A review by stephanieluxton
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung

dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

This is the second book I read about the events that happened in Cambodia (this first was Survival In The Killing Fields - I actually recommend you start with that one as it gives so much extra context to experience things from an adult perspective first).

This book was pretty powerful. Seeing the chaos and hardships through the eyes of the most vulnerable (a little girl) was an eye opening experience. I respect the authors strength and bravery during those times. This book is about a family trying to stay together and survive during a collapse of their society. It's easy and enjoyable to read but the heavy content makes is challenging at times. It's written so vividly that you feel as though it's fiction.

It's crazy that this happened not so long ago. This book truly illustrates the dangers of communism and a tyrannical government. I'd recommend this book to anyone who is interested in crimes against humanity and recent history.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Physical abuse, Slavery, Death of parent, Murder, War, and Classism

Moderate: Child abuse, Genocide, Racism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, and Grief

Minor: Pedophilia, Racial slurs, and Vomit