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Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge: A First-Hand Account of a Cambodian Childhood

Brady Mitchell

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Published in When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under The Khmer Rouge

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A Young Girl Standing In Front Of A Field In Cambodia, With The Ruins Of A Temple In The Background When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under The Khmer Rouge

When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge

by Chanrithy Him

4.7 out of 5

Language	:	English
File size	:	783 KB
Text-to-Speech	:	Enabled
Screen Reader	:	Supported
Enhanced typesetting	:	Enabled
Word Wise	:	Enabled
Print length	:	340 pages

In the spring of 1975, the Khmer Rouge, a radical communist regime led by Pol Pot, seized power in Cambodia. Over the next four years, the Khmer Rouge carried out a brutal reign of terror, during which an estimated 1.7 million Cambodians were killed.

One of those who survived the genocide was a young girl named Loung Ung. In her memoir, Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge, Ung recounts her harrowing experiences during that time. She describes the horrors she witnessed—the executions, the starvation, the forced labor—and the ways in which she and her family struggled to survive.

Despite the horrors she endured, Ung's memoir is ultimately a story of hope. She writes about the kindness of strangers, the resilience of the Cambodian people, and the power of love. Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge is a testament to the human spirit and a reminder of the importance of never giving up hope.

Ung was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, in 1964. Her father was a doctor and her mother was a teacher. When the Khmer Rouge took power in 1975, Ung's family was forced to leave their home and move to a labor camp in the countryside.

At the labor camp, Ung and her family were subjected to harsh conditions and forced to work long hours in the fields. They were also constantly under the threat of execution. Ung's father was eventually killed by the Khmer Rouge, and her mother died of starvation.

Despite the horrors she endured, Ung managed to survive. She escaped from the labor camp in 1979 and eventually made her way to the United States. She now lives in New Hampshire with her husband and two children.

Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge has been praised by critics for its honesty, its insights, and its powerful storytelling. It has been translated into more than 20 languages and has been made into a documentary film.

Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the Cambodian genocide. It is a harrowing yet ultimately hopeful account of human resilience and compassion.

Praise for Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge

"A powerful and moving memoir that is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the Cambodian genocide." — The New York Times

"A harrowing yet ultimately hopeful account of human resilience and compassion." — The Washington Post

"A powerful reminder of the importance of never giving up hope." — The Boston Globe

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When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under the Khmer Rouge

by Chanrithy Him

4.7 out of 5