April 17th marks the 30th anniversary of Pol Pot’s take-over of Cambodia, ushering in the genocide of an estimated two million Cambodians by the Khmer Rouge.
Loung Ung was five-years-old when she and her family were forced to leave their small Cambodian village. Her book “First They Killed My Father” told of her effort to survive in a war-torn country, despite the loss of her parents and two of her siblings. The book was the focus of last year’s Vermont Reads, a statewide community reading project sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council.
In her new book, “Lucky Child”, Ung continues her story, recounting her assimilation into American culture in Vermont, and her struggle with post-traumatic stress and the scars of war. The book also tells the story of Ung’s sister Chou, who was forced to stay behind in rural Cambodia.
Ung will be appearing at Northshire Books in Manchester Center, Vermont, Friday evening at 7:00pm, and at Borders Books in Burlington, Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm. To her Neal Charnoff’s interview with Loung Ung, click on the “Listen” icon.