A Refugee from the Killing Fields Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind

After They Killed Our Father

The second memoir by the author of the international bestseller First They Killed our Father

I encourage everyone to read this deeply moving and very important book

What could easily be a tale of despair and defeat becomes, through simple and poweful prose, a celebration of courage and humanity

A rich narrative that explores the ravages of war and strength of family bonds . . .  far too relevant to our own time

Heart-rending and eloquent . . . A moving reminder of human resiliency and the power of family bonds

Change the names of the characters, give them another country of origin, and this story of dislocation becomes a tragedy millions of immigrants have lived through but seldom talk about

Both stories - Loung's told in her own voice and Chou's narrated in the third person - are inherently fascinating and are recounted with a vividness and immediacy that make them even more so. Written with an engaging vigour and directness, [After They Killed Our Father] is an unforgettable portrait of resilience and largeness of spirit

A searing account of the aftermath of Khmer Rouge's brutality . . . this self-assured, moving memoir is a testament to the human spirit's resistance

Loung Ung 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.

In 1980, at the age of ten, Loung Ung escaped a devastated Cambodia and flew to the US as a refugee. 
 
 She and her eldest brother, with whom she escaped, left behind their three surviving siblings, and her book is alternately heart-wrenching and heart-warming, as it follows the parallel lives of Loung and her closest sister, Chou, during the 15 years it took for them to be reunited. 
 
 Their two worlds were very different, and Loung's depiction of the contrast between her life in the affluent West and that of her sister, who navigated her way through landmine-strewn fields and survived raids by the Khmer Rouge, is laced with the guilt she feels about being the lucky one. 
 
 This powerful story helps us to understand what happens when a family is torn apart by politics, adversity and war. It is also the compelling and inspirational tale of a remarkable woman.

Loung Ung

So sharp with pain that when I read it, the words plunged into me like a knife

There can be absolutely no doubt about the innate power of [Ung's] story, the passion with which she tells it or its enduring importance

Ung's memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left just to historians but to those left behind when the terror ends

I was deeply affected by Loung’s book. It deepened my understanding of how children experience war and are affected by the emotional memory of it

Film tie-in

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.

Loung Ung

Praise for First They Killed My Father

So sharp with pain that when I read it, the words plunged into me like a knife

There can be absolutely no doubt about the innate power of [Ung's] story, the passion with which she tells it or its enduring importance

Ung's memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left just to historians but to those left behind when the terror ends

So sharp with pain that when I read it, the words plunged into me like a knife

There can be absolutely no doubt about the innate power of [Ung's] story, the passion with which she tells it or its enduring importance

Ung's memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left just to historians but to those left behind when the terror ends

So sharp with pain that when I read it, the words plunged into me like a knife

There can be absolutely no doubt about the innate power of [Ung's] story, the passion with which she tells it or its enduring importance

Ung's memoir should serve as a reminder that some history is best not left just to historians but to those left behind when the terror ends

Books by Loung Ung

Follow penguin

Follow ladybird

Follow puffin

Sign up to the Penguin newsletter