A review by kbaiseri
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick

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.