BOOKS FROM CAMBODIAFirst They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
by Loung Ung
Tags:
Female author
Description:
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.
Reviews:
(6 months ago) |
25 May, 2024
Absolutely gut-wrenching
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(1 month ago) |
19 Nov, 2024
I didn't know much about the horrors Cambodia endured before reading this book. Beautifully written, in present tense for that added chill of immediacy, I found my reading periodically interrupted by the thought, "OMG, she was six. OMG she was seven. OMG she was eight." Bringing me back to my perpetual question, which is how do humans survive the things we do? Highly recommend, but you've been warned.
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