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Short Hair Detention: Memoir of a Thirteen-Year-Old Girl Surviving the Cambodian Genocide
In April 1975, Channy Chhi Laux was a happy thirteen-year-old girl who was excited to start a new school year. But as news reports announced that the Khmer Rouge was getting closer to taking control of Cambodia, Channy and her family were forced to relocate to Poipet, a border town to Thailand. From that point forward, Channy lived a life dictated by fear.
574 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2017
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 13, 2022
Review written April 2018 with a very minor update 22 Sept. 2018.
Excellent book.
If you don't know anything about the Cambodian genocide at the hands of the brutal Khmer Rouge communists, this is a great book to start.
If you already know a fair amount about that sordid part of history, where 15-30% of the entire country was in-effect murdered by the regime, this is still a great book to add to your understanding.
If you want a story of incredible human fortitude and survival and even later thriving, in the face of overwhelming odds, don't miss this book. I was reminded of two other best-sellers in this vein while reading this book: "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand and "Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown.
If you want to know what the stated goal of the "Black Uniforms" (Khmer Rouge) was vs. the reality of the results of their plan, read this book.
If you want to know what happens to a civilization that is forced to eliminate the benefits of division of labor/specialization and eliminate what business people do for a living, all except the most meager farming, construction and a few other skills, read this book.
If you want to know the incredible irony of how the madness was stopped, read this book.
If you want to appreciate the bounty of your life and your opportunities, when compared to a very real, but seemingly "too far away to matter" reality, read this book.
If you want to know how pernicious envy can be, especially when connected with political ideology and government force, scenes in this book tell you exactly.
The ending of this book is so brief, but it describes a reality most anyone in the US or Europe or even many places in Asia or Latin America could relate to. In addition, contrasting it with the rest of the book is very, very valuable.
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My Kindle edition had a pretty fair number of typos, but they did not stop my appreciation for the book one whit. Highly recommended.
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I was fortunate enough to meet the author and her husband after reading the book. They are wonderful individuals. She wrote the book for her two kids. You will benefit from her willingness to relive her earlier horror and tell the story, if you read the book.
Excellent book.
If you don't know anything about the Cambodian genocide at the hands of the brutal Khmer Rouge communists, this is a great book to start.
If you already know a fair amount about that sordid part of history, where 15-30% of the entire country was in-effect murdered by the regime, this is still a great book to add to your understanding.
If you want a story of incredible human fortitude and survival and even later thriving, in the face of overwhelming odds, don't miss this book. I was reminded of two other best-sellers in this vein while reading this book: "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand and "Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown.
If you want to know what the stated goal of the "Black Uniforms" (Khmer Rouge) was vs. the reality of the results of their plan, read this book.
If you want to know what happens to a civilization that is forced to eliminate the benefits of division of labor/specialization and eliminate what business people do for a living, all except the most meager farming, construction and a few other skills, read this book.
If you want to know the incredible irony of how the madness was stopped, read this book.
If you want to appreciate the bounty of your life and your opportunities, when compared to a very real, but seemingly "too far away to matter" reality, read this book.
If you want to know how pernicious envy can be, especially when connected with political ideology and government force, scenes in this book tell you exactly.
The ending of this book is so brief, but it describes a reality most anyone in the US or Europe or even many places in Asia or Latin America could relate to. In addition, contrasting it with the rest of the book is very, very valuable.
-----
My Kindle edition had a pretty fair number of typos, but they did not stop my appreciation for the book one whit. Highly recommended.
-----
I was fortunate enough to meet the author and her husband after reading the book. They are wonderful individuals. She wrote the book for her two kids. You will benefit from her willingness to relive her earlier horror and tell the story, if you read the book.
December 11, 2018
The story of Channy's tortured adolesence is not a that of a typical teenager. As with other tales too woeful for stable, relatively affluent Americans to stomach, Channy's eviscerated life requires courage to read. Her well-off Cambodian family was uprooted, marched from place to place, and robbed of every comfort human beings deserve. Children were separated from parents, home was often under a tree or over a chicken roost. Food was skimmed from muddy puddles and strained through kramas. Forced work, often environmentally destructive, was overseen by the dreaded Black Uniforms (whom we know as the Khmer Rouge). Channy's determination through the four hellish years is rewarded with survival. She is fiercely protective of her mother and siblings. She shares what food she can scavenge, suffers through physical injuries, rebounds again and again as the young girls are marched through the two seasons, starving and eating, from monsoon refuge to planting field. Faith, luck, and lots of grit carry her - and us - through a journey no human being should ever have to endure. This book is a true look at the character of this spiritual, generous, caring, determined, and unspoiled people known as Khmers or, simply, Cambodians.
I highly recommend Short Hair Detention, especially when a pity party is coming on, or when complacency hits, or as a window to a people and tiny country you have not explored. Bring Kleenex.
I highly recommend Short Hair Detention, especially when a pity party is coming on, or when complacency hits, or as a window to a people and tiny country you have not explored. Bring Kleenex.
October 1, 2018
It's really hard to write a review of a memoir. I don't want to seem like I'm casting judgement on the author. I understand that the author went through a harrowing experience at a very formative time of her life. And I have a lot of sympathy for what she went through. However, I am casting judgement on this book and I didn't particularly like it. It's well written. The descriptions are very evocative and you can see, hear and smell yourself in the places she describes. I just had a hard time emotionally connecting with the story. Maybe the author had to distance herself somewhat in order to be able to write about that time in her life. But in doing so, it made it hard for the reader (or me in particular) to invest in the story. One of the other choices the author makes is to present the whole story from her adolescent viewpoint. Because of this choice the reader who is unfamiliar with the Khmer Rouge take over of Cambodia is left without a lot of context about what happened in the country and why. I think additional context would also have been helpful for me. And lastly the author concentrated the vast majority of the book on the years of Khmer Rouge occupation. It would have been nice to have more information on how her family escaped, came to the US as refugees and adapted to life here.
April 17, 2020
The author's account of her family's life during the Khmer Rouge (1975-1979) focuses on their daily life, how they lived and survived in this time of terror and living conditions beyond our imagination. It is a story of the commitment to survive and the strength of their love and family ties. Her story is told through the eyes of her teenage self, making it easy to imagine being there and to wonder how one would have done in similar circumstances.
August 14, 2019
An amazing experience of family love, dedication, and faith in facing heart-wrenching circumstances. The way that Channy and her family members survive through the horrors of genocide is a great inspiration and touches the hearts of her readers. Channy's book brings to the forefront the tragedies that families around the world overcome.
September 16, 2018
I felt connected to the author as I read her touching and gut wrenching story. I read the book quite quickly because I was so interested to see what happened next. I am happy for their triumph and sad for their losses. Thank you to the author for sharing her amazing story.
March 20, 2024
Great read!
This book inspired me to be grateful for what I have . I was born in Cambodia and got to the U.S. In 79.
This book inspired me to be grateful for what I have . I was born in Cambodia and got to the U.S. In 79.
January 7, 2021
Short Hair Detention is a very well written book that takes the reader on a journey with a thirteen year old girl trying to survive the Cambodian killing fields. You have to keep reminding yourself that this is not fiction, it is the real world where life can be fragile and unpredictable. It also paints a picture of what can happen when a society stops celebrating the freedom of individual citizens
and begins to justify any action it takes in the name of the common good. These movements usually begin with what seem to be the best of intentions, fairness, level playing field, diversity, etc. Unfortunately, it always leads to either a single tyrant or a group of tyrants deciding what is good for the society and whose life should be sacrificed to achieve these ends.
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and begins to justify any action it takes in the name of the common good. These movements usually begin with what seem to be the best of intentions, fairness, level playing field, diversity, etc. Unfortunately, it always leads to either a single tyrant or a group of tyrants deciding what is good for the society and whose life should be sacrificed to achieve these ends.
reply | edit | delete | flag *
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews