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xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
3.0
This book is by the same author of First They Killed My Father, Loung Ung. In the other book, she describes her experiences in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took over. She talks about how she was separated from various members of her family, including her siblings. In this book, she recounts some of those experiences. She talks about how she and her older brother moved to the United States, and the struggles she had with a new culture, new language, and new people. The book also follows the life of her sister, who remained in Cambodia, and how different their lives where. It took them fifteen years to reunite, and that was a moving story. There is a third book by this author that I would like to read. I highly recommend these books for people interested in the Khmer Rouge and Asian history.
booksbecreads's review against another edition
4.0
Not as gripping as First they killed my father, but obviusly not as horrifying subject mater.
The story tells of Loungs struggles as a Cambodian growing up in American, where the language and culture is different, but the nightmares of her past do not go away. Loung alos interweaves the story with that of her sister Chou, who stayed behind in Cambodia.
It starts off a bit slow but comes to quite a powerful finish when Loung is able to put her demons to rest.
You could read this without having read Loung's first book, but I recommend First they killed my father, a part of history we generally know so little about, but that we should all have some knowledge of.
The story tells of Loungs struggles as a Cambodian growing up in American, where the language and culture is different, but the nightmares of her past do not go away. Loung alos interweaves the story with that of her sister Chou, who stayed behind in Cambodia.
It starts off a bit slow but comes to quite a powerful finish when Loung is able to put her demons to rest.
You could read this without having read Loung's first book, but I recommend First they killed my father, a part of history we generally know so little about, but that we should all have some knowledge of.
sarahstyf's review against another edition
5.0
While First They Killed My Father broke my heart, by the time I was halfway through Lucky Child I was able to see the spirit of survival that ran through every single member of the Ung family who did not lose their lives to the Khmer Rouge.
Loung Ung's story as a refugee and eventual American immigrant is the story of so many who are struggling to escape life or death situations to find a better life in the United States. For all of the horrible things that are said about immigrants, documented and undocumented, Lucky Child reminds us that people who are given a chance to make a better life don't just impact the people in their home, but many more people outside of that immediate circle. Because Eldest Brother was able to have a job and worked incredibly hard to achieve his part of the American Dream, he was able to send money to family in Cambodia which also raised those family members, on the other side of the globe, out of poverty. Loung and her brother and sister-in-law were able to work their way out of American poverty (including the use of food stamps, which shamed the family) because of a strong system of sponsorship, safety nets, and education. Their family is a perfect example of what happens when we do right by refugees and the positive ripple effect of that care.
Loung Ung's story as a refugee and eventual American immigrant is the story of so many who are struggling to escape life or death situations to find a better life in the United States. For all of the horrible things that are said about immigrants, documented and undocumented, Lucky Child reminds us that people who are given a chance to make a better life don't just impact the people in their home, but many more people outside of that immediate circle. Because Eldest Brother was able to have a job and worked incredibly hard to achieve his part of the American Dream, he was able to send money to family in Cambodia which also raised those family members, on the other side of the globe, out of poverty. Loung and her brother and sister-in-law were able to work their way out of American poverty (including the use of food stamps, which shamed the family) because of a strong system of sponsorship, safety nets, and education. Their family is a perfect example of what happens when we do right by refugees and the positive ripple effect of that care.
crystalbreezy's review against another edition
3.0
This is the second book in the trilogy and tells the story of what happened after they left for America to both loung and her sister left behind. In the end they all reunite.
kkamin3's review against another edition
5.0
This is the second installation of "First They Killed My Father". Ung speaks about her life after the Khmer Rouge, and immigrating to the United States. Her experience makes me understand the process of transnational immigrants trying fulfill the often-blurred "American Dream".
yelafeld's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.0
skorned's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
3.75
Very few books handle what comes after surviving a traumatic event like war, surviving the deaths of family members, starvation, loss of home, and escape from the war zone to a new place. Often, it's the knowledge that this escape is coming that ends a story: everyone lives happily ever after, right?
While it's true that for many, escaping to a refugee camp and resettling somewhere else is a dream, or at least something they are thankful for, it's ignorant to think it's without pain, or that the escape itself is enough to heal people.
What would you do if you were one of the only members of your family who left? How could you handle moving on from all the death and sorrow of living through the Khmer Rouge, knowing many of your family, including the sister you're closest to, is still there, under threat, living in fear? What would you do if you were also trying to resume the normalcy of life like going to school, where nobody could possibly understand what you're going through, and where you feel alone because of your language and cultural differences?
Loung Ung does a really great job of covering her experiences, and those of her sister Chou who remains in Cambodia. It was striking to read her descriptions of when she would suddenly remember what she'd experienced under the Khmer Rouge, juxtaposed with her new life in the US. It was also so illuminating to read about Chou's experiences of living in Cambodia in the aftermath of the war, with the Vietnamese occupation and threats. Naively, I didn't realize the Vietnamese had stayed so long, nor that the Khmer Rouge remained a threat to Cambodians for so long.
A very worthwhile read, even if you haven't read her first book First they Killed My Father (also a captivating read). I think this will stay with me for a long time, especially in light of recent events in the middle east, Europe, and Africa.
While it's true that for many, escaping to a refugee camp and resettling somewhere else is a dream, or at least something they are thankful for, it's ignorant to think it's without pain, or that the escape itself is enough to heal people.
What would you do if you were one of the only members of your family who left? How could you handle moving on from all the death and sorrow of living through the Khmer Rouge, knowing many of your family, including the sister you're closest to, is still there, under threat, living in fear? What would you do if you were also trying to resume the normalcy of life like going to school, where nobody could possibly understand what you're going through, and where you feel alone because of your language and cultural differences?
Loung Ung does a really great job of covering her experiences, and those of her sister Chou who remains in Cambodia. It was striking to read her descriptions of when she would suddenly remember what she'd experienced under the Khmer Rouge, juxtaposed with her new life in the US. It was also so illuminating to read about Chou's experiences of living in Cambodia in the aftermath of the war, with the Vietnamese occupation and threats. Naively, I didn't realize the Vietnamese had stayed so long, nor that the Khmer Rouge remained a threat to Cambodians for so long.
A very worthwhile read, even if you haven't read her first book First they Killed My Father (also a captivating read). I think this will stay with me for a long time, especially in light of recent events in the middle east, Europe, and Africa.