尘埃落定
所有曾经被唤醒、被激发的一切，都从升得最高最飘的空中慢慢落下了，落入晦暗的意思深处，重新归入了平静。— 阿来
在读过这篇小说之前，我从不知道在四川盆地西北边缘的阿坝有过这样充满原始野性和浪漫主义的故事。对于我这样一个年轻时为了工作来蓉，后来在这里娶妻生子，落地生根的“新成都人”来说，阿坝原本只是一个可以快速逃避都市喧嚣的理想短途旅游目的地。开车从我成都西边的家里出发，一个多小时就可以从紫坪铺水库大坝上进入一个长长的隧道，隧道这头是常年被厚厚云层覆盖的成都，另一头则是位于川西高原上的阿坝，高原上天空如洗，蓝天白云让人的心情也变得和这阳光一样灿烂。
记不清楚到阿坝去了多少次，汶川老乡地里红得发紫的车厘子，理县路边无名山上多彩的秋叶，红原上开满野花的大草原，都是我和家人假日旅行的常去之地。在旅途中常常遇到藏族同胞，也多次住在藏族老乡开设的客栈里。我去阿坝旅行时，大多带着的是一种对民族风情好奇的心态。在我看来，阿坝是一个充满了原始野性的地方，这里的人们应该是和这里的自然环境一样，简单而又纯粹的。但是阿来的这本小说告诉我，这里的人们也有着和我们一样的情感，也有着和我们一样的欲望。他们也有着和我们一样的喜怒哀乐，也有着和我们一样的爱恨情仇。他们也有着和我们一样的人生，也有着和我们一样的命运。
“尘埃落定”中的故事发生在新旧交替的特殊历史时代背景下。身处时代巨浪之中，虽然处于西藏和内地之间的偏远地区，这里的人们也感受到了外界变化的影响。康巴藏族土司们试图沿着祖辈传下的习俗生活下去，但最终又无可避免地被时代更替裹挟，最终土司制度如尘埃一般消失在历史巨变之中。虽然故事发生在极具少数民族特色的阿坝地区，但阿来又为其内核赋予了超越民族的普遍性。在开始阅读时，你也许会对书中描述的一些特殊的风习感到特别的兴趣，例如土司制度，喇嘛辩经等。但深入书籍后，你会感受到作者对普遍人性的深刻描写。“异族人过的并不是另类的人生。欢乐与悲伤，幸福与痛苦，获得与失落……生活在此处与别处，生活在此时与彼时，并没有太大的区别。”
下一次去阿坝旅行，我也许会带着不同的心态吧。
阿坝自治州，理县，路边的秋叶
Educated
When I first started reading this book, I have to admit that I found it challenging to comprehend some paragraphs due to the use of unfamiliar words. Consequently, I often found myself taking my eyes off the pages to check the dictionary on my smartphone every few lines, which interrupted the flow of reading and was quite irritating.
However, after the first few chapters, I began to familiarize myself with most of the new words and started to enjoy the book. Tara Westover has an exceptional talent for storytelling, and her vivid writing style transports the reader to her rural Idaho home, surrounded by snowy mountains, looking at the junkyard where she, her brothers, and her father used to work every day. Moreover, her inner struggles when trying to find her own path through education while feeling like she was betraying her family were palpable.
Westover family home, Clifton, Idaho. (photo by mrsladywordsmith.com)
Since this book is a memoir, all the characters in it exist, although Tara used pseudonyms for her parents and the brother who bullied her. As a result, readers might wonder who they are in real life and their current status, just as I did. Upon googling, I found some interesting facts about the Westover family. From an outsider’s point of view, the homeschooling of the Westover family turned out to be quite successful. Three out of the seven children in the family obtained PhDs in their respective fields, despite never setting foot in a traditional school. Additionally, Tara’s mother, LaRee, has written multiple books, some on her herbalism and essential oil business, as well as one memoir defending the family against Tara’s accusations in Educated. Although these books are not as popular as Tara’s book, they do prove that LaRee has received an excellent education. However, LaRee chooses to remain an obedient wife, standing by her husband despite his obvious radical behavior patterns, which have put the family in danger many times, such as insisting on driving long distances home during the night twice, resulting in severe injuries to LaRee and one of their sons.
From my perspective, it appears that Tara’s experience might be linked to the Mormon faith, although it was not explicitly stated in the book. Nevertheless, there were many clues throughout the book, such as how women in a Mormon family are encouraged to stay at home, raise children, and support their husbands instead of going to college and finding a regular job. Moreover, women are required to be “modest” and not allowed to wear short-sleeve shirts or skirts above the knee, which is a clear example of gender discrimination against women. While there were other issues in this family, this seemed to be the root cause of Tara’s tragedy.
Here are some links that readers might find interesting after reading this book:
- Tara’s brothers Tyler and Rechard’s comments on this book
- Educating, A New Memoir by the Mother of Tara Westover
- Tyler’s wife’s comments on Westover family issues
Kite Runner
The racial discrimination against the Hazaras in this book was deeply disturbing to me. It is disheartening to learn that one of the reasons for their discrimination by the Pashtuns is due to their physical resemblance to the Chinese people. As a Chinese person, I find it difficult to comprehend how the Afghans view themselves as superior to us.
Additionally, I was disappointed that the author did not express any condemnation of his father’s reprehensible actions, which involved betraying Ali by having a child with Ali’s wife. It is likely that he seduced or raped her, and this should be unequivocally condemned.
The Diary of a Young Girl
Reading about Anne’s fate at the hands of the Getsapo was truly heart-wrenching. One cannot help but wonder what her future could have been had she survived the war. Her talent for writing was evident in her diary, and it is not hard to imagine her becoming an established author if given the opportunity.
I found it remarkable to learn that everyone in hiding was engaged in some form of study, despite the dire circumstances they faced. Even in the midst of constant fear and uncertainty, the inhabitants of the secret annex were actively pursuing knowledge in their respective areas of interest. This speaks to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of learning and curiosity.