A powerful and unforgettable true story about the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. The story centers on Arn Chorn-Pond who is an 11 year-old, who is forced to work in labor camps digging ditches and growing rice. Resting for only a few hours a day, Arn’s personality changes quickly and he becomes numb to the world around him as he learns things to survive his new life. While others die around him, Arn becomes emotional detached and he slowly turns into a monster but only becomes he must become one to survive the nightmare he is living. He hopes to be reunited with his family and this hope keeps his spirits up throughout his ordeal. This world he is living later comes know to us as the Killing Fields. The endurance that Arn has is astounding and I have to commend him for not lying down and giving up. I realize he feels guilt for some of his actions but unless someone walks in his shoes, we do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances. The author did an excellent job relaying the feeling and the emotions that went with the characters in the book. The dialect in the book was fun to read and added to the book. Great job all around with this book! I am glad that I have read this book as I have never read anything about these events and I now want to know more."Do whatever they say," she whisper. "Be like the grass. Bend low, bend low, bend lower. The wind blow one way, you bow that way. It blow the other way, you do, too. That is the way to survive."Lots of violence in the book but that is to be expected considering the subject matter. The word sh** was used but not as a swear word and it was appropriate for the book’s subject matter.
