Scan barcode
dilchh's review against another edition
4.0
Any number of books covering the story of a survivor of horrific attack/regime/war etc. aims to inspire the reader; to tell them that even in the face of adversity, one can still hope for survival and strength to embrace it when it comes. And, yes, this was one of those book; it was an awe-inspiring and powerful book, written so simple that it touches your heart, shook your conscience, and scared the living out of you, while gives you that small moment of gratitude that here you are reading a book in the safe confine of your home when the people in the book could not even close their eyes for mere seconds for fear that death might strike them in those seconds where you give in to the temptation to give up all hope and happiness.
It's hard to read about someone's life unfurl before your eyes, to get inside their head, to try to understand how could one survive the many trials and tribulations and then to live to tell the story, and not relate to them. Maybe not in the level where they are, but I have to admit that reading Chorn-Pond's life through the words of the author made me relate to what he had gone through and his reasoning behind it. It took me about several chapters before I realise that the English in this book was somewhat a bit 'off', until I put two and two together and realise that the author had chose to speak through Chorn-Pond's voice, not just in retelling his story but also in his broken English. At first I find it a bit insulting for someone who speaks proper English to be writing about someone else's story in 'broken English', that it seems she was taking a jab on Chorn-Pond's lack of communicating English early on in his life. The more I read into the stories, the more I realised, it was never meant to be insulting, it was meant to rattle the reader to feel and be close to Chorn-Pond himself. This was a retelling of his story in the form of a novel, giving the author enough free reign in breathing life into the story, and by the end of the book, I have nothing to complain.
I've read another book about a survivor of Pol Pot's regime, Stay Alive, My Son, and I found it to be extremely frightening and vividly detailed that it brought me nightmares for a couple of weeks after finishing the book. While Stay Alive, My Son was vividly detailed, Never Fall Down was not so much, but it still gave the same eerie feeling, and yet the latter seems to be much faster in recounting the events that happened. And while I would like to see more about the changes prior to the regime, I have nothing to complain about how fast paced this book was. It was actually quite a quick read on my part (even with the nightmares that were to follow after I finished the book).
I like the fact that the author focuses a lot on the need for survival throughout the book (hence the title, Never Fall Down, because the moment you do, you're dead). It's nice to read a book about a survivor talking about the importance of survival and how to survive was his/her end goal without having to sound pretentious and glorify his efforts of survival. Sometimes to survive is to have one feet in front of the other continuously, sometimes in order to survive requires no glory but only gore, and the author had covered that very well in this book.
There was one Khmer Rouge's army in Chorn-Pond's camp by the name of Sombo. While Chorn-Pond himself was quite an interesting person (especially his method of survival), I found that I am also intrigued by Sombo. Sombo reminds me of Werner Pffenig and Volkheimer in All the Light We Cannot See and Captain Beck in The Nightingale; a conflicted character in a questionable war, and realises too quickly that to survive is not to ask questions but to follow orders. No amount of killing can be justified just because one is under an order that if one does not follow the said order then one will die, but the complexity of what must be going on inside their heads and how they try, as best as they can, in finding the middle ground of what they believe and what they order is asking them for.
At the end of the day, the choices you made will determine where you will stand in your future. And more often than not, the choices you made are not admirable, but one must made peace with that and learn to right the wrong in the process. I think, that was what the book was trying to tell the reader. It is quite simple and seems easier said than done, no? But, isn't life like that, anyway?
It's hard to read about someone's life unfurl before your eyes, to get inside their head, to try to understand how could one survive the many trials and tribulations and then to live to tell the story, and not relate to them. Maybe not in the level where they are, but I have to admit that reading Chorn-Pond's life through the words of the author made me relate to what he had gone through and his reasoning behind it. It took me about several chapters before I realise that the English in this book was somewhat a bit 'off', until I put two and two together and realise that the author had chose to speak through Chorn-Pond's voice, not just in retelling his story but also in his broken English. At first I find it a bit insulting for someone who speaks proper English to be writing about someone else's story in 'broken English', that it seems she was taking a jab on Chorn-Pond's lack of communicating English early on in his life. The more I read into the stories, the more I realised, it was never meant to be insulting, it was meant to rattle the reader to feel and be close to Chorn-Pond himself. This was a retelling of his story in the form of a novel, giving the author enough free reign in breathing life into the story, and by the end of the book, I have nothing to complain.
I've read another book about a survivor of Pol Pot's regime, Stay Alive, My Son, and I found it to be extremely frightening and vividly detailed that it brought me nightmares for a couple of weeks after finishing the book. While Stay Alive, My Son was vividly detailed, Never Fall Down was not so much, but it still gave the same eerie feeling, and yet the latter seems to be much faster in recounting the events that happened. And while I would like to see more about the changes prior to the regime, I have nothing to complain about how fast paced this book was. It was actually quite a quick read on my part (even with the nightmares that were to follow after I finished the book).
I like the fact that the author focuses a lot on the need for survival throughout the book (hence the title, Never Fall Down, because the moment you do, you're dead). It's nice to read a book about a survivor talking about the importance of survival and how to survive was his/her end goal without having to sound pretentious and glorify his efforts of survival. Sometimes to survive is to have one feet in front of the other continuously, sometimes in order to survive requires no glory but only gore, and the author had covered that very well in this book.
There was one Khmer Rouge's army in Chorn-Pond's camp by the name of Sombo. While Chorn-Pond himself was quite an interesting person (especially his method of survival), I found that I am also intrigued by Sombo. Sombo reminds me of Werner Pffenig and Volkheimer in All the Light We Cannot See and Captain Beck in The Nightingale; a conflicted character in a questionable war, and realises too quickly that to survive is not to ask questions but to follow orders. No amount of killing can be justified just because one is under an order that if one does not follow the said order then one will die, but the complexity of what must be going on inside their heads and how they try, as best as they can, in finding the middle ground of what they believe and what they order is asking them for.
At the end of the day, the choices you made will determine where you will stand in your future. And more often than not, the choices you made are not admirable, but one must made peace with that and learn to right the wrong in the process. I think, that was what the book was trying to tell the reader. It is quite simple and seems easier said than done, no? But, isn't life like that, anyway?
keberwick's review against another edition
3.0
This was one of the 2013-2014 Morning Calm Nominees. I thought that this book and [b:The Queen of Water|8621850|The Queen of Water|Laura Resau|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320449812s/8621850.jpg|13492509] were incredibly similar because both were written by two authors, one of whom actually lived the events that take place in the book. The only reason why I didn't love this book was because I really hated the way that it was written. The use of broken english to convey Arn's story felt incredibly disingenuine to me- almost like she was mocking the way he would speak- and while I'm sure this wasn't her intent, it was something that just got under my skin and prevented me from being emotionally invested in his story.
I think another contributing factor to my dislike of the book was my own personal experience of Cambodia. I went with my mother for three days; two were spent in Siem Reap, and one was spent in Phnom Penh. We saw Angkor Wat as well as the Killing Fields, but our tour guide in Siem Reap honestly kept me from enjoying the trip. He was kind and courteous and was very well educated about the history of Cambodia, but his breath was horrible. He obviously had many rotting teeth and since it was a private tour, we were in a very small car. The smell filled the car and clung to our clothes, making escape impossible. While reading this book, I kept imagining I could smell my tour guide's breath and I felt nauseated the entire time I was reading. So really, this book could have been amazing but because of my own experience I wasn't able to enjoy it. I honestly think it's a great way to learn about the Khmer Rouge, so if you're interested in that you should definitely read this book, but I just couldn't.
I think another contributing factor to my dislike of the book was my own personal experience of Cambodia. I went with my mother for three days; two were spent in Siem Reap, and one was spent in Phnom Penh. We saw Angkor Wat as well as the Killing Fields, but our tour guide in Siem Reap honestly kept me from enjoying the trip. He was kind and courteous and was very well educated about the history of Cambodia, but his breath was horrible. He obviously had many rotting teeth and since it was a private tour, we were in a very small car. The smell filled the car and clung to our clothes, making escape impossible. While reading this book, I kept imagining I could smell my tour guide's breath and I felt nauseated the entire time I was reading. So really, this book could have been amazing but because of my own experience I wasn't able to enjoy it. I honestly think it's a great way to learn about the Khmer Rouge, so if you're interested in that you should definitely read this book, but I just couldn't.
shell132001's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
5.0
hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
Fictionalized memoir of a boy who survives the killing fields of Cambodia and is taken to America. I was a little unsure about the use of broken English, but ultimately decided it made the novel work on a more visceral level than having it be grammatically correct. Grueling but readable: Arn's story is both tragic and uplifting.
alboyer6's review against another edition
5.0
A really powerful story that is mostly non-fiction. (The author notes in the end that there were parts that Chorn-Pond just didn't remember in detail so she would flesh out a bit.) Truly terrifying to know that things like this happened and are happening in the world. Powerfully written in Chorn-Pond's unique voice. I can see why it was a National Book award finalist.
lindsaysc310's review against another edition
5.0
An amazing, shocking, gritty, triumphant story based on a true account of a Cambodian teenager's life during the rule of the Khmer Rouge and the atrocities that occurred in Cambodia's Killing Fields.
Similar to Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, I had no idea of the extent of the genocide at this period in history. McCormick writes in Arn Chorn-Pond's broken English to make the story that much more realistic.
Everyone should read this book.
Similar to Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, I had no idea of the extent of the genocide at this period in history. McCormick writes in Arn Chorn-Pond's broken English to make the story that much more realistic.
Everyone should read this book.
jameshousworth's review against another edition
3.0
Great story, weak writing. The author made an intentional choice to write in short, choppy sentences with grammatical errors as a way of capturing the voice of Arn Chorn-Pond, but much of the time I felt like it limited the depth of the story rather than enhancing it.
It was also quite graphic for a novel intended to be read by young teens and preteens:
"Then, very quick, he slice the skin and pull out the liver...The kneeling guy, he's still living; his liver not inside of him anymore - in front of his face. Crying, only saying, 'No, no, no,' then he fall down."
"I hear, very quiet, wet, slicing sound, the bayonet going through the skin. One by one he kill the people, the mother, even the baby, always very quiet, with bayonet, or maybe just hit on the head with the rifle, silent, so no one can hear."
"I make him kneel on the ground, hand tie behind; and I have ax in my hand, and now this ax is hitting over and over, hitting this kid till now his head like only hamburger on the ground."
I will say that this book made me want to learn more about this crazy genocide that I'd hardly even heard of before, and toward the end I also thought she did a good job of showing the residual guilt, anger, and crisis of identity Arn underwent as an ex-child soldier. But it definitely left me wanting for more character and more story. I give it 2.5 stars.
It was also quite graphic for a novel intended to be read by young teens and preteens:
"Then, very quick, he slice the skin and pull out the liver...The kneeling guy, he's still living; his liver not inside of him anymore - in front of his face. Crying, only saying, 'No, no, no,' then he fall down."
"I hear, very quiet, wet, slicing sound, the bayonet going through the skin. One by one he kill the people, the mother, even the baby, always very quiet, with bayonet, or maybe just hit on the head with the rifle, silent, so no one can hear."
"I make him kneel on the ground, hand tie behind; and I have ax in my hand, and now this ax is hitting over and over, hitting this kid till now his head like only hamburger on the ground."
I will say that this book made me want to learn more about this crazy genocide that I'd hardly even heard of before, and toward the end I also thought she did a good job of showing the residual guilt, anger, and crisis of identity Arn underwent as an ex-child soldier. But it definitely left me wanting for more character and more story. I give it 2.5 stars.
oddreyloo's review against another edition
4.0
this book is amazing and makes me want to educate myself so much more on the cambodian genocide. growing up in a vietnamese household, i really only ever thought about the effects of one specific asian communist regime. this definitely opened my eyes to a something i’d never even heard of before.
only thing: why doesn’t it say the book is co-written by arn chorn-pond?? like in the acknowledgements it does. but otherwise i read the entire thing feeling really weird about this white woman writing in an asian voice (which just means incorrect grammar and incomplete sentences apparently??). like i get she interviewed him a lot and many asian people do have american accents like this but it’s just weird to me that it’s marketed like SHES writing this in her imagined/perceived “asian voice”. i just wish it could be more clear he basically co-wrote it at that’s why the voice is like that
only thing: why doesn’t it say the book is co-written by arn chorn-pond?? like in the acknowledgements it does. but otherwise i read the entire thing feeling really weird about this white woman writing in an asian voice (which just means incorrect grammar and incomplete sentences apparently??). like i get she interviewed him a lot and many asian people do have american accents like this but it’s just weird to me that it’s marketed like SHES writing this in her imagined/perceived “asian voice”. i just wish it could be more clear he basically co-wrote it at that’s why the voice is like that
mnstucki's review against another edition
3.0
Good, but very sad. Not much more to say about this one. Didn't quite grip me.