read: 18.04.19 - 23.04.19

Summary

One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung's family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed.

Review

It was one of those memoirs which you read and wish it was fiction. I had no idea that the Cambodian Civil War existed, and so I came into this book having no idea what happened. Firstly, I was so glad to read this just to educate myself about the conflict and what happened.

Throughout reading it, I had to keep reminding myself how old the writer was when these atrocities happened to her. She was only seven or eight when she lost her parents, when she was starved nearly to death, when she was trained to be a soldier. It's so horrific to read about, and yet there is this defiance and spirit which shines through that gives you some hope in humanity.

It's really made me want to continue reading memoirs and books from around the world, something I love to do but don't do enough. It's made me realise how little I know about global history as well, and it has made me actively strive to become less ignorant to the things that people have been subjected to.

rating: 9.5/10