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librariandest's review against another edition
4.0
Definitely one of the saddest books I've ever read, and I've read a lot of sad books. The author explains at the end of the book that Arn Chorn-Pond is a real person and the story is largely based on what really happened to him. This book often made me think of [b:What Is the What|4952|What Is the What|Dave Eggers|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1328837457s/4952.jpg|3271214] and [b:Beasts of No Nation|413177|Beasts of No Nation|Uzodinma Iweala|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348904704s/413177.jpg|1655801] and the recent Printz winner [b:In Darkness|11451112|In Darkness|Nick Lake|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1329102541s/11451112.jpg|16385066]. They're all tragic stories told in the voice a boy whose struggles are pretty much unimaginable for most of us.
asimilarkite's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. I'm not sure what to say about this book besides that. If you think you understand what happened in Cambodia in 1970s as a result of the Khmer Rouge, and you haven't read this book, think again. You cannot possibly know how numb you can feel after watching person after person murdered in front of you. How hungry you can be after eating only water with a little bit of rice in it for years. How terrifying it can be to have the only thing between you and death be not making a mistake on an instrument you've never played before. How bad you can feel about yourself after you realize that the only way to survive is to become a killer yourself.
While this is a novel, basically everything in this book is true, and really happened to Arn. I cannot even imagine how you can live through something like this and live on and have a normal life. Except I can, kind of, because I've read this book.
Not an easy thing to read, but highly highly recommended, especially to anyone studying this horrific event in history.
While this is a novel, basically everything in this book is true, and really happened to Arn. I cannot even imagine how you can live through something like this and live on and have a normal life. Except I can, kind of, because I've read this book.
Not an easy thing to read, but highly highly recommended, especially to anyone studying this horrific event in history.
evirae's review against another edition
3.0
This Book Was: Shocking, Eye-Opening, Heart-Breaking, A MUST-Read
Content Rating: Rated R for disturbing themes, abuse, murder and violence
Maturity Rating: High Maturity - Could be called "heavy reading," requires skilled reading comprehension and ability to endure some disturbing content.
Would I recommend it? -- Yes
Content Rating: Rated R for disturbing themes, abuse, murder and violence
Maturity Rating: High Maturity - Could be called "heavy reading," requires skilled reading comprehension and ability to endure some disturbing content.
Would I recommend it? -- Yes
kimmyp11's review against another edition
5.0
Incredibly moving. Disturbing. Yet also triumphant. I thought McCormick did a great job capturing Arn's voice and illustrating the horrific scenes of the genocide he endured and somehow survived.
electrachet's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
trisha_thomas's review against another edition
4.0
I know very little about the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979 and the labor camps of the Khmer Rouge. But the horror and awful things humans will do to other humans - sometimes it's just too much to believe.
But this is an important story - and should be told Although it's hard to read, although it breaks your heart - it's important for that very reason. We should remind ourselves what others have done and remember the horror - so we never let it happen again.
This is an amazing story told from the POV of a young boy who sees and hears and lives through all the nightmare that is Khmer Rouge. I think this is the perfect way to tell this story to Young adults - because some of the horrors he witnesses he doesn't fully explain or comprehend. But as an adult reading it, ugh, this is...it's a tough book.
but I'm glad I read it.
But this is an important story - and should be told Although it's hard to read, although it breaks your heart - it's important for that very reason. We should remind ourselves what others have done and remember the horror - so we never let it happen again.
This is an amazing story told from the POV of a young boy who sees and hears and lives through all the nightmare that is Khmer Rouge. I think this is the perfect way to tell this story to Young adults - because some of the horrors he witnesses he doesn't fully explain or comprehend. But as an adult reading it, ugh, this is...it's a tough book.
but I'm glad I read it.
eowyns_helmet's review against another edition
5.0
For my money, this was leagues better than Goblin Secrets, which beat Never Fall Down for the young adult award. Admittedly, I'm a human rights person (but I'm also totally a magic, automaton, goblin person). This is an extremely difficult story to tell and McCormick (and her real-life source, Arn Chorn-Pond) do a spectacular job. At first, I found Arn-Chorn's voice, a kind of pigden English, difficult, but it grew on me and becomes quite effective about a third of the way through. Then I noticed that the effect was often abrupt and powerful:
In this passage, Chorn-Pond is a refugee under Khmer Rouge control. We know that he used to sell ice cream to make a little money:
The rainy season is here now, and the path is like river of mud; and the nighttime is very cold with no blanket, only thin pajama, so we sleep with all of us very close to stay warm. Also it's the season when malaria can come, and all the time we get bit by bug. At night I think maybe to cry a little bit for my family, but I do like my aunt says, cry only in my mind. In the daytime very hot, like steam almost; and when we walk, I think maybe I go crazy. Because all I can think of only one thing: Ice cream cone.
What he went through is unimaginable, in the literal sense of the word. We cannot, alone, even imagine what a person, let alone a child, experienced under Khmer Rouge rule. So we desperately need books like this to evoke some even tangential sense of what humans are in fact capable of doing to other humans. An important, searing, beautifully written book.
In this passage, Chorn-Pond is a refugee under Khmer Rouge control. We know that he used to sell ice cream to make a little money:
The rainy season is here now, and the path is like river of mud; and the nighttime is very cold with no blanket, only thin pajama, so we sleep with all of us very close to stay warm. Also it's the season when malaria can come, and all the time we get bit by bug. At night I think maybe to cry a little bit for my family, but I do like my aunt says, cry only in my mind. In the daytime very hot, like steam almost; and when we walk, I think maybe I go crazy. Because all I can think of only one thing: Ice cream cone.
What he went through is unimaginable, in the literal sense of the word. We cannot, alone, even imagine what a person, let alone a child, experienced under Khmer Rouge rule. So we desperately need books like this to evoke some even tangential sense of what humans are in fact capable of doing to other humans. An important, searing, beautifully written book.
kbaiseri's review against another edition
4.0
Eleven year old Arn and his family are told American's are going to bomb his city and that they may return in three days. Scared and slightly fascinated at the same time, Arn follows his family and the others from his town to wherever the soldiers are taking him. They soon realize it's a trap as they travel for days, hardly getting any answers in relation to where they are going. It isn't until they reach a prison camp where the massacre beings. Anyone with high social ranking or money is killed while those who worked in the fields and hand no money are left to work. Constantly in fear of his life, he is split from his family and learns to survive by whatever means possible. Whether that means learning an instrument in a few days or being a Khmer Rouge, (one of the soldiers that slaughter anyone and everyone) Arn learns to never fall down. His five year trek is an unforgettable experience as it's based on a true story. Now Arn speaks around the world of his story in hopes to save others like himself.
This book opened my eyes to things going on in the world that I had no idea about. Never did I think such Holocaust things still happened today and so ruthlessly. It was interesting to see Arn's journey and just what he would put himself through in order to survive in hopes to see his family. Despite what went on around him, he still gave others hope by giving them food and hoping to keep them alive, even if it was for his own sake. I enjoyed the history this book shared and applaud Arn for being able to speak out about what he has gone through.
This book opened my eyes to things going on in the world that I had no idea about. Never did I think such Holocaust things still happened today and so ruthlessly. It was interesting to see Arn's journey and just what he would put himself through in order to survive in hopes to see his family. Despite what went on around him, he still gave others hope by giving them food and hoping to keep them alive, even if it was for his own sake. I enjoyed the history this book shared and applaud Arn for being able to speak out about what he has gone through.
kristinreader111's review against another edition
5.0
An engrossing, visceral, and difficult but important book. My heart broke for Arn and all that he lost and endured. His voice captured me from the start and I couldn't stop thinking about his story. A must-read.