出生於一九四一年的Eric Larsen在今年五月出版新作A Nation Gone Blind，在書中他評論美國文學及政治文化的變遷。

我讀小學六年級時，有個女老師充滿教學熱忱和理想，她會帶各式各樣的物品到教室，教我們認識生活中處處有驚奇，也常帶我們到工廠參觀、消防隊和法院等地方開拓我們的視野。她努力地灌輸我們一個觀念：世界就像一場豐盛的筵席，提供人們各種知識的饗宴。耶誕節前，她向大家宣布要款待我們，菜單內容是邀請真的愛斯基摩人來教室。
 
She endeavored to reveal the excitement of life to us, and to expand our vision to the point where we were aware of the great feast of knowledge the world had to offer. She attempted to bring things into the classroom, and she took us in turn outside to see things in the world. We went on outings to factories and fire departments and courthouses. Before Christmas she announced a special treat. A group of live Eskimos was to visit the class. We would be able to see them in the flesh.
 
那天早晨天氣溫熱灰暗，不久卻下起雪來，到了下午已轉成暴風雪。聽到愛斯基摩人會遲到，大家都很失望。老師上課時還特別提到愛斯基摩女性用牙齒磨獸皮讓獸皮變軟。下課時雖然積雪已深，老師仍然讓我們到外面玩。女生堆雪人，男生則互相追逐丟雪球，每個人都有可能被打傷。結果Tim被打中鼻子，血流到下巴也沾到了外套，他驚嚇得大哭起來。天色漸暗，強勁的風，猛烈的雪讓在戶外的我們感覺很怪異。
 
The boys had a game of what we called Victim. Each of us chose a victim and attempted to bring him down in the snow. Everyone was a victim and a chaser at once. Tim was hurt. Someone hit him in the face and he had a bloody nose. He was very small, and he wailed in surprise and fear. The blood went down his chin and onto his coat. It seemed strange outdoors, growing darker and the snow falling heavily through the hushed air.
 
老師終於叫大家進教室，教室前面坐著一個人，她像個娃娃裹在棕色獸皮大衣裡，手腕、腳踝、腰間及帽沿都圍繞著皮草，她的臉從一大團灰色皮草後面望著我們，黝黑皺皺的皮膚好像老舊汽車座椅上的皮革，小小的黑眼珠骨碌地轉動著偵查教室，顯得很恐懼。放學鈴聲響了，老師要她張大嘴巴，我們一個個走向前去，探頭看她嘴裡小小的牙齒磨到只剩下扁平的牙根貼在牙齦上。參觀完畢，大家走到校門口，校車司機很生氣地邊咒罵邊催促我們上車。他說雪下地那麼大，道路快要不通了，學校早該停課了。

Her skin was weathered and almost black and creased like the leather on the seats of antique cars. Her tiny black eyes jumped around the room as though she were afraid. Then we filed past one by one and looked into her face. With her little black eyes fixed on us as though in terror, we looked into the opened privacy of her mouth to see the way her small teeth were worn down to almost nothing, just rows of stubs flattened and worn away down to the gums. After we had seen, we went out the door of the school. One of the drivers called out with a curse that we ought to hurry at that because the roads were already hardly passable and school should have been cancelled hours before.