First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers (P.S.)

Amazon.com

Written in the present tense, First They Killed My Father will put you right in the midst of the action--action you'll wish had never happened. It's a tough read, but definitely a worthwhile one, and the author's personality and strength shine through on every page. Covering the years from 1975 to 1979, the story moves from the deaths of multiple family members to the forced separation of the survivors, leading ultimately to the reuniting of much of the family, followed by marriages and immigrations. The brutality seems unending--beatings, starvation, attempted rape, mental cruelty--and yet the narrator (a young girl) never stops fighting for escape and survival. Sad and courageous, her life and the lives of her young siblings provide quite a powerful example of how war can so deeply affect children--especially a war in which they are trained to be an integral part of the armed forces. For anyone interested in Cambodia's recent history, this book shares a valuable personal view of events. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung's family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed.

Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung's powerful story is an unforgettable account of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.

Customer Reviews:

Everyone should make time for this book.......2007-10-08

We need this type of literature to remind us of the horror we are capable of inflicting, and the delight we are capable of inspiring. Here we have the opportunity to learn about the history of other countries and cultures and the effects of war and violence. By reading Ung's story, Americans can learn to appreciate that some immigrants and refugees to the United States have endured far more than we can even imagine.
Ung's story is told with the innocence and honesty of a child, even though her reality is riddled with hurt, grief, and despair. How is she able to survive the destruction and devastation of war? What makes her want to go on living? The chaos and randomness of life will make the reader see that each gift is a blessing.
Ung has learned to accept the responsibility that comes with survival. Why me...? What not me...? She states that by writing her book she was able to come to terms with many of the haunting details of her past. By writing about her fear and rage, she was able to face the "monsters" of her childhood as an adult. Telling her story was not about the money or the recognition, but about making people aware of what life was like for one family, for one little girl who grew up during the hell years of 1975-1979 in Cambodia. Though there is much anger and pain, it is the love of family and love of oneself that sees Ung through the trauma of war.

Captivating.......2007-10-05

With a story as tragic as this it is no wonder how the details are so vividly portrayed by Loung Ung. Her story captivates in essence the cruel and communist actions of the Khmer Rouge. As one of the few surviving family members, Loung proves how a love for her father helped her endure such a tragedy. However, she was not excluded from being subjected to the endless amount of pain, which created numerous psychological road blocks such as hatred and vengeance. This is clearly a story of heroism through endurance.

Breathtaking.......2007-08-31

I was interested in reading a book about the Cambodian Civil War, and this book gave me insights about the author's life story. The author Ung went through many emotional times with her family that had to do with survival. It made me cry many times... touched my heart. I recommend this to readers who are interested in the Cambodian war and would like to know what it's like to be in Loung Ung position during the time of chaos.

Read it with caution.......2007-08-18

The author was too young and her memories were not always reliable. Read it with caution. For instance, Ung wrote about a family trip to Angkor Wat, which took place in 1973 or 1974 when she "was only three or four years old" (p. 109). I had a discussion with a former Lon Nol soldier who was in Siem Reap at that time and he was adamant that Angkor Wat was not accessible because the Khmer Rouge was in full control of the area.

Cambodia had been fighting a civil war since 1970, so it is hard to believe that there were people vacationing at that time, especially in a region that was controlled by the Khmer Rouge. But the book contains a picture of the family trip to "Angkor Wat," which was taken at Wat Phnom, a temple in Phnom Penh.

Exaggerated stories of surviving atrocities are not unknown. It even exists within the Jewish community; for example, the story of Deli Strummer, which has been written in the Washington Post. I would compare "First They Killed My Father" to that of Holocaust survivor's Deli Strummer. If you want to read something poignant like that of Anne Frank, get Chanrithy Him's "When Broken Glass Floats."

She remembers for us to remember..........2007-05-15

In the epilogue, Loung thanks her editor, because she's says without the editing, we'd all be reading a much longer book. In this case, I would love to read "the much longer book".... I can't say enough positive about the book, even though I know it has received criticism. It's a first hand account of the same stories I've heard first hand over.. Stories that deserve to be retold so that hopefully they never have to be experienced again. Whether you are an academic with an interest in Cambodia / Southeast Asia or the casual reader, you will be haunted a young girl's life.. in " First They Killed My Father".[...]

Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution

Average customer rating:

In love with Persia
Riveting, balanced, and a great way to learn about Iran and Iranians.
disappointed
Highly Recommend
Daughter of Persia:A Woman's Journey from her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution

Daughter of Persia: A Woman's Journey from Her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution
Sattareh Farman Farmaian , and Dona Munker
Manufacturer: Three Rivers Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0307339742
Release Date: 2006-06-27

Book Description

An intimate and honest chronicle of the everyday life of Iranian women over the past century

“A lesson about the value of personal freedom and what happens to a nation when its people are denied the right to direct their own destiny. This is a book Americans should read.” —Washington Post

The fifteenth of thirty-six children, Sattareh Farman Farmaian was born in Iran in 1921 to a wealthy and powerful shazdeh, or prince, and spent a happy childhood in her father’s Tehran harem. Inspired and empowered by his ardent belief in education, she defied tradition by traveling alone at the age of twenty-three to the United States to study at the University of Southern California. Ten years later, she returned to Tehran and founded the first school of social work in Iran.

Intertwined with Sattareh’s personal story is her unique perspective on the Iranian political and social upheaval that have rocked Iran throughout the twentieth century, from the 1953 American-backed coup that toppled democratic premier Mossadegh to the brutal regime of the Shah and Ayatollah Khomeini’s fanatic and anti-Western Islamic Republic. In 1979, after two decades of tirelessly serving Iran’s neediest, Sattareh was arrested as a counterrevolutionary and branded an imperialist by Ayatollah Khomeini’s radical students.

Daughter of Persia is the remarkable story of a woman and a nation in the grip of profound change.

Customer Reviews:

In love with Persia.......2007-09-03

Milo Wolff, Manhatan Beach, CA. Sattareh Farmaian, member of Persia's upper-upper class was buffeted around the world by the religious turbulence of the Middle East, and the international greed for oil to feed growing indusrialization. Admiration of her capable father caused her to spear-head establishment a graduate college of social services to serve the village needs of Persia (Iran). As the reader follows her adventures and hair-raising escapes you will feel that you are there with her ('Satty"); in the hold of a ship to Bombay, disembarking in the strange port of Los angeles, and enrolling as a student at USC. You will understand her disappointment that the Statue of Liberty is not in the port of LA but 3000 miles away in NYC. And her amazement watching college co-eds use their bodies as bait for males. Even if you have not read the poetry of Omar Khyam, you will end up in a love affair with the culture of Persia. You will not put this book down.

Riveting, balanced, and a great way to learn about Iran and Iranians........2007-05-21

This memoir by Sattareh Farman Farmaian, a truly amazing woman, is not only a hard-to-put-down account of prerevolutionary Iran but is unusual in offering Westerners a personal way to learn about Iranians, their modern history, and why the Islamic Revolution took place -- including where the West went wrong.

On a personal level, this dramatic book is about how the author broke away from her traditional harem upbringing and became a pioneering social worker, but it's also a surprisingly even-handed account of the rocky course of the Pahlevi dynasty, from its beginning in 1921 to its end in 1979. As you might expect frorm a member of the royals who preceded the Pahlevis, the author is proud of her family -- especially her father, a prince of the former dynasty who cared deeply about the welfare of the individual poor -- and she doesn't have much use for the last Shah's father, who got his start as her dad's gunnery sergeant and later executed her oldest half-brother. Farman approves of the last Shah's efforts to modernize Iran, but she's critical of him because he cared far more about getting and keeping absolute power than he did about the plight of the poor, illiterate Iranians she hersellf fought to help for twenty years. In fact, Farman's real point is that the Pahlevis' indifference to the welfare and feelings of ordinary citizens was the ultimate cause of the Islamic Revolution. Given the current state of affairs in Iraq, Afganistan, Saudi Arabia, and other Muslim countries around the world, that just might be a message we should be listening to today.

disappointed.......2007-04-18

This is a story of a remarkable person who lived a remarkable life and had great accomplishments. I salute her.

However, I found the book a little disappointing in the fact that the author spent so much time trying to make out the Qajar dynasty/extended family were all good and cultured (and by inference they could do nothing wrong), while the Pahlavi family were nothing but the opposite (and could do nothing right). The truth is often somewhere in the middle of these two extremes.

The author's personal biases and bitterness often ignored facts and detracted from the book.

Highly Recommend.......2006-11-09

I truly enjoyed "Daughter of Persia"! This book is a biography that reads like a novel! It is beautifully written, fascinating, and informative. I definitely recommend it for everyone. In fact, it really SHOULD be read by Americans to better understand Iran and the Persian culture.

Daughter of Persia:A Woman's Journey from her Father's Harem Through the Islamic Revolution.......2005-07-11

The book is excellant, well written and very valuable to read for understanding Iranian life from a personal view.

FBI Girl: How I Learned to Crack My Father's Code

Average customer rating:

Another FBI Girl
Heartwarming Memoir of a 60s-era Childhood
Growing up fifties-style in the seventies
touching and unforgettable
Dysfunction personified

FBI Girl: How I Learned to Crack My Father's Code
Maura Conlon-McIvor
Manufacturer: Grand Central Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0446533106

Book Description

From an evocative new voice comes the touching childhood memoir of an Irish Catholic girl struggling to connect with her enigmatic FBI agent father. Young Maura Conlon's dad is a secret agent. And Maura knows what that means: chasing cars, jumping over buildings, handcuffing bad guys, just like on The FBI, her favorite TV show. But no matter how many times Maura asks her father about his work, he never says anything. So Maura decides to become an FBI girl-in-training. Balancing the rigors of Catholic school with reading the latest Nancy Drew mysteries, keeping track of license plates on the neighborhood cars, and jotting down observations in her special FBI girl notebook is a lot of work, but Maura is determined to infiltrate her dad's silent world. However, it will take the birth of a Down's syndrome baby and a family tragedy before she has the courage to confront him using real words instead of cryptic code. A heartwarming tale of a father/daughter relationship, FBI GIRL is about family bonds, the trials that test them, and the triumphs that make them stronger.

Download Description

Young Maura Conlonís dad is a secret agent. And Maura knows what that means: chasing cars, jumping over buildings, handcuffing bad guys, just like on The FBI, her favorite TV show. But no matter how many times Maura asks her father about his work, he never says anything. So Maura decides to become an FBI girl-in-training. Balancing the rigors of Catholic school with reading the latest Nancy Drew mysteries, keeping track of license plates on the neighborhood cars, and jotting down observations in her special FBI girl notebook is a lot of work, but Maura is determined to infiltrate her dadís silent world. However, it will take the birth of a Downís syndrome baby and a family tragedy before she has the courage to confront him using real words instead of cryptic code. A heartwarming tale of a father/daughter relationship, FBI GIRL is about family bonds, the trials that test them, and the triumphs that make them stronger.

Customer Reviews:

Another FBI Girl.......2005-07-20

This is a great story! Being the daughter of an agent myself, I could relate. The author does a terrific story of bringing you back into time and seeing events occur through a child's eyes.
I stayed up to read this book in one night. I truly recommend this book.

Heartwarming Memoir of a 60s-era Childhood.......2005-04-17

"FBI Girl" is not about the FBI. Nor is it, really, about Maura Conlon-McIvor's father in his role as an FBI agent. It is, instead, a memoir of the childhold of an Irish-American girl attempting to understand her non-communicative, somewhat dysfunctional father, and loving and caring for her Down's Syndrome brother. This brother, Joey, and Maura's exceptionally warm mother, are the glue that holds this family together.

It is a testament to Maura's parents that when their severely-retarded son Joey was born, they did not put him into an institution, which would have been common in the mid-1960s. Maura herself is fiercely protective of Joey, and believes that anyone without a Down's syndrome child in the family is missing something. This is an attitude shared by her father, who believes that the developmentally disabled are really the smart ones and the so-called "normal" people are ignorant. When you read about some of the reactions of the Conlon's neighbors (which range from shock, to avoidance, to guilty stares, to embarrassment and, occasionally, caring and compassion), you don't doubt that this is true.

Maura has a bigger problem, however, communicating with her father who, in her eyes, speaks in some sort of code. Joe Conlon obviously loves his five children, and his love is demonstrated by doing things, rather than talking (whenever Conlon does not want to answer a question, he changes the subject entirely.) Maura believes, incorrectly, that Joe Conlon's job as an FBI special agent precludes him from talking about anything substantive. In fact, as Maura discovers, Conlon's behavior was nothing learned at Quantico or ordered by J. Edgar Hoover.

The story warmly evokes 1960s Los Angeles. Maura Conlon lived with with her parents, sister and three brothers in an unidentified suburb of Los Angeles (20 minutes from Disneyland and 40 minutes from Hollywood.) The name of the suburb doesn't matter -- whether it's Downey or Fullerton or Los Alamitos or West Covina or Azusa, or any one of the other suburbs that run into one another in this part of the world, the story would be the same. It is hilarious, however, to read about young Maura playing Nancy Drew, writing down license plate numbers and desperately looking for high intrigue in this bland world of tract homes.

What is also relevant is Maura's religious Catholic upbringing, which provides Maura with a strong faith, a strict way to live, and more than a few interesting stories. A less salutory aspect is that Maura grows up strictly differentiating between "Catholics" and "publics," believing, among other things, that public school kids put drugs in the mustard and ketchup bottles. This belief is proven false when Maura herself goes to public school, with the backing of her former teacher, a nun.

Above all, this is the story of a painfully shy, highly imaginative girl who finally finds her own voice. Maura Conlon-McIvor has a compelling story to tell, which is well worth reading. As a contemporary of the author, I enjoyed the 1960s references, which took me back to my youth. Yet Maura Conlon-McIvor's story is unique. I think it gives a greater understanding of living with and loving the disabled than anything I've read thus far. Although it is somewhat less satisfying in addressing the author's father, it is definitely a worthwhile read.

Growing up fifties-style in the seventies.......2004-11-03

FBI father, Catholic school nuns, big family, sixties-seventies, Downs-syndrome child...I expected yet another story of growing up stifled in the suburbs, with some illicit sex and scandal.

In fact, Conlon-McIver describes a remarkably functional family, bound together by an amazing generosity of spirit. Fascinated by her father's career and her Nancy Drew books, she remembers keeping a log that includes every neighbor's license plate. She wants her father to bring home stories of exciting crimes he solved.

Reviewers have focused Maura's father, Joe, who refused to talk about his work and in fact didn't talk much at all. However, linguist Deborah Tannen has written about the differences in male and female communication styles and John Gray reminds us that men are from Mars. Men just don't want to talk about "my day at work." Like Joe Conlon, they communicate through action.

Reading between the lines, Joe was trained as a lawyer. Although he carried a gun and badge, he probably worked in offices, pushing paper rather than chasing bad guys. He might have been assigned to white collar crime. Here's a clue: he came home regularly for supper nearly every day. So there probably weren't a whole lot of exciting stories to tell.

And we should note that he didn't brush off Maura's questions with ridicule: he just changed the subject. Once he even shared a "trick" of looking out the rear view mirror, probably acquired from another agent who was more active in actual criminal pursuit.

Joe took his kids out to play baseball on Saturday afternoons (another clue: bad guys don't work nine to five weekdays). He even built a ball field. He did chores around the house, apparently without complaint, everything from changing diapers to folding laundry and mowing lawns.

Most significantly, he didn't withdraw when his last child, Joey, was born with Down's syndrome. Joe not only remained a caring father, but also raised significant funds for a group home for other developmentally disabled children.

Maura's mother, a former beauty queen, never seems too tired or impatient to spend time with her five children. She's creative and playful, sensitive to Maura's need to attend public school rather than continue to an all-girls Catholic high school.

However, the mother's ideas seem more progressive than her cooking. The family dinner table seems more fifties than sixties. I have to admit I admired the way they managed to stay slim and healthy while eating endless servings of processed, high-carbohydrate food.

And the children seem remarkably unselfish, as they pitch in to care for Joey resisting stares and embarrassment. This family learned the joy of living with a developmentally disabled child in a time, place and social environment where those attitudes were hardly commonplace.

Even the nuns are remarkably benevolent; one fussy teacher who complains about Maura's E's in handwriting class, but she melts as she learns more about Maura.

Because the book focuses so intently on family, it's hard to get a sense of the role of friends in Maura's early life. She mentions being neglected by the popular girls but we don't get episodes of real meanness or of the close friendships young girls typically develop.

Now comes the challenge: How does Maura Conlon-McIver keep the pages turning while describing a happy childhood? She's not sticky or sentimental. She tells the story with crisp sentences, studded with original metaphors. Most importantly, Conlon-McIvor paces the story as if she were writing a novel, no easy task when writing a memoir.

Toward the end, she reports a tragedy that scars what should have been a happy climax to her grade school years. And she ends on a bittersweet note, growing aware of her talents but also her family's unspoken conflicts.

I once heard a psychologist speak about families on the basis of real research rather than myths. He claimed that families held together based on what they didn't say, rather than on openness. Perhaps it is the unrealistic expectation of free-flowing communication that harms families, rather than the actual silence. And maybe the Conlon household wasn't perfect, but I bet a lot of people would have gladly traded places with any member of that family.

touching and unforgettable.......2004-10-22

I found FBI Girl to be both touching and unforgettable. Conlon-McIvor's adeptness at describing the details of her youth will resonate with anyone who grew up in "suburbia" in the '60's and '70's. I felt like I was at the dinner table, in the FBI car and in the classroom along with young Maura as she navigated her way through her quiet childhood. Her book reminds us that sometimes the quietest amongst us have the most to say. How lucky for us that she found her "voice" and shares it with us through this loving memoir to her family. This story will stay with you for a long time.

Dysfunction personified.......2004-10-20

A poignant, often funny look at the efforts of a loving, wildly imaginative daughter trying to invent an acceptable personna for her uncommunicative father. An FBI agent with a gun in his dresser drawer and a car trunk littered with spent bullet casings, she decides his job is responsible for his excessively secretive nature. It takes years for her to understand even J. Edgar Hoover doesn't demand such unflinching secrecy about every aspect of his agents' private lives. A moving and well-written view of a complicated family.

Subterranean Towers: A Father-daughter Story

Average customer rating:

Inspiring, sensational, exquisite
Life Stories that bring me Strength
Wonderful book
Exellent reading!
A Moving, Well Written Book

Subterranean Towers: A Father-daughter Story
Irina Eremia Bragin
Manufacturer: iUniverse
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0595311369

Customer Reviews:

Inspiring, sensational, exquisite.......2004-07-27

This stunning father-daughter story takes it's readers on an emotional journey: we share laughs, tears, frustration, anger, fear, joy, and most importantly HOPE; hope for the characters, hope for each other - hope for mankind.
This book is truly an inspiration, a must read book with a story and a message that should never be forgotten.
Passionately written, this book is one you cannot put down.
Bravo to Mrs.Bragin!

Life Stories that bring me Strength.......2004-07-18

Poignant life stories with strong message of hope.
Made me react and gave me strength to stand up for the truth. Positive message of making the best of life and what it offers.
Placed on my night stand, I always read over different passages to feel good, to learn something and to fill up on courage.
Moreover, Dr Bragins writing is so enjoyable to read.

Awesome book!

Wonderful book.......2004-07-15

Beautifully written factual story about persecution and survival during communism. Enjoyed it tremendously! Bragin is quite a talented writer!

Exellent reading!.......2004-07-13

An excellent book! A well designed, well written, moving story, about a topic I have a lot of interest in. I recommend it enthusiastically to anybody wanting to learn more about the absurdity of the Red Holocaust and the many lives it attempted to destroy...

A Moving, Well Written Book.......2004-05-21

Irina Eremia Bragin's riveting story entertains the reader on many levels: as a woman's compelling memoir, as a tribute to her heroic but troubled father, and as a thoughtful commentary on important ethical issues that speak to all of us.

Average customer rating:

Civil Rights Childhood
Jordana Y. Shakoor
Manufacturer: University Press of Mississippi
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 157806192X

Book Description

Two voices blend in this poignant memoir from the Civil Rights era in Mississippi--a father's and a daughter's.

He was Andrew L. Jordan, a son in a dirt-poor family of sharecroppers near Greenwood. Jordana Shakoor is his little girl who grew up to write this book. In her southern childhood she is just becoming aware of her people's dreadful predicament of loving their homeland but of hating its mistreatment of blacks. Like virtually all other southern black families, the Jordans endured humiliation and fear of white reprisals.

The child states that her father rejected the ugly Jim Crow tradition and aimed at achieving an improbable dream in black Mississippi--to become a schoolteacher. First, he served as a "colored soldier" in the armed forces. Then he returned home to marry in 1955, an especially ominous year in the calendar of black southerners (the heinous murder of the black northern teenager Emmitt Till occurred then). Jordan got his education with aid from the GI Bill and realized his dream of teaching. But it wasn't enough. Beginning to live according to his conscience, he joined his life to the Civil Rights Movement. At first he moved behind the scenes and then worked openly in mass meetings and voter registrations. For his activism he lost his job and, unemployable at home, he was driven from Mississippi.

Book Description

Begum Shahnawaz is one of the most distinguished Muslim ladies to have participated in the political life of India and Pakistan. In her autobiography she has retold the story of her life and interwoven it with a record of the career of her distinguished father. The book contains valuable
extracts from the diary of the late Sir Muhammad Shafi.

Why My Father Died: A Daughter Confronts Her Family's Past at the Trial of Klaus Barbie

Average customer rating:

Lackluster

Why My Father Died: A Daughter Confronts Her Family's Past at the Trial of Klaus Barbie
Annette Kahn
Manufacturer: Summit Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Jewish | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

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Human Rights | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0671658832

Customer Reviews:

Lackluster.......1999-10-03

Although there are some interesting details in the book, it failed to hold my interest, as I thought the author got a little too thorough in her description of what took place in Lyon.

What I'll grant her is that, toward the end, when Barbie is in Bolivia, the story gets interesting. It gets even better when he is extradited to France, where justice catches up with him.

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