Relationships

Relationships

Relationships是一本探討家庭、朋友與人和動物的層層關係和情感。

本書內容分為Fiction、Essays、Poetry和Drama四大類別。各個作品皆出自名家之手，因此閱讀時，不僅能體會文字的曼妙，更常為故事的情節而感動。

本書中也提出對relationships的看法：

Before you can form strong relationships with other people, it's important to know who you are yourself. And if you want others to like you, it helps if you like yourself, too.

這些作品中我印象最深刻為"A Kitten For Mrs. Ainsworth"，敘述一隻流浪貓和一貴婦之間的友誼。這隻流浪貓偶而會到婦人家"Just creeps in, has some food, then flits away."。但是日積月累的互動和信任讓它在生命結束前，來到貴婦的家，將它的kitten交付給該婦人--- A special Christmas gift for Mrs. Ainsworth。

"The Kid Nobody Could Handle"則是敘述一位因為家庭因素而成為問題少年的成長歷程。是教師的愛和包容改變了他頑強的心：

Teachers play an important role in our lives---particularly those who take a special interest in us and make us feel we matter.

"Herbert Hahn"則是敘述一位偉大的老師。作者懷念這位老師因為

• 1. He taught life, and his subject was of secondary importance.
• 2. He didn't do a lot of extra talking, but when he talked he was direct and often brilliant.
• 3. Mrs. Hahn could have taught at any college in the country, but he chose to stay at the secondary level. He didn't think teaching college-age people was any more important than teaching boys and girls fourteen to eighteen.
• 4. He was the kind of person who gave teachers the right to be proud to be teachers.