Introduction to Letters to Sam
Dear Reader，
Please allow me to tell you something before you read this book. When my (1) , Sam, was born, my heart was filled with joy. I had been sitting in a wheelchair for 20 years before then, and I have been (1) ill many times. So I wondered if I would have the (2) to tell Sam what I had (3) .
For years I have been hosting a program on the (4) and writing articles for a magazine. Being (5) to move freely, I have learned to sit still and keep my heart (6) , exchanging thoughts with thousands of listeners and (7) . So when Sam was born, I (8) to tell him about school and friendship, romance and work, love and everything else. That’s how I started to write these (9) . I hoped that Sam would (10) them sooner or later.
However, that expectation (11) when Sam showed signs of autism(自闭症)at the age of two. He had actually stopped talking before the discovery of the signs. He (12) to communicate with others, even the family members. That was (13) for me but didn’t stop me writing on. I realized that I had even (14) now to tell him. I wanted him to (15) what it means to be “different” from others, and learn how to fight against the misfortune he’ll (16) as I myself, his grandfather, did. I just (17) if I could write all that I wanted to say in the rest of my life.
Now, (18) the book has been published, I have been given the chance. Every chapter in the book is a letter to Sam: some about my life, and all about what it means to be a (19) .
Daniel Gottlieb