addition, the novel ends rather abruptly. Sunja visits Isak’s grave and learns that during the years when Noa had cut ties with the family, he still came quietly to pay his respects. Sunja then buries the photographs of her two sons beside Isak’s grave, and the story ends there. The conclusion felt too sudden to me, leaving little time for reflection or closure.

I initially picked up Pachinko to learn more about Korean culture, but to my surprise, the novel focuses more on the prejudice and rigidity of Japanese society. In one sentence, this book is the story of Koreans in Japan, a history of their suffering, struggle, and perseverance across generations.