First They Killed My Father: Three

The conclusion to this book is very relieving. As I getting closer towards the end of the book, every page I turned I felt that she, Luong, was inching closer and closer to safety. It was a very nice feeling to know that after everything she was forced to go through and the death of her loved ones, she would still remain safe with her family. The story started out with the Ung family being happy in Phnom Penh, but as the story progressed, she soon faced the reality that she had to say goodbye to Ma, Pa, Geak, and Keav. Even with the passing of some of her family, she still remained strong and looked toward light at the end of the tunnel. This amazing demonstration of willpower surprised me indeed, and Mr. Sutherland's guest as well.

The first sign of refuge is when the Youn invade Khmer Rouge camps and take many of the people living in the camps into their care. While the people are still unsure about the Youn, they still choose to follow them simply because they were against the Khmer Rouge, and the Youn were basically fighting their enemy. Despite some language barriers, the Youn and refugees still manage to live together quite easily. Luong however, was an unfortunate victim of attempted rape. The Youn tricked her into going to the woods for water, only to find that the man she trusted ended up trying to rape her. She luckily got away in time.

After a few more events, Luong and her brother Khuoy decide to move away from Cambodia entirely to find a better life. They planned it intricately so that the siblings that were staying still had support from overseas. This particular book ends when she gets to America, but she still trails some mystery.

Her sequel to the book, Lucky Child, continues where this book left off. It tells the story of how she copes with assimilating a whole new culture. I plan on reading this sequel on my leisure time in the near future.