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Customer Reviews
Very, very powerful ,14/02/2007
This was the second book that I read about the Cambodian genocide directed by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge, and I found it quite digestable and very readable. But don't let that lead you to think it's pleasant. It's not.
Loung Ung was very young girl when the Khmer Rouge "liberated" Cambodia. She sees her friends and family die all around her, and is forced to work long, long days, surviving in a world with little food and practially no medicine. You get a very good background on what her life was like before the Khmer Rouge, and that certainly does help you comprehend the full effect when her father is taken away.
This is a short read, and very quick. The language is very conductive for sensations and feelings about what is going on. You feel a lot of sadness and frustration, but in a few parts Ung offers a little comic relief, such as when she is "baptised" at a refugee camp by some priest, and is only then sort of explained what is going on. My only real complaint is that Loung Ung didn't go to great lengths to explain certain pertinent aspects of Cambodian culture, but that's splitting hairs a bit.
This book isn't as graphic as it could have been, making it a bit lighter for the more casual reader, but the atrocities are still frightful. When you read a book and realize that the author was barely able to comprehend what was going on, you get a sense how much children suffered.
I still prefer "Survival in the Killing Fields" to this book, and for that reason deducted a star, but this book comes in a very close second.
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A heart filled book that comes alive ,10/11/2007
During and after reading the account of Loung Ung's "First they Killed my Father", my heart grew cold. Because people are cruel and very ugly to one another. I am a grown man and this memoir made me teary eyed a few times. It forces one to look at human beings though a lens. By nature we are ugly and fill of hate but hide behind the masks of political and belief systems. This book has changed the way I view and treat people. We as a human race must protect the lives of people. Thank You Loung Ung for sharing your memories, pain, hurt and your life with the world.
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Breathtaking ,31/08/2007
I was interested in reading a book about the Cambodian Civil War, and this book gave me insights about the author's life story. The author Ung went through many emotional times with her family that had to do with survival. It made me cry many times... touched my heart. I recommend this to readers who are interested in the Cambodian war and would like to know what it's like to be in Loung Ung position during the time of chaos.
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First They Killed My Father: ,13/05/2007
This is an amazing book. YOu cannot bleive what these families go through, you will cry as you read it but it is well worth the read
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Gripping and Heartbreaking ,09/03/2008
Some people have criticized this book because they believe some small historical detail might be wrong. I say, who cares about that? The horrors that are described in this book eclipse any small misconceptions or tiny errors in fact. Cambodia's people were starved, enslaved, murdered, and robbed by Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. It's a most outrageous and horrific story, but it was the truth for millions. Miss Ung did an impressive job pulling the story together into book form. My heart breaks for her family and hundreds of thousands of other families there.
This should be required reading for high school students everywhere.
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Amazing memoir based during Cambodia's struggle ,31/03/2008
When I started to read the memoir, it was very hard to put down. It is written in first person tense through the eyes of a young girl struggling through the Khmer Rouge insurgency in Cambodia. I am a 1st generation American whose mother grew up in war torn Vietnam, so I had an interest in the Southeast Asian set memoir. Now I am trying to find ones as good as this one, but set in with my mother's experiences. This book was an in depth way to learn about the people & the recent history of struggle which many Cambodian Americans no doubt have also lived through but not spoken of. It really reinforces that family and love are the most important things in life. It's a must read.
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quick reading ,12/04/2008
I read all but a couple chapters of this book on a flight across the US. It is easy reading and I could not put it down. The horrors this author went through will make the reader pause to count his blessings. I think this is a must read for anyone who is unfamiliar with Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge.
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Everyone should make time for this book ,08/10/2007
We need this type of literature to remind us of the horror we are capable of inflicting, and the delight we are capable of inspiring. Here we have the opportunity to learn about the history of other countries and cultures and the effects of war and violence. By reading Ung's story, Americans can learn to appreciate that some immigrants and refugees to the United States have endured far more than we can even imagine.
Ung's story is told with the innocence and honesty of a child, even though her reality is riddled with hurt, grief, and despair. How is she able to survive the destruction and devastation of war? What makes her want to go on living? The chaos and randomness of life will make the reader see that each gift is a blessing.
Ung has learned to accept the responsibility that comes with survival. Why me...? What not me...? She states that by writing her book she was able to come to terms with many of the haunting details of her past. By writing about her fear and rage, she was able to face the "monsters" of her childhood as an adult. Telling her story was not about the money or the recognition, but about making people aware of what life was like for one family, for one little girl who grew up during the hell years of 1975-1979 in Cambodia. Though there is much anger and pain, it is the love of family and love of oneself that sees Ung through the trauma of war.
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Powerful story about survival ,05/10/2008
Wow, I was blown away by this book. Despite the virtually universal good reviews, this book sat on my desk for months. I wasn't sure I was up to reading about the horrors of Pol Pot. I have seen the pictures of the Killing Fields and read about it before.
But my conscience bothered me and I eventually read it, thinking if it was too depressing, I'd simply chuck it. But like many, I was sucked in once I started - read it in less than a day - stayed up half the night reading.
Powerful story of survival and the incredible cruelty of Man brought about by ignorance and poverty.
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Captivating ,05/10/2007
With a story as tragic as this it is no wonder how the details are so vividly portrayed by Loung Ung. Her story captivates in essence the cruel and communist actions of the Khmer Rouge. As one of the few surviving family members, Loung proves how a love for her father helped her endure such a tragedy. However, she was not excluded from being subjected to the endless amount of pain, which created numerous psychological road blocks such as hatred and vengeance. This is clearly a story of heroism through endurance.
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"My beautiful girl" he says to me as his lips quiver into a small smile, "I have to go away with these two men for awhile"... ,06/09/2006
Sadly, Loung's father never returned.
It's really hard to intellectualize, and even harder to internalize the kind of cruelty war heaps upon families. It is incomprehensible when such unspeakable horrors happen to children. One thing rings loud and clear... God or the Universe, or whatever you wish to call it, has provided the human spirit with an incredible will to survive, regardless of circumstances.
This book is about the overthrow of the Cambodian Government in 1975 by Communist forces, and the capture of Phnom Penh in April of that year. It's a true story, as remembered by a small and very precocious child whose world was turned upside down. Although heartbreaking and difficult to read, you won't be able to put it down. Ms. Ung's parents would be very proud of her.
Highly Recommended.
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Read it with caution ,18/08/2007
The author was too young and her memories were not always reliable. Read it with caution. For instance, Ung wrote about a family trip to Angkor Wat, which took place in 1973 or 1974 when she "was only three or four years old" (p. 109). I had a discussion with a former Lon Nol soldier who was in Siem Reap at that time and he was adamant that Angkor Wat was not accessible because the Khmer Rouge was in full control of the area.
Cambodia had been fighting a civil war since 1970, so it is hard to believe that there were people vacationing at that time, especially in a region that was controlled by the Khmer Rouge. But the book contains a picture of the family trip to "Angkor Wat," which was taken at Wat Phnom, a temple in Phnom Penh.
Exaggerated stories of surviving atrocities are not unknown. It even exists within the Jewish community; for example, the story of Deli Strummer, which has been written in the Washington Post. I would compare "First They Killed My Father" to that of Holocaust survivor's Deli Strummer. If you want to read something poignant like that of Anne Frank, get Chanrithy Him's "When Broken Glass Floats."
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Worth your time ,17/01/2008
I read "First They Killed My Father" after meeting Loung Ung at a convention. Not having been too familiar with the details of Cambodia's recent history, the book opened my eyes to a whole new world. Heartbreaking and at times difficult to read, the book shows us how incredibly strong someone (even a little girl) can be in the midst of trial and suffering. I applaud the writing and storytelling ability Ms. Loung Ung shares with us.
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Recommended... ,09/05/2006
"First They Killed My Father" is Loung Ung's gripping tale of her survival of the Cambodian holocaust. Born to middle class parents, Ung was living a happy childhood in Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge rolled in in April 1975. Soon her family, and all city dwellers, were driven out into farming villages to work in labor camps. The family splits up for various reasons, and some don't survive.
This memoir is written from an innocent perspective -- a child's understanding of what is going on around her. It was my first introduction to the Cambodian holocaust and as such is lacking as a comprehensive portrait of all that went on. The political buildup and philosophy of the Khmer Rouge are touched on, but not exhaustively. Other books (and movies such as "The Killing Fields") are available for that. This is a moving and well written account and I recommend it.
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Unforgettable ,25/10/2008
What a powerful, remarkable story that centers on a girl's will to survive. I won't forget this book, not for a very long time, if ever. I felt like I was with the narrator, right beside her, in the midst of the killing fields. Whenever I'm having a tough day now, and worried about some trivial thing, I remember this book. Fantastic. "First They Killed My Father" certainly isn't an easy read (in terms of emotional intensity), but it's one of the most important books I've read.
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First They Killed my Father ,28/01/2008
Loung Ung does an excellent job of describing what happened to her family growing up in the killing fields of Cambodia under the Pol Pot regime. She is an excellent writer. Although her story is very tragic, it is one that we all should hear. God is truly using Loung's tragic life to create something good and meaningful. Loung is a fascinating person that I feel honored to have met within the pages of her book. Thank you for sharing your story Loung. Your book has changed my life.
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review ,14/03/2008
This book can entralled the vivid features of the genocide in Cambodia. Loung Ung had to escape the tortue of hungers,execution, and hardship growing under the Khmer Rogue. The Khmer Rogue evacuted the city of Phnom Penh to work in the countryside. This communist regime pratice the ideogloy of angkar to elimnate the symbol of captalistic. Any symbol of money or any threat of the communist movement was abolished. The author had to experience a hardship growing under the khmer rouge regime. They recruit girls and boys ranging from five to sixteen to serve in the army. Her family was seperated at a young age. The story is well written.
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She remembers for us to remember... ,15/05/2007
In the epilogue, Loung thanks her editor, because she's says without the editing, we'd all be reading a much longer book. In this case, I would love to read "the much longer book".... I can't say enough positive about the book, even though I know it has received criticism. It's a first hand account of the same stories I've heard first hand over.. Stories that deserve to be retold so that hopefully they never have to be experienced again. Whether you are an academic with an interest in Cambodia / Southeast Asia or the casual reader, you will be haunted a young girl's life.. in " First They Killed My Father".[...]
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