First They Killed My Father," a daughter of Cambodia remembers by Loung Ung

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung, VVAF staff member and national spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine Free World, is the dramatic real-life story. Her book has established wide acclaim for bearing witness to the meaningless massacre of an anticipated two million men, women and children - together with her own parents (thus the name of the book) by the Khmer Rouge.
This book is a window onto the catastrophic years in the life of Loung Ung, who in 1975 was a happy 5-year-old daughter of a high-ranking government administrator in a contented family home in Phnom Penh, but in 1980 changed into a impoverished ex-child soldier in a Thai refugee camp. Loung Ung had just turned five when Khmer Rouge troops entered by force her home city of Phnom Penh, forcing her family to take flight from their home and discard their calm middle class lives.
Loung Ung's father was a government official sooner than the Khmer Rouge took over Cambodia. Ung's family had to escape from Phnom Penh as all previous government officials will be killed and the book showed how much of scarcity and food shortage that their family had to go through. The way Ung portrayed the way children and adults were killed was frightening and how even if people were not killed by the army, they would die of hunger, food-poisoning, etc

"In this gripping narrative, Loung Ung describes the unfathomable evil that engulfed Cambodia during her childhood, the courage that enabled her to survive, and the determination that has made her an eloquent voice for peace and justice in Cambodia. It is a tour-de-force that strengthened our resolve to prevent and punish crimes against humanity." (Leahy, 2002)

In the opening pages of "First They Killed My Father", the book is devoted in remembrance of the two million people that were slaughtered by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The immensity of that number is tough to identify with and figure out, but by writing her book Loung Ung helps us to understand. By telling her story she speaks not only for herself; but also for all of those other voices that will never again be heard. The story that she tells is more than ever heartbreaking, for the reason that it is a story of dreadfulness and brutality seen through the eyes of a child.

The people of Cambodia witnessed the premeditated annihilation of an intact society by the Khmer Rouge. Day to day life in Cambodia became a living horrendous nightmare. The readers undergo a very deep sense of grief and sadness reading about the death of so many of the Cambodian people; and of the horrifying suffering endured by Loung and her family. But away from those feelings of sadness, there is much more within this book. There are many poignant moments in the book that reiterate the definitive value of every human life. As you read Loung's story, every member of her family will be vividly brought to life before your eyes. The love, sacrifice, courage and kindness of Loung's family helped to give her the power to carry on. Loung's daring heart has helped others to live too. This is a book that was written from the heart, and it is a story that will always be remembered. The viciousness seems unending--beatings, undernourishment, and attempted rape, mental cruelty and the writer never stop combating for escape and survival. Covering the years from 1975 to 1979, the story moves from the deaths of several family members to the enforced severance of the survivors, leading in due course to the reuniting of much of the family, followed by nuptials and immigrations.
Loung Ung is a heroine simply because she survived living in Cambodia during the Pol Pot Regime's invasion. The story takes the reader on a drive all the way through a time of unfaithfulness, massacre, illness, wretchedness, and bravery. The phrase "life is not always fair" took on a whole diverse meaning to me after reading this book. I realized that my life was not bad at all in contrast. To begin with, I have food to eat and a bed to sleep in. This book opened my eyes into a time period of history that I hadn't known existed. The author spares no details as she tells the dreadfulness of her life story and all the events that happened in it. The book is defiantly not a feel good, happy story, but something you read to learn and reflect upon as you come to see of one person's sheer willpower to live. Loung Ung wrote this story to help her heal from her past. As a reader I was very glad she took the time. The publishers have not changed the book in anyway. There are no hidden agendas or bias found throughout the book. It appears to be a truthful and plain narrative of the author's life.

References

Loung Ung First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers January 31, 2000 HarperCollins Publishers April 9, 2002

Leahy, P U.S. Senator Congressional Leader on Human Rights and a Global Ban on Land Mines April 9, 2002