Everything Happens for a Reason by Kate Bowler
PART 1 Expressions
1. The scandal cemented in most people's minds the idea that the prosperity gospel was fundamentally about gold faucets, think mink coats, and matching his-and-her Mercedes Benzes.
cement: (v.) 加强，巩固（关系、协定等）
The President's visit was intended to cement the alliance between the two countries.
gospel: [ˈgɒspl] 1.圣经里的福音书；2.（个人的）信念；信仰；3.绝对真理
Don't take his word as gospel.
2. People wanted salvation from bleak medical diagnoses; they wanted to see God rescue their broken teenagers or their misfiring marriages. They wanted talismans to ward off the things that go bump in the night. They wanted a modicum of power over the things that ripped their lives apart at the seams.
broken: 形容人时指人衰弱的；精疲力竭的 made weak and tired by illness or difficulties
He was a broken man after the failure of his business.
比较容易搞混的是“broke”—— 破产的
misfire: (v.) 1.（发动机）不发动; 2. (枪)射不出子弹；3. =backfire（计划或笑话）不凑效
His attempt at a joke misfired.
one's life be ripped apart at the seams: 比较常见的是 be falling/ coming apart at the seams，这里应该是这一词组的变形. 意为“接近崩溃”。 to be going very badly wrong and likely to stop functioning completely
She was falling apart at the seams, spending most of her time in tears.
3. I won a job at my alma mater straight out of graduate school.
alma mater: [ælməˋmɑ:tə] （拉丁文）母校
He has fond feelings for his Alma Mater.
4. a man with sandy hair
sandy 形容头发是指沙褐色的或沙棕色的（头发）
sandy hair
5. I was steeped in the lore of eternal youth.
steep 做形容词比较熟悉，1.陡峭的；2.急剧的；大起大落的
a steep decline in the birth rate
(v.) 在（液体）中浸泡（食物）
be steeped in sth: to have a lot of a particular quality
a city steeped in history
steep yourself in sth: to spend a lot of time thinking or learning about sth
They spent a month steeping themselves in Chinese culture.
lore: （尤指口头流传的）学问、知识
6. I picture her, standing near an office phone riffling through charts.
riffle 做名词有激流、涟漪的意思
riffle through: v. 迅速翻动（纸张或书页）
He was riffling through the papers on his desk.
同类表达： leaf through, skim through
She picked up the magazine and leafed through it.
Just skim through the second section to save time.
7. Fairness is one of the most compelling claims of the American Dream, a vision of the success propelled by hard work, determination, and maybe the occasional pair of bootstraps.
bootstraps: (n.) 解靴带
pull/drag oneself up by one's (own) bootstraps: 自立根生 informal, to improve your situation yourself, without help from other people
PART 2 Thoughts
前两天刚刚忙完了手边亟需处理的几件事，今天刚刚得以有些空闲时间看看闲书。知道这本书，是因为今年网上刚刚出炉的Bill Gates书单，我买了其中的两本书，一本是这本Everything Happens for a Reason， 另一本是Hans Rosling的Factfulness。各翻了几页后打算先看这一本。
对这本书真正感兴趣的原因，可能是我想给自己的人生找一个答案吧。在这本书里我能找到一些自己的影子。我有一段从不会向新结识的朋友或新认识的同事谈论的痛苦经历，我一直努力伪装成这件事从没有在我人生中存在过一样。它对于我来说就像是一种禁忌，一旦触碰到只会让我感觉窒息和陷入无边的恐惧之中。人生真正的痛苦是无法言说的，那些还能在朋友圈里哭天喊地的人说明并不是在经历真正苦痛的人。如果有一天你能够向新认识的人提前某段曾经的痛苦记忆，那说明这件事已经至少不再像从前那样折磨着你了。
这本书的作者Kate Bowler是一个研究宗教学的教授，她35岁前的人生轨迹可谓标准的人生赢家，事业有成，嫁给自己青梅竹马的爱人，育有一个儿子，用她的话说，这个世界仿佛任何事只要她下定决心都能实现。然而35岁的某一天她突然被诊断患有癌症，一夕之间一切的成就都成了一种虚妄。生病的经历让她开始重新审视课思考自己所研究的课题，并且试图寻找三个问题的答案：1.Why？2. God, are you here? 3. What does this suffering mean? 这本书就是她对这三个问题的解答。
我还刚刚看了一个开头，虽然不知道作者会在书中给出怎样的答案，但已经激发了我很大的阅读兴趣。我一点也不认为那些信仰神明的人是软弱或者愚昧的人。在我人生最黑暗的那段时光里，我几乎每天焚香祷告，祈求神灵的帮助，我表弟一直以一直不屑的态度看待此事。然而我一直觉得，没有经历过相同痛苦的人就没有资格去评判别人的选择和态度，如果你也处在相同的境遇下，如果你曾觉得自己毫无力气左右自己的命运，如果你也每天黑夜里伴着恐惧和痛苦入睡，你就不会云淡风轻地说一句，这个世界上不存在神明只有自然科学而已。身处无边的黑暗里的人，所能拥有的唯有对光明的希望而已，不管这种希望来自宗教来自爱还是来自其它的，只要它成为我们继续走下去的力量，那么这种希望就是珍贵的。
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