One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung's family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed.
Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung's powerful story is an unforgettable account of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.
This memoir by Loung Ung tells the tale of her childhood in Cambodia during the takeover of the Khmer Rouge. She aptly presents herself as a child narrator, and so the horror and confusion that takes place around her are somewhat subdued as the narrator struggles to understand what is happening to her and why. It’s no surprise that she turns to anger to help her survive.At the beginning of each chapter she gives the reader a date. April 1975. I couldn’t help but think what I was doing at that time. I was a carefree youngster, without a care in the world, goofing around my with friends. Luong was ousted from her home (along with everyone else in the city of Phnom Penh) and forced to endure a seven day march in blistering heat to a rural village. In 1976 I was eating chocolate ice cream and rhubarb pie and hamburgers, while Luong and her siblings were so hungry they were forced to eat grasshoppers. By 1978 I was enjoying family vacations – Luong was forced to say goodbye to her father forever.As tragic as this is, it gets worse before things get better for Luong. The story of the murder of millions of Cambodians is an important one and I highly recommend this book for everyone of high school age and up.
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This memoir by Loung Ung tells the tale of her childhood in Cambodia during the takeover of the Khmer Rouge. She aptly presents herself as a child narrator, and so the horror and confusion that takes place around her are somewhat subdued as the narrator struggles to understand what is happening to her and why. It’s no surprise that she turns to anger to help her survive.At the beginning of each chapter she gives the reader a date. April 1975. I couldn’t help but think what I was doing at that time. I was a carefree youngster, without a care in the world, goofing around my with friends. Luong was ousted from her home (along with everyone else in the city of Phnom Penh) and forced to endure a seven day march in blistering heat to a rural village. In 1976 I was eating chocolate ice cream and rhubarb pie and hamburgers, while Luong and her siblings were so hungry they were forced to eat grasshoppers. By 1978 I was enjoying family vacations – Luong was forced to say goodbye to her father forever.As tragic as this is, it gets worse before things get better for Luong. The story of the murder of millions of Cambodians is an important one and I highly recommend this book for everyone of high school age and up.
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