269 tion after being drawn in by Spitzer’s nonthreatening, conversational style. Most chapters follow a similar plot arc that, when taken as a whole, can feel a bit repetitive but also enhances the book’s accessibility. It is very satisfying to pick the book up and read a chapter or two at a time. Along with this standard arc, however, there is an undercurrent of tragedy lurking in the margins and between the lines that after being baited bit by bit is fi nally hauled onto the page in chapter nine, “Vision Questing Gator Gar in the Slick Texas Mud.” Spitzer writes about the painful end of his marriage and the death of his mother, culminating in the revelation that the ten beautiful alligator gar he caught “ultimately reconnected [him] with what [he] had temporarily lost: that youthful capacity for wondering and marveling at what this world ha[s] to off er” (164). For Spitzer, as for many, this quest to connect with fi sh is a quest to connect with and heal the self as well. While one might not agree with all of Spitzer’s ideas or his fi shing methods, Beautifully Grotesque Fish of the American West is an enjoyable read that celebrates fi sh many of us never even consider. And in that there is value because for many, as Spitzer suggests, “fi sh aren’t just barometers of what is and isn’t in the water; they also measure our quality of life” (4). Cory Willard University of Nebraska– Lincoln

中文翻译：

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伟大的医学之路：加利福尼亚州俄勒冈州和摩门教之路的叙述，第 3 部分：1850-1855 年版。通过迈克尔·泰特

269 tion 被斯皮策的无威胁的谈话风格所吸引。大多数章节都遵循类似的情节弧线，从整体上看，会感觉有点重复，但也增强了本书的可访问性。拿起书，一口气读一两章是很满足的。然而，随着这个标准的弧线，在边缘和线之间潜伏着一股悲剧的暗流，在被一点一点地引诱之后，最终被拖到第九章的页面上，“在光滑的德克萨斯泥浆中寻找鳄鱼的视觉。” 斯皮策写下了他婚姻的痛苦结局和他母亲的去世，最终揭示了他抓到的十只美丽的鳄鱼雀“最终将 [他] 与 [他] 暂时失去的东西重新联系起来：那种对这个世界所提供的东西感到惊奇和惊叹的年轻能力”（164）。对于斯皮策和许多人来说，这种与鱼联系的追求也是一种与自我联系和治愈自我的追求。虽然人们可能不同意斯皮策的所有想法或他的捕鱼方法，但美国西部的美丽怪诞的鱼是一本令人愉快的读物，它庆祝我们许多人从未考虑过的鱼。因为对许多人来说，这是有价值的，正如斯皮策所说，“鱼不仅仅是水中存在和不存在的晴雨表；它们还衡量我们的生活质量”（4）。Cory Willard 内布拉斯加大学-林肯分校 美国西部的美丽怪诞鱼是一本令人愉快的读物，它庆祝我们许多人甚至从未考虑过的鱼。因为对许多人来说，这是有价值的，正如斯皮策所说，“鱼不仅仅是水中存在和不存在的晴雨表；它们还衡量我们的生活质量”（4）。Cory Willard 内布拉斯加大学-林肯分校 美国西部的美丽怪诞鱼是一本令人愉快的读物，它庆祝我们许多人甚至从未考虑过的鱼。因为对许多人来说，这是有价值的，正如斯皮策所说，“鱼不仅仅是水中存在和不存在的晴雨表；它们还衡量我们的生活质量”（4）。Cory Willard 内布拉斯加大学-林肯分校