📖 Vincent and Theo: The Van Gogh Brothers

"The world would not have Vincent without Theo." Vincent Van was born in 1853 in the Netherlands, and he has a brother Theo who is four years younger than him (and four other siblings). Vincent is often difficult and stubborn as a child, while Theo is considered "well-behaved." However, there is no doubt that the two brothers with such different personalities would have a deep and enduring bond all starting from childhood. Over the decades, they support and share their first loves, failures and successes, and hopes and dreams with each other through 658 letters to each other and stay together even during the darkest of times. Undeniably, Vincent's fame is mainly from Theo's promotion and support of his work along the way. For Vincent's story, he moved from Hague to Paris to work, but still got fired due to his "eccentric" personality; he later continued moving around Europe honing his craft through careful practice and seeking his passion in ministry. Along the way, Vincent gained depression and was torn as he was slowly becoming the "family outcast" and Theo couldn't understand Vincent's struggle to become "good," making Vincent angry and unforgiving. His life was dark during the next few years as he was trapped in the prison of his own fear, anger, agony, and despair. Theo started by following in Vincent's footsteps from Hague to Paris. He was the one who sent money to help Vincent who was struggling at that time. Unfortunately, Theo started having nightmares and hallucinations until he had a mental and physical collapse. Later on, he was forced to transfer to a private mental asylum in Paris. Vincent died in 1890 with Theo around him;, and only a few months later, Theo passed away and was buried next to his brother, best friend, and superhero. Reason for Recommendation: This book has received multiple prestigious awards including the Printz Honor Book, YALSA Nonfiction Award Winner, and SCBWI Golden Kite Winner. Heiligman's lyrical writing brings readers on an intense exploration of Van Gogh's turbulent life and the historical period. By representing each phase of the brothers' lives as Galleries brings the depth of the characters' inner worlds to the readers. I was brought to tears by the genuine interpretation of love among family members.

没有西奥,这个世界就不会有文森特。"1853年,在荷兰,文森特·梵高出生在荷兰,他有一个小四岁的弟弟—提奥,以及其他四两兄妹。文森特小时候脾气暴躁,固执己见;而西奥则一直是个"乖巧"的孩子。然而,毫无疑问,性格迥异的兄弟俩从童年开始,就建立了深厚而持久的友谊。 几十年来,他们通过658封书信互相支持对方,分享彼此的初恋、失败和成功、希望和梦想,即使在最难过的日子里他俩也依然相依相伴。正是西奥一路以来对哥哥的作品的推广和支持,让文森特作为艺术家闻名于世。 在文森特的故事中,他从海牙来到巴黎工作,却因为自己"古怪"的性格最终被解雇了;后来,他继续在欧洲各地奔波,通过刻苦练习来磨练自己的技艺,并在传道事业中追寻着自己的热情。一路走来,文森特患上了抑郁症,内心备受折磨,因此逐渐沦为"家庭的弃儿",而西奥也无法理解哥哥的努力,这让文森特变得愤怒和难以宽恕。接下来的几年里,他的生活一片黑暗,他被困在恐惧、愤怒、痛苦和绝望的牢笼中。 另一边,西奥追随哥哥的脚步从海牙来到巴黎。他寄钱帮助当时陷入困境的文森特。可惜,西奥后来也开始做噩梦和出现幻觉,直至身心崩溃。他最终被迫转移到巴黎的一家私人精神病院。1890年,文森特在西奥的身边走完了自己短暂的一生;仅仅几个月之后,西奥也离世了。他被埋葬在自己的兄弟、最好的朋友和自己的超级英雄—文森特的旁边。 推荐理由:这本书获得了多项重要奖项,包括普林兹荣誉图书奖、YALSA非小说类图书奖和SCBWI金风筝奖。海利格曼充满诗意的文笔带领读者深入探索文森特梵高动荡的一生和那段历史时期。通过将兄弟俩人生的每个阶段以画廊的形式呈现,展现了人物内心的深度。作者关于家人之爱的真挚描写让我潸然泪下。