Loung Ung

First They Killed My Father

  • First They Killed My Father

  • A major film, co-written and directed by Angelina Jolie

    Until the age of five, Loung Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious child who loved the open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights and being cheeky to her parents.

    When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April 1975, Loung's family fled their home and were eventually forced to disperse to survive. Loung was trained as a child soldier while her brothers and sisters were sent to labour camps. The surviving siblings were only finally reunited after the Vietnamese penetrated Cambodia and started to destroy the Khmer Rouge.

    Bolstered by the bravery of one brother, the vision of the others and the gentle kindness of her sister, Loung forged on to create for herself a courageous new life.

    First They Killed My Father is an unforgettable book told through the voice of the young and fearless Loung. It is a shocking and tragic tale of a girl who was determined to survive despite the odds.

After They Killed Our Father
After They Killed Our Father
Loung Ung

Loung Ung's debut memoir, First They Killed My Father, was an international bestseller. She is a National Spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World and has featured in the New York Times, Washington Post and Sunday Times as well as Glamour and People magazines. Loung Ung has lectured widely to schools, universities and corporations on Cambodia, child soldiers, women and war, and landmines. She currently lives in the US.

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