法兰西组曲 Suite Française

文明的外衣是如此脆弱而不堪一击。我们谈起比亚、埃格斯，又再一次提到《蝇王》，一部涉及人类怎样迅速变得野蛮和残酷的顶级作品。
how thin the veneer (装饰木板) of civilization is and can be, that it doesn’t take the most extreme situations for order to break down. We talked not just about Beah and Eggers but also again about Lord of the Flies, the ultimate work about how quickly people can become savage and cruel.
“受战争影响儿童”被他们用来指代童军。最初这里的名字是“少年犯感化中心”，不过孩子们更偏爱听到他们能够回家。
“War Affected" was the term they used for child soldiers—it was first called a “detention center,” but the children liked it better when they were told they were going to a home.
他们按固定的时间表生活——六点起床做家务，假如有水的话就洗澡。七点半吃早饭，中午之前上文化课，之后有一小时的心理辅导。然后吃午餐，当然他们得帮着准备午餐，接下来休息，再然后是职业培训、娱乐、晚餐，八点上床睡觉。
“太难以想象了。”母亲说，“时间表确实很有效。他们还只是孩子，渴望有人告诉他们该做些什么。这就是问题的关键，也是让他们回归正常生活的途径。”
They were kept to a firm schedule—up at six A.M. to do chores and take baths, if there was water. Breakfast at seven thirty. Literacy class until noon. Then an hour of group therapy with different social workers. Lunch followed, which they helped prepare. Then rest, vocational training, recreation, supper--and bed at eight P.M.
"It's amazing," Mom said, "just to see the effect of a schedule. They're children, and they want to be told what to do. That's both the problem and the way back."