Here I am, standing before my wardrobe in the dark, like the old Jew standing before the Ark, lost in a kind of prayer, my suitcase thrown open on the bed behind me. I'm packing for a tour to sell my book Israel Is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and Its History, which, being a Gonzo take on the most fraught, controversial, fight-generating topic in the business, has earned much praise and much ire, specifically from think-tank neocons, Israel pros, would-be know-it-alls and pseudo-experts of every sort. I do not, in short, attract the sort of happy-go-lucky crowd that turns out for Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series, nor even the slightly edgier fans who queue for Toby Young. The members of my audience are as keyed up as linebackers; excited, enthusiastic, too enthusiastic, supportive, pissed off, varied and voluble.
我正站在我的衣柜前，脑中一片茫然，就像古犹太人站在诺亚方舟前，迷失于一种祈祷文中一样。在我背后的床上，躺着我敞开的手提箱。我正在收拾行李，准备踏上我的新书《真实的以色列：对这个犹太国家及其历史的执著探索》(Israel Is Real: An Obsessive Quest to Understand the Jewish Nation and Its History)的签售之旅。这本书是我对这一领域最令人不悦、备受争议、会引发争斗的话题的疯狂尝试。该书获得了很多赞扬，也引发了众多愤怒，主要来自于新保守派智库、以色列拥护者、自称博学的人士以及各色伪专家。简言之，我吸引的不是追捧索菲•金塞拉(Sophie Kinsella)《购物狂》(Shopaholic)系列的无忧无虑的人群，甚至也不是喜欢托比•杨格(Toby Young)(《如何众叛友离》的作者)的稍稍更易动怒的粉丝。我的读者都像后卫球员一样激动；兴奋、热情、过于热情、会鼓励人、容易发怒、形形色色、喋喋不休。