Friday (12/06/09), I’ve finished reading this book. I think I’ve read more or less about the story of Vietnam and Cambodia warfare.
This book is another heart-wrenching life of a little girl, named Aseri who has lost her parents during the Khmer Rouge period.
The story starts by building the life of ordinary citizen prior to that dark period. They shared a harmonious and peaceful period, but thing change when communist took over, and their concept of “year zero”.
Soon the soldiers started attacking civilians, and masses of execution became frequent. Slowly, the author must learn that – life is but a breath thinking.
At the age of presumably 4 years old, the soldiers killed her father then mother, and all of a sudden she was left an orphaned.
The soldiers for whatever reason set her and her 4 brothers free. From there, they travelled from relatives to relatives, finally settling with their maternal grandparents.
Daily, their lives were filled with mundane chores, and gradually their grandmother decided to escape poverty and hardship for the sake of her grandchildren.
They travelled through a tedious and dangerous journey to Thailand refugees’ camps. Once they reached the camp, her grandmother wrote fervently to her sons in France and US to get them to sponsor all of them to either one of the country.
They joyfully agreed. After 4 years of living in extreme conditions, they finally left to US for a better future.
Fortunately, in US there’s a Christian organization that helped funded their expenses and slowly they re-built their lives.
The author eventually returned to Cambodia and remained there as citizen to utilize her knowledge, education for the future of the country.
Even though, Cambodia gave her many bad memory, but it was there she has the best too, and what done can’t be undone.
Personally, it took a lot of courage to return to the country that has made you orphaned. Imagine having to interview the leaders who gave down orders for the mass execution of the commoners, and witnessing the brutality of the soldiers’ torture. One can picture her courage and her patriotism for her country betterment. I must say our lives has been very bliss and blessed indeed………….
This book is another heart-wrenching life of a little girl, named Aseri who has lost her parents during the Khmer Rouge period.
The story starts by building the life of ordinary citizen prior to that dark period. They shared a harmonious and peaceful period, but thing change when communist took over, and their concept of “year zero”.
Soon the soldiers started attacking civilians, and masses of execution became frequent. Slowly, the author must learn that – life is but a breath thinking.
At the age of presumably 4 years old, the soldiers killed her father then mother, and all of a sudden she was left an orphaned.
The soldiers for whatever reason set her and her 4 brothers free. From there, they travelled from relatives to relatives, finally settling with their maternal grandparents.
Daily, their lives were filled with mundane chores, and gradually their grandmother decided to escape poverty and hardship for the sake of her grandchildren.
They travelled through a tedious and dangerous journey to Thailand refugees’ camps. Once they reached the camp, her grandmother wrote fervently to her sons in France and US to get them to sponsor all of them to either one of the country.
They joyfully agreed. After 4 years of living in extreme conditions, they finally left to US for a better future.
Fortunately, in US there’s a Christian organization that helped funded their expenses and slowly they re-built their lives.
The author eventually returned to Cambodia and remained there as citizen to utilize her knowledge, education for the future of the country.
Even though, Cambodia gave her many bad memory, but it was there she has the best too, and what done can’t be undone.
Personally, it took a lot of courage to return to the country that has made you orphaned. Imagine having to interview the leaders who gave down orders for the mass execution of the commoners, and witnessing the brutality of the soldiers’ torture. One can picture her courage and her patriotism for her country betterment. I must say our lives has been very bliss and blessed indeed………….
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