First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

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First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

by Loung Ung

4.20 · rating details · 3,775 ratings · 644 reviews

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

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Paperback, 288 pages

Published April 4th 2006 by Harper Perennial (first published February 1st 2000)

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Best Memoir / Biography / Auto-biography

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Feb 10, 2011

chucklesthescot rated it

Shelves: asian, true, truecrime, war, femalehardship, harsh-regime

This was a horrific story of the terror and violence that the Khmer Rouge inflicted on the innocent people of Cambodia. Loung is the daughter of a high ranking government official, and the very type of family that the Khmer Rouge despise. The family tree to flee, pretending to be poor farmers, but are eventually imprisoned in a camp. The camp hardships and fear take their toll on the family and things get worse when they are all gradually separated into different camps, not knowing if they will ...more

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Jun 28, 2008

Apple rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

Shelves: nonfiction, biographics

There are some things left unlearned from history books. You can read about the Cambodian genocide from many other sources that will explain the facts and statistics in the traditional sterile style that historic texts usually take. You can actually witness the places and things that history has left behind. And then, you can dive into personal accounts of history; how humanity struggles to survive during some of its darkest hours.
While I am usually a sucker for auto/biographical works fo...more

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Oct 26, 2008

Kathi rated it

Recommends it for: Sandra Ottinger

Recommended to Kathi by: Saw it on B&N.com

I just finished reading this book - another one I had a hard time putting down - I read it in 3 days. I learned so much from this memoir which takes place, starting in April 1975 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. At this point the Cambodian Civil War has not quite taken hold. The narrator of the story is a 5 year old girl, the 2nd to youngest in a family of 7 children. She comes from a rather well-off, very loving middle-class family who live in the capital of Cambodia; Phenom Penh. The 5 year old t...more

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Oct 21, 2008

Marlena rated it

Recommends it for: Everybody

When reading First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung, the audience is exposed to a compelling book filled with adventure and tragedy. It is about a girl who lives a fairly comfortable life in Phnom Penh with her parents and siblings. When the Khmer Rouge takes over Cambodia, her family is forced to flee into separate labor camps. As the story progresses, it is startling to comprehend that the book is actually a memoir. This is her story.
This book not only gives insight into Loung’s per...more

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Mar 10, 2008

Annie rated it

I read this book in prepartion to our trip to Cambodia in April. I would have read it anyway, however, because I love depressing autobiographies. This one was far different than any other I have ever read being that it was from a child's perspective. It retold her unbelievable story of escaping the killing fields during Pol Pot's reign with the Khmer Rouge. I think everyone in my generation needs to read this book. Many people my age do not even know Pol Pot's name, moreless that he killed o...more

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Nov 24, 2007

Anastasia rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: 2003, memoirbio, historical-stuff

This was a heart-breaking memoir. It was very difficult to read . . . but imagine how much harder it was to live it.

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Sep 30, 2011

Suzanne rated it

Shelves: memoir, non-fiction, vietnam-war, around-the-world-challenge

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 ...more

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Mar 13, 2009

Mandy rated it

Shelves: people-at-war, library-books, non-fiction, read-passion

On Monday I finished reading First They Killed My Father which is the autobiographical story of a young girl's experiences during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. I've read a lot of books like this and I usually find them uplifting but this book just made me sad. In Rwanda, you see people's incredible resilience and determination to overcome the prejudices of the past. When I read the story of the boy solider, A Long Way Gone, I was heartened by the knowledge that he had escaped that life

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Apr 14, 2008

Carly rated it

Millions of Cambodians suffered from all kinds of atrocities - the American bombings, displacement,starvation, communist killings, genocide, and other such violence during the 70s Specifically during the time of Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot Regime), 1975-1979.

This book is a chilling, deeply touching, eye-opening and educational narrative of an American Cambodian woman who was a child during the Khmer Rouge (Pol Pot Regime).

In response to this book (one of the first recollectio...more

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Mar 10, 2008

Anu rated it

2/6/08
Great book. This is the first book I've read by Loung Ung and so far I'm not a big fan of her writing style (it seems predictable and borrowed). But.. the book is excellent, mostly because it is a five-year-old's perspective on living and dying during Pol Pot's cleansing project in Cambodia. It's an interesting perspective because it is based on a mix of innocence, confusion, blind trust, fear, an innate need for self-preservation and the amazing ability that children have to sense a...more

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Jul 02, 2007

Basham! rated it

Recommends it for: people visiting Cambodia to study the Khmer Rouge atrocities

I, literally, abandoned this book half-way through. I may not be an expert on good prose but I definitely recognize when I am NOT privy to such. This novel rests on the fact that it is an account of real events. A people's version of one of the "greatest-atrocities-of-the-twentieth-century." I don't intend to demean the subject matter here, but a lot of this book regurgitates, unquestioningly, a textbook understanding of the Khmer Rouge. The author blantly inserts generic socio-politic...moreI, literally, abandoned this book half-way through. I may not be an expert on good prose but I definitely recognize when I am NOT privy to such. This novel rests on the fact that it is an account of real events. A people's version of one of the "greatest-atrocities-of-the-twentieth-century." I don't intend to demean the subject matter here, but a lot of this book regurgitates, unquestioningly, a textbook understanding of the Khmer Rouge. The author blantly inserts generic socio-political backstory via her father's character and... dammit it's annoying!

Most memoirs tend to really get under my skin. It is bad enough now that so many people hold this democratic notion that everyone has a story to tell. Sure, such may be true, but most people can't tell a story.* Even worse, as is the case here, is when the author has such a compelling story that it is virtually an individual right to recount the events and a moral directive that we appreciate the text. The imperative of most memoirs of this type is a reductionist, monolithic, unreflexive projective vomit of "facts" where only the "truth" is of value.**

To be fair to this author, however, her writing is not as bad as a lot of memoirs. I'm giving her book two stars but I tend to be a harsh grader anyway. Just because I don't appreciate the book-as-written does mean that I am not engaged by horror and sorrow at what she has lived through under the Khmer Rouge.

For something more didactic regarding Cambodia circa 1975-1979, read "Sideshow" by William Shawcross.
Be careful, though, it's a little dated (yes, he refers to Cambodians as a "sensual race") and it also purports to be nonfiction. It doesn't suffer from some unblinking sense of entitlement, however. Shawcross is true journalist; an outsider to the story. He's not speaking from a point of unimpeachable privilege, he's not telling his story, but just a story and he's backing it up with research and careful analysis, as well as, managing to take out all the bullshit rhetorical devices.

* no, I cannot write either (and, yes, I am bitter).
** On this subject, I like "The Hazards of Memoir Writing" by Edward Said. Said responds to some of his critics about "erroneously" reconfiguring the past in narrative.

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Mar 27, 2007

Spring rated it

Recommends it for: everyone

This is one of the most powerful books I've read. It's an autobiography of a young girl and her family during the oppressive Pol Pot regime. I traveled to Cambodia last year with only a faint idea of what the Khmer Rouge was and of what actually happened in that country in the late 1970s. Loung Ung's story is a story is one of survival. If it weren't, it would be too heartbreaking to bear.

Under Pol Pot, people were forced to leave their homes in the cities and move into the countrysi...more

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Jul 20, 2008

Kristin rated it

An extremely challenging book. It is graphic, emotional, and of course it doesn't help being told from the point of view of the author at age 5-10yrs. But I felt it an important account, good to really see what happened during the Khmer Rouge genocide in Cambodia through a personal experience. Courageous woman who survived something that could only be concieved as extremely UNsurvivable by our privileged selves in the US. I was awed and humbled. We are capable of surviving so much, it leaves a b...more

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May 17, 2011

Michelle rated it

· review of another edition

A memoir by Loung Ung who was a small child in Cambodia in Pol Pot's Khmer Rough. She tells her story from being a five-year-old living a wonderful life to overnight being sent to work camps, starvation, loss of family members. This took place when I was in middle school, and I was totally oblivious to things happening in other parts of the world. What an eye-opener to read of the struggle to live day by day, hour by hour. I pulled up her website and read more about her life and the spokepers...more

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Oct 13, 2011

Jenae rated it

The author’s purpose of writing this book was to tell the story of her life. She wanted to inform people of what happened to her when she was only 5 years old. The Khmer Roung ran everyone out of the Cambodian Village that she was living in with her family. They had to move in with their aunt and uncle, where they later were ran out of that city too.

The theme of this book is survival and perseverance. The Ung family must find food and shelter while they travel from city to cit...more

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Aug 29, 2011

Monthly Book Group rated it

“First They Killed My Father” by Loung Ung (published 2000) is a personal narrative of a female survivor of the genocide that took place in Cambodia in the 1970s. Loung Ung was only five years old when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh (April, 1975). She was one of seven children in a middle-class family who were forced to flee their homes. They became fugitives, denying their true identity and seeking refuge in the countryside. Her story is heart-wrenching, describing the horrendous scenes ...more“First They Killed My Father” by Loung Ung (published 2000) is a personal narrative of a female survivor of the genocide that took place in Cambodia in the 1970s. Loung Ung was only five years old when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh (April, 1975). She was one of seven children in a middle-class family who were forced to flee their homes. They became fugitives, denying their true identity and seeking refuge in the countryside. Her story is heart-wrenching, describing the horrendous scenes of starvation, rape, forced labour and family separation that characterised Pol Pot’s brand of revolution in the name of agrarian communism.

We all found the writing style to be simple and beguiling. There seems to have been a strong editorial hand; indeed, Loung acknowledges help from her teachers and publisher. Certainly, the book is highly readable. The photographs are poignant and an important part of the book. They show family members in better times, before or after the period 1975-1980. The cover photograph shows Loung on arrival at a refugee camp in Thailand in 1980, holding an identification board with her name and number. Although this marks the end of the ordeal, she has still to adjust to her new freedom, and to come to terms with the guilty feelings of being one of the survivors. That part of the story is resumed in another book “After They Killed our Father”.

We questioned whether Loung could have remembered accurately the details she so eloquently describes. The book was written about 20 years after the events, when she had settled into a relatively normal life in the USA. Perhaps she didn’t recall all the distressing details, and perhaps some of the most harrowing personal events have been suppressed or redefined. She describes very well her deep hatred of her assailants, and especially of Pol Pot himself. Perhaps writing the book was a therapy, or perhaps she was motivated by a strong desire to tell the world what happened, in fact what it feels like. We see so many media images of starving children that we are no longer shocked, but we can never know the feelings of the victims until someone has the courage to write about it from personal experience, as Loung has now done so well…

This is an extract from a review at: http://www.monthlybookgroup.com/ Our reviews are also to be found at http://monthlybookgroup.blogspot.com/
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Apr 09, 2011

Ferien_uk rated it

Shelves: asia

I enjoyed reading the book and felt that Ung was a good writer. As the book is based on her life between the ages of five and ten, some of the memories may not been very accurate and can be put down to her vivid imagination. I don’t think you can take the book as 100% accurate because it’s highly unlikely she would be able to remember early childhood memories in that much detail. However, it does give a picture of what life was like under the Khmer Rouge and some of the experiences that people w...more

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Mar 25, 2011

Rebecca rated it

Though recently I have discovered how much I enjoy memoirs, I was really dreading reading this one for our OSC bookclub. I think it’s obvious from the title why anyone might not want to read this particular memoir. And let me assure you, Ung does not hold anything back in this description of her family’s experiences from age 5 to 9 under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.

What is so gripping and terrifying about this memoir is that not just the grim story, but that Ung is ...moreThough recently I have discovered how much I enjoy memoirs, I was really dreading reading this one for our OSC bookclub. I think it’s obvious from the title why anyone might not want to read this particular memoir. And let me assure you, Ung does not hold anything back in this description of her family’s experiences from age 5 to 9 under the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.

What is so gripping and terrifying about this memoir is that not just the grim story, but that Ung is a beautiful writer who somehow in her late 20s managed to recapture her raw childhood feelings and express them on paper. As a reader, I immediately connected with Ung in the first chapter as a carefree young girl with no worries in her middle class family. And then everything changes.

Ung alternatively experiences overwhelming grief, guilt, hunger, rage, and hatred among many other emotions during the regime. Despite being a bit taken aback by her rage and hatred, I found myself admiring her courage as a writer to openly express her emotions in such a public format. I do believe it is important to express our anger before we can move onto healing, and Ung’s anger comes from experiences I can’t even fathom.

After reading these words by Ung on her website, I know I will pick up her second memoir soon to read about her coming to terms with some of her anger. “I was an angry child when I wrote First They Killed My Father. A child who wanted to purge the war from her body and threw it in the face of readers, decisions makers, and people she thought should’ve heard her cries but didn’t. The angry child didn’t want readers to have an easy read because I didn’t have an easy life. In First, I plunged readers into the depths of man’s inhumanity of man—and left the readers there. Since First's publication in April of 2000, through my activism and work, support my readers, my trips back to Cambodia, and my family, I have let go of a lot of the anger. In First, I told stories of how my family and I survived the war, with Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind, I wanted to share with readers how we survived the peace. First was about getting lost, being lost, and losing—Lucky is about being found, finding, and gaining.”

Why should you read this book then? Well, it tells an important story about a horrible genocide in the twentieth century of which many Americans are completely ignorant. And it tells this story through the eyes of a child by a wonderful writer. Coupled with her second memoir, it is a story of a young girl who overcomes her hatred and anger and eventually becomes a renowned activist for victims of the Khmer Rouge, domestic violence, and an advocate for a landmine-free world.(less)

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Jan 26, 2011

Darryl Mexic rated it

*** “First They Killed My Father” by Loung Ung. Non-fiction. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all I have read about 20th century horrors, such as the Soviet mass murders of the 30’s, the rape of Nanking, the ethnic cleansing of the Serbian war, the multitude of slaughters on the African continent, and, of course, the one which every Jew, even the irreligious ones like myself, take personally -- the Nazi holocaust. It is too common an occurrence for me to believe it is other than a natural conditi...more*** “First They Killed My Father” by Loung Ung. Non-fiction. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all I have read about 20th century horrors, such as the Soviet mass murders of the 30’s, the rape of Nanking, the ethnic cleansing of the Serbian war, the multitude of slaughters on the African continent, and, of course, the one which every Jew, even the irreligious ones like myself, take personally -- the Nazi holocaust. It is too common an occurrence for me to believe it is other than a natural condition of life, like earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters, yet I become shocked, as if I am reading about a horror so unique that it defies belief, when I encounter some details of one of the man-made disasters that were heretofore unknown or little known to me. The four year control of Cambodia by the Khmer Rouge is the disaster to which I presently refer and the one which is the subject of the book. Loung Ung was five years old when, in April 1975, the Khmer Rouge victoriously marched into Phnom Penh. This is her story of life under the disastrous and idiotic, despotic and cruel, Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge’s leaders believed that Cambodia had to be remade into a completely egalitarian and agrarian society, so their first acts were to empty the cities completely, close all factories and businesses, kill all doctors, lawyers, businessmen, scholars, and anyone who worked for the prior government. Loung’s father had been a high police official in Phnom Penh, so it was critical that he, his wife and their seven children keep that fact hidden. They were marched, along with all city people, who were not immediately killed, for days on end to work villages, where they were worked to near or actual starvation on collective farms. The records tell us that of about seven million Cambodians; about 1.7 million were killed directly or through starvation by the Khmer Rouge. Loung’s father, mother, oldest sister and youngest sister are counted among the 1.7 million. The story of this disaster, told through the eyes of a five to nine year old, is heartbreaking. It seems almost sacrilegious to think of a happy novel while reading about Loung’s four years under the Khmer Rouge, but I could not help seeing her as the heroin of the novel “True Grit” moved to another time and definitely more difficult circumstances. She had a degree of stubbornness and tenacity that helped to keep her alive. The Khmer Rouge were eventually driven from power by the Vietnamese Communists, which is a testament to the stupidity of the Khmer Rouge leaders; they continually attacked and massacred neighboring Vietnamese villagers simply because of their ancient ethnic hatred of Vietnamese, whom they derogatorily referred to as Youns, until the Vietnamese government, which was many times more powerful and more prepared for war than the Khmer Rouge, finally had enough and realized that the only way to stop those idiots was to remove them from power. A disturbing footnote to the massacre is that the primary leader of the Khmer Rouge, the infamous Pol Pot, died in bed of natural causes, and other leaders of that murderous crew have been pardoned due to an unfortunate international agreement ending the war between the Vietnamese installed Cambodian government and the remnants of the Khmer Rouge. (less)

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May 11, 2010

Kate rated it

On a recent trip to Cambodia I got to witness it's rich culture, lush landscapes and delicious, delicious food. At every turn I also saw the remnants of a painful past.I spent a hot afternoon walking through the Tuel Sleng Genocide Museum, having my breath taken away as I walked from room to room, each worse than the last. In one section of the former prison, I walked into a hastily made brick cell and felt so instantly claustrophobic I had to run out into the open air.The pictures, informationa...moreOn a recent trip to Cambodia I got to witness it's rich culture, lush landscapes and delicious, delicious food. At every turn I also saw the remnants of a painful past.I spent a hot afternoon walking through the Tuel Sleng Genocide Museum, having my breath taken away as I walked from room to room, each worse than the last. In one section of the former prison, I walked into a hastily made brick cell and felt so instantly claustrophobic I had to run out into the open air.The pictures, informational plaques and even the conversation, held via hand gestures, with a former prisoner couldn't help me grasp the genocide that occurred not that long ago.

Later I went to Choeng Ek, the most (in)famous of the killing fields. I walked up to, around and even in the commemorative stupa that had been built to honor the murdered and to hold their remains. Seeing children's skulls display evidence of so much violence with the cracks, dents and bullet holes broke my heart. Walking through the grounds and stepping on peoples' bones and clothing remnants that were making their way up through the dirt... Knowing that every year the rains would bring up more remains.... How do people make peace with that? How do they move on?

Loung Ung lived through the genocide and has carried on her life by teaching others about what happened, helping them to survive the atrocities that seems to keep happening around the world. In her memoir "First They Killed My Father: A daughter of Cambodia remembers" she tells of the Cambodia genocide from the eyes of a child. This perspective that makes what happened all the more heart-wrenching but also makes the facts easier to understand. (I use that word loosely, because I can never understand why what happened did, but I want to, need to, understand the facts of what did happen.)

Genocide is such a big concept. The Cambodia genocide was so messy, political, based on a series of events that made it possible. A child's memory strips out all of the extraneous facts and delivers only what they know. In her memoir, she inserts the historical facts necessary to keep her story moving, but she inserts them as dialogue from her father delivered to her. History as would be explained to a small child doesn't include the political intricacies that make our world so confusing. For this, I was grateful to Ung. Her tale helped me establish some basic knowledge from which I can expand with future reading.

A quick read, "First They Killed My Father: A daughter of Cambodia remembers" is the kind of book you start reading and don't want to put down. It's a great introduction to anyone interested in visiting Cambodia, learning about their history or learning about genocide in general. (less)

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Jan 04, 2010

Emma Brinkman rated it

First They Killed My Father was a really interesting book in my opinion, I enjoyed it and thought that learning about someone struggling through so much to get where they are now was fascinating. Loung Ung went through so many obstacles, and being from the family background she is from it was very difficult to deal with the problems that she faced, and you could obviously tell her conflict. When the Khmer Rouge take control over Phnom Penh her family is forced to leave due to her father’s milita...more

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Jan 04, 2010

Pamela rated it

The history displayed in this autobiography is not one that is found in history books; it is one that is personal, heartbreaking, real. Loung Ung tells this story as her younger self as her family is forced to evacuate their city and suffer through the mistakes of a corrupt government. Telling her story in a younger voice was an interesting choice and let something to be desired, some of the things Loung Ung wrote were not anything I would expect to come out of an eight year old's mouth. Also, I...more

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Jan 03, 2010

Angel rated it

First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, is the moving story of a girl who overcomes great obstacles during the Khmer Rouge take over of Cambodia during the 1970s. Though this is a powerful story, it is not for everyone and is by no means a quick read. Loung Ung's experience was traumatic and though she is courageous for reliving these events in this memoir, her attempt to recall specific events from her early childhood cannot have been successful and at times it takes away from her accou...more

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Jan 03, 2010

Megan Dion rated it

The story of Loung Ung, First They Killed My Father, may be a fascinating one, however for people like me who may greatly appreciate reading but don’t always enjoy reading, may want to pick something else up. Loung Ung’s approach to her story is great; she shares every detail of how great her life was right before, in just a matter of seconds, everything changed because of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge were the ruling communist party over Cambodia from 1975-1979, who forced all the civilians ...moreThe story of Loung Ung, First They Killed My Father, may be a fascinating one, however for people like me who may greatly appreciate reading but don’t always enjoy reading, may want to pick something else up. Loung Ung’s approach to her story is great; she shares every detail of how great her life was right before, in just a matter of seconds, everything changed because of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge were the ruling communist party over Cambodia from 1975-1979, who forced all the civilians of the cities to abandon their homes, people like Loung’s family. Loung Ung and her family lived in Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia. I loved the beginning. It was enticing and meaningful, but as she tells her story about her struggle for survival in the refugee camps, it gets depressing and repetitive. It’s not a long book, however is feels long when you read five chapters about her hunger and the guilt she feels for stealing food. I respect all that Loung went through to survive, but her story is not one I care to read about. It would make a great movie. Being able to see an innocent five year old girl go through those violent times, would have a greater effect ont he audience. I believe there is a need for more movies about true stories that are hidden from the world; especially about genocide that occurs today.
While some arguably believe First They Killed My Father is nonfiction I see it as nonfiction fiction, and I prefer to read nonfiction. The book was not published until 2000, while the book takes place in the 1970s. Sure it was a tragic time for Loung which unfortunately scars those memories in her for a long time, but those conversations have to be far from word-for-word. Perhaps I would have found a diary more interesting.
Also, I do not understand her reasoning for her title First They Killed My Father. First, they actually invaded her home, and forced her family to leave. Then they send her family on a trek for hundreds of miles. While they did not directly kill Loung’s sister Keav, who dies before her father, she would not have died if it weren’t for “them.”
Loung’s message of how people need to be more grateful for having their basic needs fulfilled, and for their family etc. is an inspiring and motivating one, but I bet it would be even better and moving if it were shared in a movie.(less)

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Jan 03, 2010

Selena added it

Recommends it for: haleigh walker

A five year old named Loung Ung was one of seven children who was the child of a middle class government worker and lived a very privalaged life with her family. Then, in 1975 her, her family, and others who live around her were forced to flee their homes, leaving everything they knew behind. Loung Ung and her family were forced into many work camps until finally they were seperated and Loung Ung had become a child soldiers. After many trials and tribualations her and her oldest brother (includi...more

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Jan 03, 2010

Haleigh rated it

Recommends it for: people that wanted to know about Cambodian Genocide and the victims

Recommended to Haleigh by: a teacher

Loung Ung, a privalaged child from a family of 9, lived in Cambodia until she was five years old. Then in 1975, when the Cambodian genocide by the Khmer Rouge was happening, Ung and her whole entire family and village was forced to flee their homes and go on long trips to numerous work camps. After separating from her family she was forced to be trained to be a child soldier in a child work camp. After the Genocide and the Khmer soldiers were destroyed her and her remaining family members reunit...more

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Jul 04, 2011

Vkharris rated it

I never really knew very much about the Cambodian genocide until I read this book. I was physically drawn to this book, though. Perhaps it was the picture of the young girl on the front cover that urged me to read it, I'm not sure.
I must admit that this was not an easy read. No, in fact it took me a few days to read it rather than reading it in just one sitting. The story was horrible, and the fact that it is all true makes it so much worse. Probably the hardest thing about this book is th...more

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Jun 04, 2010

Andrea Vazquez rated it

lung ung lived in phnom penh with her big family until one day the kmer soldiers came to phnom penh and made all the peopole to evacuate their house but befopre they got to lung's hause their family left their hause in their truck but in the way the truck run out of gas so they had to keep on going walking until they got to a village were you have to follow all the rules and many people starved to death because all the food there was there was shared with everyone so all the people only got saml...more

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Mar 24, 2011

Xinyi Tan rated it

this book is written in the POV of a young child living through the Pol Pot/Khmer Rouge era. the story starts with Loung aged 5 where she is forced out of Phnom Penh (along with her family), and from there her story spans about 5 years of struggles during this time. i enjoyed reading it from her POV, her sadness and awareness of everything happening around her, which she turns to anger in order to displace the sadness. my mother was from Cambodia and was in her late teens/early 20s around this t...more

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Aug 05, 2010

erinbobarin94 rated it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Usually, I enjoy memoirs, but this book lost me about 1/3 of the way through. The beginning of the book drew me in because it starts out with Loung painting a picture of her life in Phom Penh, Cambodia as the five-year-old daughter of a middle-class family. Her brothers are Meng (18), Khouy (16), and Kim (10). Her sisters are Keav (14), Chou (8), and Geak (3). This beginning is enticing because it vividly describes the food, culture, and society of Phom Penh. It also details her relationships wi...moreUsually, I enjoy memoirs, but this book lost me about 1/3 of the way through. The beginning of the book drew me in because it starts out with Loung painting a picture of her life in Phom Penh, Cambodia as the five-year-old daughter of a middle-class family. Her brothers are Meng (18), Khouy (16), and Kim (10). Her sisters are Keav (14), Chou (8), and Geak (3). This beginning is enticing because it vividly describes the food, culture, and society of Phom Penh. It also details her relationships with the various members of her family and their personalities. What remains a constant throughout the book is her love and devotion for her father. Even after he is killed, she has multiple dreams and visions of him talking to her and often calls upon his spirit to protect her. Soon the Khmer Rouge take over Phom Penh and evacuate the city. The Khmer Rouge are a new communist government, intending to destroy all aspects of culture, possessions, religion, and education. After her family is evacuated, they are relocated to a village where the less-educated rural "base" peoples are valued more than the "contaminated" city people. Everyone must wear the same clothes, live in the same style houses, have the same food rations, own no possessions, and even wear the same haircut. Everyone must work to help sustain the village and the Khmer Rouge army. Anyone suspected of opposing the new regime is killed. The title, First They Killed My Father is misleading. Her sister, Keav, was the first in her family to die, although indirectly. Keav died while living in a teen work camp of extreme exhaustion and starvation. Her father was taken away by soldiers and presumably murdered. Later on, her mother and youngest sister, Geak, are alos murdered by soldiers. These are perhaps the most interesting points in the book. Because she was not present at any of these times, Loung takes on the role of her family members and imagines their deaths and what they experienced. The rest of the book is devoted to relocation, starvation, manual labor, being trained as a child soldier, attempted rape, reuniting with the surviving members of her family, moving to a refugee camp and finally leaving for America. The problem I had with this book is that the author often repeated herself and focused on unnecessary detail. I don't want to demean the material or events of the book, because they are incredibly tragic and the descriptions are often gruesome, but this book was poorly written. While I think it's important for everyone to learn about this topic, this book is not an enjoyable read.(less)

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