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Summary: Review
Review: "When Broken Glass Float" is an extraordinary book that tell first-hand account of growing up in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge regime. In April 17, 1975 Khmer Rouge invaded the capital, Phnom Penh, and evacuated the population to work in the countryside. Under a Utopian society, people cultivated rice all day long without any food and water. Chanrithy Him had to learn how to survive living under the terrible condition. From learning how to make a fishing rod out of bamboo stick to harvesting crops on the plantation, she was able to overcome that death of her relatives. Eventually she had to be transfer to different camps, so the possibility of making friend during this rough period was difficult. She had all type of mix feeling from understanding that death is part of life cycle and realizing that there was no necessary need to live under this condition. Khmer Rouge abolished any materials that symbolize capitalism, and this includes any people who were living a previous life of money. They executed anybody that they suspected represent capitalism. Through all this horrific and horrendous activities, she was able to escape to an refugee camp in the border of Thailand and Cambodia. The authors write with an vivid imagination, but lack historical account of actually event that was taking place during the Khmer Rouge Regime.
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Summary: Powerful story, not as well written as some others
Review: Chanrithy Him's "When Broken Glass Floats" tells an extraordinary, powerful, and difficult story. On it's own merits, Him's tale is well-written, fairly well paced, clear, and attention-holding. The reader gets a sense of the conditions found in rural Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge years, especially the overwork and starvation of the people.
Him's book suffers only when compared to some of the other accounts now in print, especially Loung Ung's "First They Killed My Father". Him does not do as good a job as Ung, in my opion, of describing her life before April 1975. She does not paint as clear a picture of the individual personalities of her family members. Her narrative leaves more noticeable chronological gaps.
To be fair, Him's work does a better job of descrbing Cambodian culture. She includes a fair amount of the Khmer language, especially slang and colloquialisms, along with the translation. She also spends more time on her departure from Cambodia via Thailand and the Phillipenes.
To summarize: I am glad I read "When Broken Glass Floats" and I recommend it to others. I strongly encourage you to read it before you read other Cambodian-written accounts of the Khmer Rouge years.
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Summary: Not as Well-Written as Loung Ung's Account
Review: Chanrithy Him's book depicts another gruesome aspect of the murderous Red Khmer regime in the 1970s in Cambodia: labour camps for children and their traumatic consequences for the victims.Like Pin Yathay's book 'Stay alive, my son', it contains an excellent first-hand account of the disorderly evacuation of Phnom Penh after the Red Khmer victory in the civil war.
After the evacuation, everybody, from the elderly to the very young, was forced to participate in a totalitarian experiment (no money, no private property, no family bonds, total control, spying on everybody), which was based on monoculture: rice.
The main ideological aim was equality at any cost, not freedom, except naturally for the members of Angkar (the Organization) themselves. The whole system resulted in hundreds of thousands of deaths from hunger, exhaustion, torture and summary executions of 'enemies' of the system. A terrible shame for humanity and for the ideologically pure left. Chanrithy Him's book tells also the story of the aftermath of the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia: refugee camps in Thailand and the Philippines.
She also indicates discreetly that the main reason for the Red Khmer regime in Cambodia were the illegal US bombardments of the Cambodian border with Vietnam, which turned the main part of the Cambodian peasantry in the arms of the Red Khmer. Apart from its uncontested historical value, this book should be read as a warning against the madness of pure ideologists, who, once in power, accept without the slightest remorse millions of human casualties to implement their maniacal policies. For a more political (national and international), economical and social analysis of the Cambodian history and the Red Khmer regime, I recommend the works of David P. Chandler and Ben Kiernan, as well as William Shawcross's 'Sideshow'.
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Summary: good story
Review: gives me a clearer picture than any history book ever will. im sure i'll remember it.
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Summary: Doesn't feel quite right
Review: I have always been interested in Cambodia, and had a chance to visit there several years ago as the government was trying to reform itself after the fall of the Khmer Rouge. Not being a native to the country, I often seek out books such as this one to learn more about what the people went through, as too much of the suffering that occurs in the world is quickly forgotten. When Broken Glass Floats reflects the author's personal memories of growing up during this time period. The writing is simplistic, but nonetheless captures the intensity and the horrors of her experiences. It is an enjoyable, quick read, but it is also not the type of book to be read in one sitting. I cannot rate the book as being 5 stars, as so many other reviewers have done, because of how the book flows. The author went through these experiences as a child and attempts to recapture everything on paper sequentially, although it is clear from the book that many of the chapters and scenes within them are not in chronological order. While this can easily be forgiven and is not too distracting, the narrator does not hold fast to the fact that she was a child during this time. A lot of the commentary she provides is clearly a product of many years of interpretation and trying to understand/cope with her experiences. This too is understandable due to the severity of the situation in Cambodia at that time. However, as a reader, the fact that the interpretations are incorporated into the main characters gives the book a less than authentic feel. A small child (about age 10) who is starving to death is likely to think only of food and survival, and would probably neither have the strength nor energy to make commentary on religion, the meaning of freedom, and changes in traditional culture. Not trying to be too harsh to the author, who does deserve a lot of credit for writing the book, the story would be much stronger if it was written in the present day with flashbacks instead of trying to recreate the years she spent in Cambodia as a child. For many readers, this may not be a problem. The book clearly coveys the types of horrors faced by relocated Cambodians in forced labor camps. For others who have studied about this time in Cambodian history, there are other books and authors who, albeit non-native Cambodians, present a much clearer, more objective (yet still poignant) view of the situation and the Cambodian peoples' experiences.
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Summary: An upsetting tough read - life is so precious...
Review: I'll spend little time reviewing this heartbreaking memoir, as I'll get upset. The writing style is simple enough for a middle-school student, but the subject matter is so dark that I'll never be old or jaded enough to handle it. Bill Clinton's UN ambassador Richard Holbrook once said, "it will be a hundred years before Cambodia emerges from the horror of the Pol Pot regime." This book shows why. I remember having a civil but testy argument with a dear Jewish friend. I told him that the Holocaust could never be "overblown", but that it had recieved exorbitant attention compared to other tragedies of the 20th century world. Rwanda, Armenia, Cambodia & China's 'Cultural Revolution' deserve to be known, and they are not. My friend insisted that the Holocaust was different because of the methodical murder and the sheer numbers. We argued, paused, then went right back at it. I felt he was wrong and I still do. Chanrithy Him tells of death in the dozens, not in the millions. Is that less important? No it is not, and this book shows why. The fact that this book could even be written shows that life - ultimately - can triumph. But not without horrific loss. You have honored your family, Chanrithy Him. And I will not forget your story.
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Summary: Childhood Impressions of the Khmer Rouge
Review: It would be impossible for me to give this book less than a perfect rating because it is a first hand account of how a child sees the Khmer Rouge. That being said, that is all it is and if the reader is looking for more than it may fall short of your expectations. I think this book could be improved if the author had included historical data and information about what was going on in Cambodia with the Khmer Rouge at the time that she is recalling. That would have been very helpful for me, because there is still much I feel I need to learn about the Khmer Rouge and Cambodian politics that I was not able to get from this novel. However, the firsthand accounts of what it was like to be a helpless child in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge are extraordinarily moving and I would definitely recommend reading this book. It is important to understand what living in these conditions were like and this novel holds implications for all children that are exposed to national atrocities.
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Summary: dampening of human spirits....
Review: This book amazed me. I grew up after the Khmer rouge and never learned a thing about it in school. I had heard the name but didnt know what it meant. I picked up this book because i have interest in asian cultures. What I read shocked me. The brutality of war and evil dictators, how normal people turn into killing machines. Those oppressed lose most all human qualities, but still keep strong through tortures, death, murder, rape, dystentery, edema, starvation, infection, eating crickets and weeds, slave labor....such atrocities.....it may have not been the holocaust but it was a time of genodice which should never repeat. Those that survived have survived unspeakable things, i dont think I would have made it through. Its amazing how strong the human spirit can be. This is a must read in hopes it never happens again. Very educating.
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Summary: Heartbreaking Story
Review: This is an amazing book. It is a heartbreaking account of living under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. When you read this book you will get very emotional. It is one of the best books I've ever read.
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Summary: Gripping, sad, will make you appreciate life...
Review: Through my readings of books dealing with the barbarism of the human soul I have gained a profound appreciation for the subtleties of life. This work brings that understanding another giant leap forward. The plight of Chanrithy Him through the relentless suffering of the Khmer Rouge is no less than heart sickening. You will discover a profound sense of respect for her and the victims and survivors of the infamous Pol Pot regime. This book has a similar approach to another - "First They Killed My Father" - by Loung Ung. Both books command you to continue reading. I could not put them down. All in all, a superb work on a less than superb topic - required reading for anyone interested in Asian culture, human suffering, and in a surprising way - human survival.
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