《上学记》是著名学者何兆武先生的个人口述史。何先生生于1921年，在北平读小学和中学，在西南联大读大学和研究生，共七年，读过四个系，之后在清华大学任教。《上学记》写的就是何先生1949年的求学生涯，其中西南联大的七年是主要篇幅。何先生以治哲学史和思想史的思想底蕴，以谦和率真的学者姿态，以历史亲历者的回忆和感受，讲述在特殊的年代，尤其是抗战烽火中，一代人的青春和理想、知识和风雅。书出版后，好评如潮，当然也引起了一些争议。但何先生说：“为尊者讳、为贤者讳，并不是真正对人的尊重。一个人的思想本来是活泼的、与时俱进的，又何必一定要把它弄成一种思想上的木乃伊，让人去顶礼膜拜呢？” 对于今天的读者而言，《上学记》不止是一本口述史，更是一本打开历史之门、知识之门，乃至真理之门和思想之门的启蒙之书。当然，该书也因对某些老师的个人感受和真实评价而引发争议。 有评价将何兆武的《上学记》、齐邦媛的《巨流河》和王鼎钧的“回忆录四部曲”并称为“海峡两岸知识分子的必读书”。

The twin sisters Helena and Irene are born in Helsinki during World War II. A few months later their mother, Sirkka, leaves the girls in the care of their grandmother, an old communist, and runs away with a German soldier. Their life under the protection of their grandmother and the teachings of communism ends first with the death of Stalin, then with that of their grandmother. The girls are eight years old when they are put in an orphanage. Their mother shows up at the orphanage in the company of Ramon, a Spanish trapeze artist. They are on a talent search for a German circus. Ramon trains the reluctant Irene during circus tours in Central Europe. She becomes the trapeze star of the circus. The hard work soon exhausts Irene and she falls from height, as if on purpose. Helena has secretly learned the art of fire-eating. Now she is burdened with both her mother and her sister. The violent life, however, separates the three from each other. In the present-day Helsinki the middle-aged...