Living With Violence: Conflict in Contemporary Cultures

Loung Ung (1970 - )

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers

Background and Career

• Born 1970 in Cambodia, one of seven children in a close-knit, middle class family
• Father high-ranking government official
• 1975 Khmer Rouge stormed Phnom Penh which forced her family to evacuate
• Sent to forced labor camp
• Witnessed her father’s execution
• Sent away by her mother at age 7 in order to survive
• Trained to kill as child soldier at age 8
• Rescued and sent to Vermont in 1980
• Graduated from St Michael’s College 1993
• Spokesperson for a Landmine-free World
• Received Nobel Peace Prize in 1997
• Published First They Killed My Father in 2000, her first and only book
• Winner of Asian Pacific American Award for Literature in non-fiction

Fiction

First They Killed My Father, 2000

Reviews and Further Information

“Andy Brouwer’s Cambodia Tales: Loung Ung – A Daughter of Cambodia.” btinternet.com

Editorial Reviews. Amazon.com

Fitzpatrick, Catherine. “Author Made Torturous Journey to US.” June 16, 2000. jsonline

Reader’s Guide. First They Killed My Father. harpercollins.com

Reading Group Guide. First They Killed My Father. readinggroupguides.com