本書是耶魯大學東亞語文系教授孫康宜，追憶一家人走出苦難、超越困厄的回憶錄。國共內戰期間輾轉來臺的孫康宜一家人，雖然平安渡過二二八事件，父親卻在其後的白色恐怖時期，無辜下獄十年。母親帶著她和兩個弟弟躲到農村，堅毅地扛起一家生計。之後舉家遷居美國，展開另一段生活。 本書章節大多與白色恐怖有關，但這本書並非控訴文學，也不是傷痕文學，相反地，這是一本紀念與感恩的書──紀念在集權統治下生活的一個個平凡而善良的人，以及對他們的感激與懷念之情。

The Author∕Kang-i Sun Chang

Kang-i Sun Chang was born in 1944 in Beijing, China, and grew up in Taiwan. She immigrated to the United States in 1968. She is now Malcolm G. Chace ’56 Professor of East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.

The Co-translator∕Matthew Towns

Matthew Towns received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Yale University in 2000. He is currently practicing law in Missouri.