Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #56880 in Books
• Published on: 2003-11-13
• Binding: Paperback
• 498 pages

Synopsis
Best known for his academt award-winning role as Dith Pran in "The Killing Fields", for Haing Ngor his greatest performance was not in Hollywood but in the rice paddies and labour camps of war-torn Cambodia. Here, in his memoir of life under the Khmer Rouge, is a searing account of a country's descent into hell. His was a world of war slaves and execution squads, of senseless brutality and mind-numbing torture; where families ceased to be and only a very special love could soar above the squalor, starvation and disease. An eyewitness account of the real killing fields by an extraordinary survivor, this book is a reminder of the horrors of war - and a testament to the enduring human spirit.

Customer Reviews

Fascinating
This is a fascinating book. It deals with the personal experiences of the author during the horrors of the Kmher Rouge reign of terror.

It gives a first hand account of what it was like to live directly under the control and direction of the Khmer Rouge. Forced migration, starvation, imprisonment, torture, murder and all manner of deprivation are described.

The book deals with the day to day struggle to survive, and doesn't deal with the politics. In fact the author couldn't deal with the politics, because during the time of his suffering, he wasn't even aware of Pol Pot.

For a book on the history, or political history of Camdodia, chose one of David Chandler's books.

Don't miss this book if you want to know what life was like under the barbaric Kmher Rouge.

why haven't you bought this yet?
This is the second best book that I have ever read. A truly amazing and shocking account of life under the Khmer Rouge. Its hard to believe one man can go through so much anguish. If youre interested in what went on in Cambodia during the Pol Pot years, this book is a must. The truly harrowing parts are forewarned so easy to skip through, but that would be missing the point.

The best book I have ever read is 'Down and Out in Paris and London' by George Orwell.

An excellently written book on the Khmer Rouge and Cambodia in general.
This is an excellent book that describes the life of Haing Ngor through childhood and then in more detail during the 3 years of Khmer Rouge rule. It gives a harrowing insight into this communist regime through the eyes of someone with everything against him, and as a result is subjected to the worst of thier cruelty.

While it is excellent on the Khmer Rouge, it is equally interesting for the insights it gives into normal Cambodian life and customs. The description of his early life describes rural life and later his success in Phnom Penh.

This is the most moving book I have read and I would recommend it to anyone who takes an interest in Asia or Foreign Politics, the latter as a shocking example of how it can go wrong.