Book Review: First They Killed My Father By Loung Ung

Malcolm X once said, “There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.” Loung Ung is a victim of the 1975 Cambodian Genocide and lost almost everything that she held dear to her including her home, her parents, and two of her sisters. However, she did not let their deaths weight her down as she went on to survive the wrath of the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge started a takeover of the country in 1975 to revert it back to its agrarian roots. In this time, millions of Cambodians were killed and displaced. In the book, First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung, Ung explores the idea of loss to develop the theme that loss is a part …show more content…
They supported the former government and are therefore considered a threat to the Khmer Rouge. When her father is found and taken away for being part of the former government, the family is distraught. As Loung remembers she writes, “Pa walks away with a soldier on either side of him. I stand there and wave to him. I watch Pa’s figure get smaller and smaller, and I still wave to him, hoping he will turn around and wave back. He never does.” (Ung 103) That was the last time she saw her father before he became lost among the bodies in a mass grave. For months after Loung’s mother was still hopeful for Pa’s return but he was lost …show more content…
While on the way to the refugee camp, their ship is intercepted then boarded by pirates who steal many passengers’ belongings including Loung’s. Loung writes about her interaction with one of the pirates, ““Can I have this?” he asks. Meekly, I nod my head. “You can go back to your boat.” He takes Pa’s buddah and puts it on his pocket.” (Ung 227) This was one of the only things she had left from her father and it was taken from her so suddenly. She lost a part of her father that day when that pirate slipped the Buddah into his