2006年VOA标准英语-Writer Looks at World 'In a Nutshell'

By Mike O'Sullivan
Los Angeles
03 July 2006

Writer Amanda Roraback says Americans want to know more about places in the news, such as Muslim countries. Her book series called "Nutshell Notes" helps readers learn about those regions.

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Amanda Roraback  
  
Six years ago, historian Amanda Roraback became interested in Afghanistan under the Taliban, the fundamentalist Islamic party that restricted women's rights and zealously¹ suppressed non-Islamic parts of Afghan culture. She started a website to share the results of her studies.

After the terrorist attacks of September 2001 in the United States, believed orchestrated by Afghanistan-based al-Qaida, she compiled her notes into a book called Afghanistan in a Nutshell. With the help of her friends and family, she got copies into bookstores around Los Angeles, in the days before the US-led invasion of that country.

"And everybody was just dying for information on Afghanistan, since the United States was going to war, so they ended up on front counters, and just a couple of days after that, ended up on the LA Times bestsellers list," said Amanda Roraback.

The book was the first of six in the Nutshell Notes series, each inspired by developments in the news.

"After that, Osama bin² Laden³ has escaped into Pakistan, or so they thought, and so I followed it up with a book called Pakistan in a Nutshell, she said. "And because neither of these books really can be understood unless one understands Islam, I did a book called Islam in a Nutshell.

A book followed on Iraq, which also made the Los Angeles Times bestsellers list.

The Nutshell Notes are short, mostly between 60 and 80 pages, and they summarize the history, religion and politics of a region.
 

Palestine - Israel book  
  
The writer says she tries to be impartial⁴. Her book on Israel and Palestine is divided in two sections, back to back. The reader can flip⁵ the book over, seeing what seems to be a front cover on either side.

"I did it as a flip-book, tried to make the pages equal, put bar codes and the price on both sides to make everything very, very equal," noted⁶ Amanda Roraback. "The intention of that book is to present both sides in such a compelling way that, once somebody finishes it, they understand why it's a big quagmire⁷, why there is constant conflict in that area, because both sides have very compelling reasons to be in that region and to feel that it is their land."

Roraback's latest book is called Iran in a Nutshell.

In each case, she faces a problem in keeping pace with fast-changing events.

"I read the paper every day and wonder, is my book obsolete⁸ yet? What I try to do is bring the very far past up to the present, and include all the issues," she said. "The problem is, these situations change on a regular basis."

The Palestine-Israel book, published two years ago, is already in need of revision, and the writer says a new edition should be out in a month or two.

She says the books are especially popular with students and teachers.

"Teachers love these books," said Amanda Roraback. "I sell a lot to teachers because they are really called upon to teach a lot of different subjects, and to keep up with what's going on today. In fact, in California and I'm sure other parts of the United States, students are required to learn about Buddhism⁹ and Islam, and there are sections on the Middle East, and there are lot more subjects being taught that relate to the rest of the world. And since 2001, there has been a much greater interest in what's going on "over there," in the other part of the world.

Upcoming Nutshell Notes will look at China, and North and South Korea.

1 zealously   

adv.热心地；热情地；积极地；狂热地

参考例句：

• Of course the more unpleasant a duty was, the more zealously Miss Glover performed it. 格洛弗小姐越是对她的职责不满意，她越是去积极执行它。 来自辞典例句
• A lawyer should represent a client zealously within the bounds of the law. 律师应在法律范围内热忱为当事人代理。 来自口语例句

2 bin   

n.箱柜；vt.放入箱内；[计算机] DOS文件名:二进制目标文件

参考例句：

• He emptied several bags of rice into a bin.他把几袋米倒进大箱里。
• He threw the empty bottles in the bin.他把空瓶子扔进垃圾箱。

3 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 impartial   

adj.(in,to)公正的，无偏见的

参考例句：

• He gave an impartial view of the state of affairs in Ireland.他对爱尔兰的事态发表了公正的看法。
• Careers officers offer impartial advice to all pupils.就业指导员向所有学生提供公正无私的建议。

5 flip   

vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的

参考例句：

• I had a quick flip through the book and it looked very interesting.我很快翻阅了一下那本书，看来似乎很有趣。
• Let's flip a coin to see who pays the bill.咱们来抛硬币决定谁付钱。

6 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

7 quagmire   

n.沼地

参考例句：

• On their way was a quagmire which was difficult to get over.路上他俩遇到了—个泥坑,很难过得去。
• Rain had turned the grass into a quagmire.大雨使草地变得一片泥泞。

8 obsolete   

adj.已废弃的，过时的

参考例句：

• These goods are obsolete and will not fetch much on the market.这些货品过时了，在市场上卖不了高价。
• They tried to hammer obsolete ideas into the young people's heads.他们竭力把陈旧思想灌输给青年。

9 Buddhism   

n.佛教（教义）

参考例句：

• Buddhism was introduced into China about 67 AD.佛教是在公元67年左右传入中国的。
• Many people willingly converted to Buddhism.很多人情愿皈依佛教。