First They Killed My Father

From a childhood survivor of Cambodia's brutal Pol Pot regime comes anunforgettable narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnervingstrength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit. Until the age of five, Lounge Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven childrenof a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious child who lovedthe open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights, and sassing herparents. While her beautiful mother worried that Loung was atroublemaker--that she stomped around like a thirsty cow--her beloved fatherknew Lounge was a clever girl. When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April 1975, Ung's family fled their home and moved from village to village to hide theiridentity, their education, their former life of privilege. Eventually, thefamily dispersed in order to survive. Because Lounge was resilient and determined, she was trained as a childsoldier in a work camp for orphans, while other siblings were sent to laborcamps. As the Vietnamese penetrated Cambodia, destroying the Khmer Rouge,Loung and her surviving siblings were slowly reunited.Bolstered by the shocking bravery of one brother, the vision of theothers--and sustained be her sister's gentle kindness amid brutality--Loungforged on to create for herself a courageous new life.