Chapter One
phnom penh
April 1975
Phnom Penh city wakes early to take advantage of the cool morning breeze before the sun breaks through the haze and invades the country with sweltering heat. Already at 6 A.M. people in Phnom Penh are rushing and bumping into each other on dusty, narrow side streets. Waiters and waitresses in black-and-white uniforms swing open shop doors as the aroma of noodle soup greets waiting customers. Street vendors push food carts piled with steamed dumplings, smoked beef teriyaki sticks, and roasted peanuts along the sidewalks and begin to set up for another day of business. Children in colorful T-shirts and shorts kick soccer balls on sidewalks with their bare feet, ignoring the grunts and screams of the food cart owners. The wide boulevards sing with the buzz of motorcycle engines, squeaky bicycles, and, for those wealthy enough to afford them, small cars. By midday, as temperatures climb to over a hundred degrees, the streets grow quiet again. People rush home to seek relief from the heat, have lunch, take cold showers, and nap before returning to work at 2 P.M. ...view entire excerpt...

Questions from Publisher's Reading Guide:

1. What fundamental problems existed in the Khmer Rouge's plan that caused the destruction of so many lives? Were there any values that the Khmer Rouge claimed to hold that you share?

2. What impact did the narrator's child's voice have on your experience as a reader? How would you characterize the transformation that takes place in her narrative voice throughout the story?

3. How did it affect your reading of the book that you were aware of Loung's father's impending death long before her?

4. Would you describe Loung as a feminist? How did the experiences of the Ung family differ during the war because of gender?

5. What was your impression of the final separation, both geographic and cultural, that Loung had with her surviving family? Did you sympathize with her eventual desire to assimilate into American culture, or had you expected her to be more aggressive about pursuing her family relationships earlier on?

6. Loung saw herself as a "strong" person, as did many other people in the book, and was eventually drafted into a soldier training camp as a result. What are the qualities of a survivor? How does one reconcile compassion with a will to survive? What qualities enabled her gentle sister Chou to survive as well?

7. With armed struggle a reality of life for people all over the world both past and present, how does one draw the line as to which means are ethical and unethical for coping with it, such as the author's current campaign against the use of landmines? Are there other tools of war that you believe should be broadly banned?

»	Publisher's Book Info
»	Excerpt
»	Publisher's Reading Guide Includes plot summary and discussion questions.

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"Tremendous story"
by beckylord (see profile) 06/04/08
What courage! What honesty from this author!

"what a book!"
by pennyslager (see profile) 05/21/08
excellent! Incredible story

"Stunning story of a child living through the "Killing Fields" of Cambodia"
by mcdotreader (see profile) 05/08/08
Well written, well told story. Much honesty from the author as she reveals her feelings as a child. A VERY GOOD CHOICE for clubs. THe material is heavy, but reminded me that we are SO VERY sheltered... (read more)

"A memoir that will take your breath away."
by ellentambo (see profile) 03/02/08
I picked this book up because there was an article about the author in "Ohio" magazine as she and her husband run a restaurant/bar in Cleveland, Ohio. I was intruigued that someone from the Killing Fields... (read more)

"A true story about survival and family ties in the face of extreme brutality."
by TuesdayBookClub (see profile) 04/19/07
This was a book to shake up your value system. The hardships the author endured made this book hard to read at times but the journal-like style worked well. The photos of the authors family where reassuring... (read more)