Boy's Heartsongs Mattie Stepanek is wheeling around his living room like any 11-year-old boy on an electric scooter. But Mattie's "scooter" is his life station - an electric wheelchair. He suffers from a rare form of muscular dystrophy, a ventilator supplying his oxygen. Mattie, wise beyond his years1, has become the newest rage in the publishing world with his tiny volume of inspiring poems, Heartsongs, and its sequel, Journey Through Heartsongs. 男孩的心聲 11歲的Mattie Stepanek開着電動車在客廳裏轉來轉去，與其他同齡的孩子沒什麼兩樣。但他卻終生要坐在這車上--一輛電動輪椅。他患有一種罕見的肌失養症，靠吸氧器供氧。與同齡人相比，Mattie聰穎過人，他那本薄薄的勵志詩集《心聲》及續集《心聲之旅》已掀起了出版界的最新風暴。 "I'm a bit surprised," Mattie says. "I never thought my message would get out so quickly." "我感到有點兒驚訝，"Mattie說，"沒想到我的觀點傳播得這麼快。" He is a poet who calls himself a peacemaker. 這位詩人自稱是和平使者。 Mattie's life has been filled with surprises - good and bad. He has almost died more than once, was named the National Goodwill Ambassador for the Muscular Dystrophy Association.2 A precocious child who has already studied at a local community college, his goal is to major in peace studies and writing.3 他的生活裏意外之事總是接連不斷，禍福皆有。他不止一次地與死神擦肩而過，曾被任命爲全國肌失養症協會親善大使，現在智慧超常的Mattie已在社區大學就讀，目標是主修和平研究與寫作。 "He lives on the edge. It could be one day or one year," his mother says. Three of Mattie's siblings already have died of the disease. "We've been given the gift of time. He's spending these days living, not dying." Meanwhile, Mattie continues what he calls his "peace work," with a possible speaking tour in the works. "We need to win the war on terrorism with words, not bombs," he says. "We need to sit down and listen to our heartsongs. We need to stop fighting over things that don't matter, things like land and money," Mattie says. "他生活在生命的邊緣，可能還能再活一天，也可能是一年，"他母親說，Mattie兄弟姐妹中已有三人因肌失養症而相繼離開了人世。"我們很幸運他能活到今天，這些日子他活得很有意義，而不是在等死。"同時，Mattie還在繼續從事着他的"和平事業"，並有可能做一次有關的巡迴演講。"要贏得反恐戰爭的勝利，我們需要的是語言，而不是炸彈，"他說，"我們需要坐下來傾聽我們的心聲，不再爲土地、金錢這些無足輕重的東西爭奪不休。" He has already become a pro at the celebrity game, taking interviews into his own hands. 對名人生活他已習以爲常，在各種採訪中駕輕就熟。
