Book description
Until the age of five, Loung Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven
children of a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious
child who loved the open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights
and being cheeky to her parents.
When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April
1975, Loung's family fled their home and were eventually forced to
disperse to survive. Loung was trained as a child soldier while her
brothers and sisters were sent to labour camps. The surviving siblings
were only finally reunited after the Vietnamese penetrated Cambodia
and started to destroy the Khmer Rouge.
Bolstered by the bravery of one brother, the vision of the others
and the gentle kindness of her sister, Loung forged on to create for
herself a courageous new life.
First They Killed My Father is an unforgettable book told
through the voice of the young and fearless Loung. It is a shocking
and tragic tale of a girl who was determined to survive despite the odds.
So sharp with pain that when I read it, the words plunged into me
like a knife -- Jon Swain Sunday Times There can be absolutely no doubt
about the innate power of [Ung's] story, the passion with which she
tells it or its enduring importance Washington Post Book World Ung's
memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left
just to historians but to those left behind when the terror ends
Booklist Loung Ung has lectured widely to schools, universities and
corporations on Cambodia, child soldiers, women and war, and landmines.
She currently lives in the US.
