First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

"A riveting memoir. . . an important, moving work that those who have suffered cannot afford to forget and those who have been spared cannot afford to ignore." -- San Francisco Chronicle

From a childhood survivor of the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot, this is a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.

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.

Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung's powerful story is an unforgettable account of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.

Author: Loung Ung
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Published: 04/04/2006
Pages: 288
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.48lbs
Size: 8.00h x 5.30w x 0.75d
ISBN: 9780060856267

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 6
Point Value: 15
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 56569 / First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

Award: Rhode Island Teen Book Award - Nominee

Review Citation(s):
People Weekly 08/17/2015 pg. 74

About the Author
Ung, Loung: -

Loung Ung was the National Spokesperson for the "Campaign for a Landmine Free World," a program of the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for co-founding the International Campaign to Ban Landmines. Ung lectures extensively, appears regularly in the media, and has made more than thirty trips back to Cambodia. She is also the author of Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind and LuLu in the Sky.