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First They Killed My Father

A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

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First They Killed My Father

By: Loung Ung
Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
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About this listen

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.

©2000 Loung Ung (P)2011 Tantor Asia Historical Military & War Politicians Politics & Activism Southeast Asia Women Inspiring Heartfelt Thought-Provoking

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Critic reviews

"Ung's memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left just to historians but to those left standing when the terror ends." ( Booklist)
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The story is incredible touching, it made me cry which normally never happens. The narrator was clear to listen to, the information of the story helps to give a clear picture.

Extremely emotional but amazingly compelling.

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Made me thankful i live in a western democracy, books like this are a warning of hard politics.

gripping

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an amazing read you can't put it down, very sad but also an amazing resilience through starvation and brutality, this young girl was always going to make something of herself if she could survive the hardship.

the harsh reality of what the Cambodian people endured

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I’ve worked my way through a few key books about communist regimes and revolution. Whilst each has their own horrors and truly awful stories, this one plucks at the heartstrings in the voice of an innocent child who doesn’t understand why her life and home are being torn apart.

I highly recommend this to anyone who has no knowledge of the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia. This isn’t a history book, it’s a first hand account of the very real horrors and abuses that people suffered. It’s traumatic but poignant.

Traumatic, incredible.

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Reading or listening to stories of the Cambodian rule under Pol Pot is always painful. To see how a country can fall into such terrible times is amazing. The last century bears witness to mans own depravity. Diabolical Ideologies arose straight from the bowls of Hell. I would have preferred to read this book than listen to it. It was well narrated though.

A difficult listen.

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