Intense

I (Karie) have picked up a few books sold by local vendors during this past week. There were a few books being sold in the U.S. that I heard about that related to Cambodia and its history, but I we were not able to pack any more things with us (especially books, as they weigh a lot). I was delighted that they offer some of the books famous in the U.S. here in Cambodia, and for a great price! See, either the copyright law does not apply here...or no one pays attention to it. Books are copied everywhere. The books I purchased have covers that are nice and colored, but the inside pages are mere copies of the original books. Oh well, two books for $8.00 isn't a bad price..especially when I wanted to read them back in the U.S.
The first book I started is called First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung. She and her family were part of the thousands of people relocated during the Khmer Rouge time, and her account of what happened is harrowing. I want to read these books in order to get a better feel for the people who live here, and what happened to them a mere 30 years ago. I began to read the book a couple of nights ago, and can't put it down. I am halfway through its pages already. Below is an excerpt from one of the chapters:

"The next evening, while sitting with Kim outside on the steps of our hut, I think how the world is somehow still beautiful even when I feel no joy at being alive within it. It is still dark and the shimmering sunset of red, gold, and purple over the horizon makes the sky look magical. Maybe there are gods living up there after all. When are they going to come down and bring peace to our land? When I focus my eyes back on the earth, I see two men in black walking toward us with their rifles casually hanging on their backs."

I would highly recommend this book if you are at all interested in the history of Cambodia. Loung writes from the perspective of herself growing up, and she begins the story around the age of 5. I have been deeply moved, rocked, and shocked at this book so far...and I pray to continue to be challenged to FEEL what these people felt so few years ago.