Harvard Law Professor Jeannie Suk Reveals Her Greatest Accomplishment

珍妮·蘇克，18歲考入耶魯，22歲獲馬歇爾獎學金赴牛津讀博，26歲出版第一本著作，37歲當選為哈佛法學院終身教授，是亞洲唯一獲此殊榮的女性。除此之外，她還是優秀的芭蕾舞者和鋼琴演奏者。很多人都會好奇，如此光鮮的履歷背后究竟隱藏著怎樣的成功秘訣？但對蘇克而言，成功并沒有什么秘訣，她只是在盡力活出生命的所有可能。

For someone just entering the teaching limelight， it’s the last thing you’d want to happen： tripping1） and falling to the ground in a lecture hall packed with students.But for Jeannie Suk， the potentially embarrassing moment was a transformative moment.

During her first year teaching at Harvard Law School， the young professor recounts in a recent memoir how she tripped and fell face forwards while descending the steps to begin class， her heavy casebook， cardboard seating chart and hot drink flying out of her hands.

Mortified2）， the novice professor calmly stood up and walked to the lectern where， she describes， she went on to teach “the best class I had ever taught up to that point.”

“I realized afterward that it had actually been a relief to fall flat3） on my face. It became blatantly obvious and undeniable in one fell swoop4） that there was no perfection here，” Suk writes. “I believe it was a huge boon5） to my comfort as a teacher going forward. Everyone felt more comfortable. Everyone was human.”

Misstep is not a word one might associate with Suk. She has an all-star résumé， studded6） with schools like Yale and Harvard Law， attended Oxford University on a Marshall scholarship， did a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship， joined the Harvard Law faculty before turning 34， and in 2010， became the first-ever Asian American female to receive tenure at Harvard Law School.

Add to that glamour and the media’s high interest—The Boston Globe named her one of the “25 Most Stylish Bostonians of 2010.” She formerly was married to fellow Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman， with whom she has a son， 7， and daughter， 6. There’s a Hollywood connection， too. Actor Alec Baldwin7） interviewed the family law expert for his book， A Promise to Ourselves： A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce. She， in turn， has invited him to speak at her Harvard class about his experiences with the legal system during his highly publicized custody battle with his ex-wife， actress Kim Basinger8）.

So enamored with Suk have Koreans abroad in particular been， she was approached by a South Korean publishing house in 2011 to write a memoir while she was just in her 30s， an idea she met with some skepticism.“At first I thought that was silly because I thought， ‘I’m 30-something years old， what could I possibly express in an autobiography， and why would anyone be interested？’” she told KoreAmJournal in a phone interview from Cambridge， Mass.， where she lives. “I had all of these fears before I started working on it， but when I wrote the first sentence， I really loved the process of doing it.”

A Light Inside： An Odyssey of Art， Life and Law， published earlier this year in both English and Korean， is a candid and intimate memoir rich in detail and reflective in tone， where the author writes about the recognition of her deep-seated9） ambition and drive for performance at a young age， and the sting of disappointment of having to abandon a serious pursuit of ballet in her high school years.

Suk， the oldest of three girls， moved with her family from South Korea at the age of 6. Setting off for America during Korea’s restless transition to a democratic society， her family arrived in New York， where Suk’s father began his medical residency10） in internal medicine at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital.

Suk describes those early years in Queens as intensely alienating， where she felt removed by the language barrier and an innate sense of introversion.“I have a lot of vivid memories of those feelings because I think the experience of immigration is so powerful，” Suk said. “It’s not something you can easily forget， coming to a different country and speaking a different language at the age of 6. I think， because it was so formative11） and it was a lens through which I saw so many things in my life， the feelings that I had around that very central experience really stayed fresh in my mind.”

Books offered Suk， a voracious reader， an escape， particularly authors like Jane Austen， the Bronte sisters and Henry James12）. So， too， did her talent and aptitude for the creative arts， particularly dance. Shortly before high school， she auditioned and was accepted into the rigorous School of American Ballet13）. Her love for the craft so deep， it produced in her “a sensation of the highest high imaginable.”

“My life since then took on the character of a quest for the holy grail14）—the wish to be able to feel that high once again，” she writes.

But Suk was forced to cut short her intensive study of ballet in the ninth grade， when grades began to matter at the magnet15） Hunter College High School， where she was enrolled. Her parents stressed academic excellence over the idea of fitting schoolwork around this singular pursuit.

The arts， however， remained a major part of Suk’s early years： She attended Juilliard School16）’s Pre-College program for piano studies， which gave her an opportunity to perform a solo recital17） at Lincoln Center and later Carnegie Recital Hall as a high school senior.

Suk would go on to study literature， with a focus on French poetry， at Yale College， then applied and was awarded a Marshall scholarship to study French literature at Oxford. Her dissertation on postcolonial literature by French Caribbean writers of African descent led to her first book contract at age 26.

At Harvard Law School， Suk became a research assistant for Lani Guinier， a mentor and the first African American woman to receive tenure at the school. In her book， Suk describes how， as a law student， she “felt strangely at home.”

“When I have wondered why， I have surmised that it is because the law school classroom was so like a theater of performance， with its rituals， rigor， decorum18）， traditions and gravitas19），” she writes.

Following law school， Suk clerked for an appeals judge on the D.C. Circuit and later for then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter20）. She worked as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office before being invited to join the faculty of her alma mater， where she currently teaches family and criminal law and has written the book， At Home in the Law： How the Domestic Violence Revolution Is Transforming Privacy.

When asked to look back on the myriad accomplishments in her life， Suk is candid about the role of nature versus nurture. “Being talented can be a help， but it’s not enough. It’s just one element，” Suk said. “I was blessed through a combination of upbringing， my culture， to somehow tap into that ability to take great pleasure in focused concentration on various forms of endeavors.”

It’s a belief she echoes in her book， writing， “there are no shortcuts when attempting to be excellent at something—it takes the investment of much time every day， week， month， year spent doing that thing.”

“Whether it is scholarship， science， art or parenting， the undeniable reality is that a staggering21） amount of time is required for men or women to do something at a very high level， so it had better be something you really like if this is your goal，” she writes.

It’s a lesson with which Suk is intimately familiar， having managed a demanding teaching career， motherhood and even the difficult experience of divorce， which Suk addresses publicly for the first time in her book.

To this day， Suk said her greatest accomplishment is bearing witness to the development and growth of her students in the classroom. From those early days of having stumbled on the steps of a Harvard Law auditorium， it’s clear Suk has found her release in this vocation： “Serving as a guide for young minds as they experience afresh the joy and fascination of thinking will never grow tired，” Suk writes in her memoir.

In her own experiences as a pupil， Suk said the teacher-student relationship was vital not only to her success， but the enjoyment of learning. “The importance of teaching and learning， the relationship between teacher and student， for me became very central，” she said. “At every stage， there was an important teacher who just had a moment with me that was seared22） into my memory.”

Through teaching， Suk even found a way to incorporate her beloved art from childhood： She created and has co-taught a course called “Performing Arts and Law” with famed dancer Damian Woetzel23）， whom she met while he was studying for a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard.

With her book， Suk said she was conscious there was some expectation for her to write a didactic kind of text for a Korean audience.

“In Korea， there is a really pronounced curiosity about formulas to success， or secrets of success， techniques or a list of favorite things， or methods. There’s definitely a how-to emphasis in Korean approaches to people they find interesting， and I found that to be difficult at first because I don’t naturally think that way，” Suk said.

“I think the challenge in the book was to convey the difficulty of saying， ‘There’s only one right way，’” she added. “In my story， I’m trying to demonstrate there’s not one right way.”

For someone just entering the teaching limelight， it’s the last thing you’d want to happen： tripping1） and falling to the ground in a lecture hall packed with students.But for Jeannie Suk， the potentially embarrassing moment was a transformative moment.

During her first year teaching at Harvard Law School， the young professor recounts in a recent memoir how she tripped and fell face forwards while descending the steps to begin class， her heavy casebook， cardboard seating chart and hot drink flying out of her hands.

Mortified2）， the novice professor calmly stood up and walked to the lectern where， she describes， she went on to teach “the best class I had ever taught up to that point.”

“I realized afterward that it had actually been a relief to fall flat3） on my face. It became blatantly obvious and undeniable in one fell swoop4） that there was no perfection here，” Suk writes. “I believe it was a huge boon5） to my comfort as a teacher going forward. Everyone felt more comfortable. Everyone was human.”

Misstep is not a word one might associate with Suk. She has an all-star résumé， studded6） with schools like Yale and Harvard Law， attended Oxford University on a Marshall scholarship， did a U.S. Supreme Court clerkship， joined the Harvard Law faculty before turning 34， and in 2010， became the first-ever Asian American female to receive tenure at Harvard Law School.

Add to that glamour and the media’s high interest—The Boston Globe named her one of the “25 Most Stylish Bostonians of 2010.” She formerly was married to fellow Harvard Law School professor Noah Feldman， with whom she has a son， 7， and daughter， 6. There’s a Hollywood connection， too. Actor Alec Baldwin7） interviewed the family law expert for his book， A Promise to Ourselves： A Journey Through Fatherhood and Divorce. She， in turn， has invited him to speak at her Harvard class about his experiences with the legal system during his highly publicized custody battle with his ex-wife， actress Kim Basinger8）.

So enamored with Suk have Koreans abroad in particular been， she was approached by a South Korean publishing house in 2011 to write a memoir while she was just in her 30s， an idea she met with some skepticism.“At first I thought that was silly because I thought， ‘I’m 30-something years old， what could I possibly express in an autobiography， and why would anyone be interested？’” she told KoreAmJournal in a phone interview from Cambridge， Mass.， where she lives. “I had all of these fears before I started working on it， but when I wrote the first sentence， I really loved the process of doing it.”

A Light Inside： An Odyssey of Art， Life and Law， published earlier this year in both English and Korean， is a candid and intimate memoir rich in detail and reflective in tone， where the author writes about the recognition of her deep-seated9） ambition and drive for performance at a young age， and the sting of disappointment of having to abandon a serious pursuit of ballet in her high school years.

Suk， the oldest of three girls， moved with her family from South Korea at the age of 6. Setting off for America during Korea’s restless transition to a democratic society， her family arrived in New York， where Suk’s father began his medical residency10） in internal medicine at Brooklyn Jewish Hospital.

Suk describes those early years in Queens as intensely alienating， where she felt removed by the language barrier and an innate sense of introversion.“I have a lot of vivid memories of those feelings because I think the experience of immigration is so powerful，” Suk said. “It’s not something you can easily forget， coming to a different country and speaking a different language at the age of 6. I think， because it was so formative11） and it was a lens through which I saw so many things in my life， the feelings that I had around that very central experience really stayed fresh in my mind.”

Books offered Suk， a voracious reader， an escape， particularly authors like Jane Austen， the Bronte sisters and Henry James12）. So， too， did her talent and aptitude for the creative arts， particularly dance. Shortly before high school， she auditioned and was accepted into the rigorous School of American Ballet13）. Her love for the craft so deep， it produced in her “a sensation of the highest high imaginable.”

“My life since then took on the character of a quest for the holy grail14）—the wish to be able to feel that high once again，” she writes.

But Suk was forced to cut short her intensive study of ballet in the ninth grade， when grades began to matter at the magnet15） Hunter College High School， where she was enrolled. Her parents stressed academic excellence over the idea of fitting schoolwork around this singular pursuit.

The arts， however， remained a major part of Suk’s early years： She attended Juilliard School16）’s Pre-College program for piano studies， which gave her an opportunity to perform a solo recital17） at Lincoln Center and later Carnegie Recital Hall as a high school senior.

Suk would go on to study literature， with a focus on French poetry， at Yale College， then applied and was awarded a Marshall scholarship to study French literature at Oxford. Her dissertation on postcolonial literature by French Caribbean writers of African descent led to her first book contract at age 26.

At Harvard Law School， Suk became a research assistant for Lani Guinier， a mentor and the first African American woman to receive tenure at the school. In her book， Suk describes how， as a law student， she “felt strangely at home.”

“When I have wondered why， I have surmised that it is because the law school classroom was so like a theater of performance， with its rituals， rigor， decorum18）， traditions and gravitas19），” she writes.

Following law school， Suk clerked for an appeals judge on the D.C. Circuit and later for then-U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter20）. She worked as a prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office before being invited to join the faculty of her alma mater， where she currently teaches family and criminal law and has written the book， At Home in the Law： How the Domestic Violence Revolution Is Transforming Privacy.

When asked to look back on the myriad accomplishments in her life， Suk is candid about the role of nature versus nurture. “Being talented can be a help， but it’s not enough. It’s just one element，” Suk said. “I was blessed through a combination of upbringing， my culture， to somehow tap into that ability to take great pleasure in focused concentration on various forms of endeavors.”

It’s a belief she echoes in her book， writing， “there are no shortcuts when attempting to be excellent at something—it takes the investment of much time every day， week， month， year spent doing that thing.”

“Whether it is scholarship， science， art or parenting， the undeniable reality is that a staggering21） amount of time is required for men or women to do something at a very high level， so it had better be something you really like if this is your goal，” she writes.

It’s a lesson with which Suk is intimately familiar， having managed a demanding teaching career， motherhood and even the difficult experience of divorce， which Suk addresses publicly for the first time in her book.

To this day， Suk said her greatest accomplishment is bearing witness to the development and growth of her students in the classroom. From those early days of having stumbled on the steps of a Harvard Law auditorium， it’s clear Suk has found her release in this vocation： “Serving as a guide for young minds as they experience afresh the joy and fascination of thinking will never grow tired，” Suk writes in her memoir.

In her own experiences as a pupil， Suk said the teacher-student relationship was vital not only to her success， but the enjoyment of learning. “The importance of teaching and learning， the relationship between teacher and student， for me became very central，” she said. “At every stage， there was an important teacher who just had a moment with me that was seared22） into my memory.”

Through teaching， Suk even found a way to incorporate her beloved art from childhood： She created and has co-taught a course called “Performing Arts and Law” with famed dancer Damian Woetzel23）， whom she met while he was studying for a master’s degree in public policy at Harvard.

With her book， Suk said she was conscious there was some expectation for her to write a didactic kind of text for a Korean audience.

“In Korea， there is a really pronounced curiosity about formulas to success， or secrets of success， techniques or a list of favorite things， or methods. There’s definitely a how-to emphasis in Korean approaches to people they find interesting， and I found that to be difficult at first because I don’t naturally think that way，” Suk said.

“I think the challenge in the book was to convey the difficulty of saying， ‘There’s only one right way，’” she added. “In my story， I’m trying to demonstrate there’s not one right way.”

對于一個剛剛走上教師崗位，成為課堂上眾人矚目的焦點的人來說，最不希望發生的就是在坐滿學生的階梯教室里絆倒在地。但對珍妮·蘇克而言，這個原本可能很尷尬的瞬間卻是使人生得以改變的時刻。

這位年輕的教授在其最近（編注：英文原文發表于2013年5月）出版的回憶錄里講述道，在哈佛法學院任教的第一年，有一次，當她走下臺階準備開始講課時，她絆了一跤，臉朝下摔在了地上，厚厚的案例講義、用硬紙板做的座次表和熱飲全都從手中飛了出去。

尷尬之中，這位新晉教授鎮定地站起身，走向講臺，用她的話說，繼續講授那堂“到那時為止我講得最精彩的一課”。

“后來我意識到，那次臉朝下摔倒其實是一種解脫。完美并不存在—這一點一下子變得極為明確，無可爭辯，”蘇克寫道，“我相信，對于我以后自如地當一名教師，這是個巨大的幫助。每個人都感到更加輕松。人無完人。”

沒有人會把“失足”這個詞跟蘇克聯系起來。她的履歷星光閃耀：就讀于耶魯和哈佛法學院這樣的名校，拿著馬歇爾獎學金前往牛津深造，在美國最高法院當過書記員，不滿34歲就成為哈佛法學院的教師，2010年成為有史以來第一位獲得哈佛法學院終身教職的美國亞裔女性。

除了這個魅力以及媒體的高度關注，《波士頓環球報》還將她評為“2010年波士頓25位風度人物”之一。她的前夫是其在哈佛法學院的同事諾亞·費爾德曼教授，兩人育有一個七歲的兒子和一個六歲的女兒。她和好萊塢也有關系。演員亞歷克·鮑德溫曾經就他寫的《自我許諾：父愛與離婚》一書咨詢過這位家庭法專家。她則轉而邀請他來到哈佛課堂，講述他在與同是演員的前妻金·貝辛格進行那場備受矚目的監護權爭奪戰期間同司法系統打交道的經歷。

海外的韓國僑民尤其崇拜蘇克，所以在2011年，一家韓國出版社同她接洽，邀她寫一本回憶錄。當時她才三十出頭，對這個提議持懷疑態度。“起初我覺得這個主意挺荒唐的，因為我心想：‘我才三十幾歲，能在自傳里寫什么呢？別人干嗎會對我感興趣？’”蘇克在她居住的馬薩諸塞州劍橋市接受《韓美雜志》的電話采訪時這樣表示，“在動筆之前，我有各種各樣的顧慮，但是當我寫下第一句話時，我真的感到樂在其中。”

《我想看到的世界：藝術、人生和法律的漫漫征途》于今年早些時候以英、韓兩種語言出版（編注：該書中文版已于2014年11月出版）。這是一本坦誠、私密的回憶錄，細節豐富，筆調深沉。作者在書中寫道，她自幼就意識到了深植于內心的抱負和對表演的渴望，當高中時代被迫放棄將芭蕾作為嚴肅的職業追求時，她體會到了失望帶來的痛楚。

蘇克是家里三個女兒中的老大，六歲時和家人一起從韓國移民到美國。在韓國向民主社會轉型的動蕩歲月中，蘇克一家啟程赴美，來到紐約，她的父親開始在布魯克林猶太醫院內科擔任高級住院實習醫師。

蘇克稱她早年在皇后區生活時與周圍的世界極為格格不入，那時的她因為語言障礙和天生內向的性格，與別人非常疏遠。“我對當時的感受有許多清晰的記憶，因為我覺得移民經歷對我的影響非常大，”蘇克說，“六歲時來到另一個國家，說著另一種語言，這不是你能輕易忘掉的事。我想，因為它對我的成長影響很大，而且它就像一個透鏡，我透過它看到了生活中的許多事情，所以我對圍繞這段重要經歷產生的種種感受真的是記憶猶新。”

對于酷愛閱讀的蘇克來說，書籍，特別是簡·奧斯汀、勃朗特姐妹和亨利·詹姆斯等作家的作品，為她提供了逃避現實的棲身之所。她在創造性藝術，特別是舞蹈方面的天賦和才華也起到了同樣的作用。升入高中前不久，她通過面試進入了要求嚴苛的美國芭蕾舞學校學習。她對這門藝術愛得如此之深，從中感受到了“所能想象得到的最強烈的亢奮”。

“自那時起，我的人生就帶上了尋找‘圣杯’的色彩—希望能再次體會到那種亢奮。”她寫道。

但是讀九年級時，在蘇克就讀的“磁石學校”亨特學院高中，學習成績開始變得重要起來，她被迫中斷了密集的芭蕾舞課程。她的父母強調優異的學習成績更重要，不能圍繞著（芭蕾）這個單一的追求安排學業。

不過，藝術在蘇克的早年歲月中仍然是一個重要的組成部分：她參加了朱利亞德學院鋼琴專業的預科課程，這讓她有機會在讀高中的最后一年得以在林肯中心——后來在卡耐基演奏廳——表演鋼琴獨奏。

接下來，蘇克進入耶魯學院學習文學，主攻法語詩歌，后來她申請并獲得了馬歇爾獎學金，前往牛津大學學習法國文學。她的博士論文研究的是法屬加勒比地區非洲裔作家創作的后殖民時期文學，這讓她在26歲時拿到了第一份圖書出版合約。

在哈佛法學院就讀時，蘇克到該院第一位獲得終身教職的非裔美國女性拉尼·格威尼爾導師的門下做研究助理。蘇克在書中寫道，作為法學院學生，她“感到出乎意料地如魚得水”。

“我也曾經想知道這是為什么，我猜是因為法學院的教室太像一個演出的劇場了，有自己的程式、威嚴、禮節、傳統和莊重。”她寫道。

從法學院畢業后，蘇克先后做過華盛頓特區上訴法院一位上訴法官和時任美國聯邦最高法院大法官戴維·蘇特爾的書記員。她還在曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室擔任過檢察官。后來，她受邀回母校任教，目前教授家庭法和刑法。她還剛寫了一本名為《用法律解讀家庭：家暴革命如何改變隱私》的書。

當被要求回顧她人生中的諸多成就時，蘇克坦率地談到了先天稟賦和后天培養各自起到的作用。“擁有天賦是個有利條件，但這還不夠，它只是一個因素，”蘇克說，“我很幸運，在家庭教育和文化背景的共同作用下，我擁有做各種各樣的嘗試都全神貫注并樂在其中的能力。”

她在自傳中表達了同樣的看法。她寫道：“如果想在某件事上表現出色，沒有捷徑可走—每天都要為它投入大量的時間，周復一周、月復一月、年復一年地做這件事。”

“無論是做學問，從事科學、藝術，還是養育子女，不可否認的現實是，如果想在某方面達到很高的造詣，無論男女都必須付出大量的時間。因此，如果你的目標是成為某方面的高手，那這件事最好是你真正喜歡做的。”她寫道。

這是蘇克出自切身體會的經驗之談。她既努力完成了繁重的教學工作，還承擔了做母親的職責，甚至還經歷了離婚的艱難過程—蘇克在書中第一次公開談到自己離婚的事。

迄今為止，蘇克說她最大的成就是在課堂上見證了學生們的成長和進步。從她當年在哈佛法學院大講堂的臺階上絆倒的那個時候起，蘇克顯然已經在這個職業中找到了舒解的途徑：“在年輕人重新體會思考的喜悅和迷人魅力時為他們提供指導—這件事是永遠不會令人感到厭倦的。”蘇克在回憶錄里寫道。

蘇克說，在她自己做學生時，師生關系不僅對她取得成功而且對她享受學習的樂趣來說都至關重要。“教和學的重要性以及師生之間的關系對我而言非常重要，”她說，“在我人生每個階段，都有一位重要的老師，他/她與我相處的某個重要時刻在我的記憶中留下深深的烙印。”

通過教學實踐，蘇克甚至找到了一種把她自幼熱愛的藝術與授課相結合的方法：她開設了一門名為“表演藝術與法律”的課程，與她共同授課的是著名舞蹈家達米恩·沃策爾，兩人是在沃策爾攻讀哈佛大學公共政策專業碩士學位時認識的。

關于她的自傳，蘇克說，她知道不少人都期待她能為韓國讀者寫一本類似于成功學教材那樣的書。

“在韓國，人們對于成功的公式、秘訣、技巧、方法以及成功人士最喜歡什么都抱有非常強烈的好奇心。韓國人在與他們認為有趣的人接觸時，特別重視‘怎么做’這個問題。起初這讓我很為難，因為我不會自然而然地從這個角度想問題。”蘇克表示。

“我認為寫這本書的挑戰在于，要傳達出這樣一種觀點，即很難說‘只有一條正確的道路’，”她補充道，“我努力用自己的故事證明，成功的路不止一條。”

對于一個剛剛走上教師崗位，成為課堂上眾人矚目的焦點的人來說，最不希望發生的就是在坐滿學生的階梯教室里絆倒在地。但對珍妮·蘇克而言，這個原本可能很尷尬的瞬間卻是使人生得以改變的時刻。

這位年輕的教授在其最近（編注：英文原文發表于2013年5月）出版的回憶錄里講述道，在哈佛法學院任教的第一年，有一次，當她走下臺階準備開始講課時，她絆了一跤，臉朝下摔在了地上，厚厚的案例講義、用硬紙板做的座次表和熱飲全都從手中飛了出去。

尷尬之中，這位新晉教授鎮定地站起身，走向講臺，用她的話說，繼續講授那堂“到那時為止我講得最精彩的一課”。

“后來我意識到，那次臉朝下摔倒其實是一種解脫。完美并不存在—這一點一下子變得極為明確，無可爭辯，”蘇克寫道，“我相信，對于我以后自如地當一名教師，這是個巨大的幫助。每個人都感到更加輕松。人無完人。”

沒有人會把“失足”這個詞跟蘇克聯系起來。她的履歷星光閃耀：就讀于耶魯和哈佛法學院這樣的名校，拿著馬歇爾獎學金前往牛津深造，在美國最高法院當過書記員，不滿34歲就成為哈佛法學院的教師，2010年成為有史以來第一位獲得哈佛法學院終身教職的美國亞裔女性。

除了這個魅力以及媒體的高度關注，《波士頓環球報》還將她評為“2010年波士頓25位風度人物”之一。她的前夫是其在哈佛法學院的同事諾亞·費爾德曼教授，兩人育有一個七歲的兒子和一個六歲的女兒。她和好萊塢也有關系。演員亞歷克·鮑德溫曾經就他寫的《自我許諾：父愛與離婚》一書咨詢過這位家庭法專家。她則轉而邀請他來到哈佛課堂，講述他在與同是演員的前妻金·貝辛格進行那場備受矚目的監護權爭奪戰期間同司法系統打交道的經歷。

海外的韓國僑民尤其崇拜蘇克，所以在2011年，一家韓國出版社同她接洽，邀她寫一本回憶錄。當時她才三十出頭，對這個提議持懷疑態度。“起初我覺得這個主意挺荒唐的，因為我心想：‘我才三十幾歲，能在自傳里寫什么呢？別人干嗎會對我感興趣？’”蘇克在她居住的馬薩諸塞州劍橋市接受《韓美雜志》的電話采訪時這樣表示，“在動筆之前，我有各種各樣的顧慮，但是當我寫下第一句話時，我真的感到樂在其中。”

《我想看到的世界：藝術、人生和法律的漫漫征途》于今年早些時候以英、韓兩種語言出版（編注：該書中文版已于2014年11月出版）。這是一本坦誠、私密的回憶錄，細節豐富，筆調深沉。作者在書中寫道，她自幼就意識到了深植于內心的抱負和對表演的渴望，當高中時代被迫放棄將芭蕾作為嚴肅的職業追求時，她體會到了失望帶來的痛楚。

蘇克是家里三個女兒中的老大，六歲時和家人一起從韓國移民到美國。在韓國向民主社會轉型的動蕩歲月中，蘇克一家啟程赴美，來到紐約，她的父親開始在布魯克林猶太醫院內科擔任高級住院實習醫師。

蘇克稱她早年在皇后區生活時與周圍的世界極為格格不入，那時的她因為語言障礙和天生內向的性格，與別人非常疏遠。“我對當時的感受有許多清晰的記憶，因為我覺得移民經歷對我的影響非常大，”蘇克說，“六歲時來到另一個國家，說著另一種語言，這不是你能輕易忘掉的事。我想，因為它對我的成長影響很大，而且它就像一個透鏡，我透過它看到了生活中的許多事情，所以我對圍繞這段重要經歷產生的種種感受真的是記憶猶新。”

對于酷愛閱讀的蘇克來說，書籍，特別是簡·奧斯汀、勃朗特姐妹和亨利·詹姆斯等作家的作品，為她提供了逃避現實的棲身之所。她在創造性藝術，特別是舞蹈方面的天賦和才華也起到了同樣的作用。升入高中前不久，她通過面試進入了要求嚴苛的美國芭蕾舞學校學習。她對這門藝術愛得如此之深，從中感受到了“所能想象得到的最強烈的亢奮”。

“自那時起，我的人生就帶上了尋找‘圣杯’的色彩—希望能再次體會到那種亢奮。”她寫道。

但是讀九年級時，在蘇克就讀的“磁石學校”亨特學院高中，學習成績開始變得重要起來，她被迫中斷了密集的芭蕾舞課程。她的父母強調優異的學習成績更重要，不能圍繞著（芭蕾）這個單一的追求安排學業。

不過，藝術在蘇克的早年歲月中仍然是一個重要的組成部分：她參加了朱利亞德學院鋼琴專業的預科課程，這讓她有機會在讀高中的最后一年得以在林肯中心——后來在卡耐基演奏廳——表演鋼琴獨奏。

接下來，蘇克進入耶魯學院學習文學，主攻法語詩歌，后來她申請并獲得了馬歇爾獎學金，前往牛津大學學習法國文學。她的博士論文研究的是法屬加勒比地區非洲裔作家創作的后殖民時期文學，這讓她在26歲時拿到了第一份圖書出版合約。

在哈佛法學院就讀時，蘇克到該院第一位獲得終身教職的非裔美國女性拉尼·格威尼爾導師的門下做研究助理。蘇克在書中寫道，作為法學院學生，她“感到出乎意料地如魚得水”。

“我也曾經想知道這是為什么，我猜是因為法學院的教室太像一個演出的劇場了，有自己的程式、威嚴、禮節、傳統和莊重。”她寫道。

從法學院畢業后，蘇克先后做過華盛頓特區上訴法院一位上訴法官和時任美國聯邦最高法院大法官戴維·蘇特爾的書記員。她還在曼哈頓地區檢察官辦公室擔任過檢察官。后來，她受邀回母校任教，目前教授家庭法和刑法。她還剛寫了一本名為《用法律解讀家庭：家暴革命如何改變隱私》的書。

當被要求回顧她人生中的諸多成就時，蘇克坦率地談到了先天稟賦和后天培養各自起到的作用。“擁有天賦是個有利條件，但這還不夠，它只是一個因素，”蘇克說，“我很幸運，在家庭教育和文化背景的共同作用下，我擁有做各種各樣的嘗試都全神貫注并樂在其中的能力。”

她在自傳中表達了同樣的看法。她寫道：“如果想在某件事上表現出色，沒有捷徑可走—每天都要為它投入大量的時間，周復一周、月復一月、年復一年地做這件事。”

“無論是做學問，從事科學、藝術，還是養育子女，不可否認的現實是，如果想在某方面達到很高的造詣，無論男女都必須付出大量的時間。因此，如果你的目標是成為某方面的高手，那這件事最好是你真正喜歡做的。”她寫道。

這是蘇克出自切身體會的經驗之談。她既努力完成了繁重的教學工作，還承擔了做母親的職責，甚至還經歷了離婚的艱難過程—蘇克在書中第一次公開談到自己離婚的事。

迄今為止，蘇克說她最大的成就是在課堂上見證了學生們的成長和進步。從她當年在哈佛法學院大講堂的臺階上絆倒的那個時候起，蘇克顯然已經在這個職業中找到了舒解的途徑：“在年輕人重新體會思考的喜悅和迷人魅力時為他們提供指導—這件事是永遠不會令人感到厭倦的。”蘇克在回憶錄里寫道。

蘇克說，在她自己做學生時，師生關系不僅對她取得成功而且對她享受學習的樂趣來說都至關重要。“教和學的重要性以及師生之間的關系對我而言非常重要，”她說，“在我人生每個階段，都有一位重要的老師，他/她與我相處的某個重要時刻在我的記憶中留下深深的烙印。”

通過教學實踐，蘇克甚至找到了一種把她自幼熱愛的藝術與授課相結合的方法：她開設了一門名為“表演藝術與法律”的課程，與她共同授課的是著名舞蹈家達米恩·沃策爾，兩人是在沃策爾攻讀哈佛大學公共政策專業碩士學位時認識的。

關于她的自傳，蘇克說，她知道不少人都期待她能為韓國讀者寫一本類似于成功學教材那樣的書。

“在韓國，人們對于成功的公式、秘訣、技巧、方法以及成功人士最喜歡什么都抱有非常強烈的好奇心。韓國人在與他們認為有趣的人接觸時，特別重視‘怎么做’這個問題。起初這讓我很為難，因為我不會自然而然地從這個角度想問題。”蘇克表示。

“我認為寫這本書的挑戰在于，要傳達出這樣一種觀點，即很難說‘只有一條正確的道路’，”她補充道，“我努力用自己的故事證明，成功的路不止一條。”

1.trip [tr?p] vi. 絆倒

2.mortified [?m??（r）t?fa?d] adj. 窘迫的；尷尬的

3.fall flat：摔倒；跌倒

4.in one fell swoop：一下子

5.boon [bu?n] n. 給生活帶來方便的事物；恩惠

6.stud [st?d] vt. 使密布

7.Alec Baldwin：亞歷克.鮑德溫（1958～），美國演員，代表作為《我為喜劇狂》（30 Rock），曾當選美國《人物》（People）雜志全球最美的50位人物之一。

8.Kim Basinger：金.貝辛格（1953～），美國演員、模特，代表作為《愛你九周半》（Nine 1/2 Weeks），曾獲得第70屆奧斯卡金像獎最佳女配角獎。

9.deep-seated：根深蒂固的

10.residency [?rez?d（?）nsi] n.〈美〉（實習醫師一般住院實習期滿后的）高級專科住院實習（期）

11.formative [?f??（r）m?t?v] adj. （時期或經歷）決定性格的；影響發展（或成長）的

12.Henry James：亨利·詹姆斯（1843～1916），美國小說家，代表作包括《一位女士的畫像》（The Portrait of a Lady）、《黛西·米勒》（Daisy Miller）等。

13.School of American Ballet：美國芭蕾舞學校（簡稱為SAB），世界最著名的芭蕾舞學校之一，始建于1934年，甄選標準極為嚴格。

14.holy grail：圣杯（傳說耶穌基督在最后的晚餐中使用的杯子）；極難找到（獲得）之物

15.此處指美國的“磁石學校”（magnet school），即以自身獨特的設施和專門化課程吸引學生的學校。

16.Juilliard School：朱利亞德學院，世界著名的表演藝術學校之一，位于美國紐約市的林肯中心。

17.solo recital：獨奏表演

18.decorum [d??k??r?m] n. 有禮；得體；莊重

19.gravitas [?ɡr?v?t?s] n. 莊嚴；嚴肅

20.David Souter：戴維·蘇特爾（1939～），美國聯邦最高法院前任大法官

21.staggering [?st?ɡ?r??] adj. 令人震驚的；大得驚人的

22.sear [s??（r）] vt. 深深地烙下

23.Damian Woetzel：達米恩.沃策爾，美國舞蹈家、藝術領袖、社會活動家、舞蹈音樂劇導演和制作人