Talking about the Book- Posting by Joan Overfield, Library Director

When I first picked up Lucky Child, I found it challenging and definitely outside my experience and comfort zone to read about genocide, landmines, starvation, the Khmer Rouge, Pol Pot, survival, war, culture shock, immigration and cultural assimilation. Definitely not my typical beach book! Yet, I was drawn in by the fascinating juxtaposition of two sisters, Chou and Loung and their personal, and sometimes riveting, experiences separated by war and growing up continents apart in Vermont and Cambodia. I was drawn in further by themes I had more personal experience with—family, courage, privilege, guilt, cultural awareness, fitting in as a teenager, siblings and, most immediately, separation as my own son prepares to leave for college.

Lucky Child is rich with themes to reflect on and discuss. I am excited that the Library is hosting the book discussions to be held during your first week at Fairfield. I invite you to stay after the book discussions for our film festival featuring “The Killing Fields”, “The Joy Luck Club”, and “Spanglish” –all selected to continue the conversations started by our common reading of Lucky Child.

You can expect great things from the DiMenna-Nyselius Library. This blog, the film series, and hosting the book discussions typify the library staff’s desire to actively engage with students and to provide the resources, facilities and services to support and enrich your Fairfield experience and help you be successful over your next 4 years.

I hope you will join me in being open to new experiences, new people and new ideas at Fairfield University.

Joan Overfield, Library Director

Have something to say about the book Lucky Child? Please click on the Comments link below.

Comments

[Navy Phim]

It is great that your school has chosen to incorporate a book that can teach you about another culture and country. Unfortunately, the school has chosen an author that has caused a lot of pain to the Cambodian community. There was a lot of controversy concerning her first book, “First They Killed My Father”.

The author was too young and her memories were not always reliable. Read it with caution. For instance, Ung wrote about a family trip to Angkor Wat, which took place in 1973 or 1974 when she “was only three or four years old” (p. 109). I had a discussion with a former Lon Nol soldier who was in Siem Reap at that time and he was adamant that Angkor Wat was not accessible because the Khmer Rouge was in full control of the area.

Cambodia had been fighting a civil war since 1970, so it is hard to believe that there were people vacationing at that time, especially in a region that was controlled by the Khmer Rouge. But the book contains a picture of the family trip to “Angkor Wat,” which was taken at Wat Phnom, a temple in Phnom Penh.

Exaggerated stories of surviving atrocities are not unknown. It even exists within the Jewish community; for example, the story of Deli Strummer, which has been written in the Washington Post. I would compare “First They Killed My Father” to that of Holocaust survivor’s Deli Strummer. If you want to read something poignant like that of Anne Frank, get Chanrithy Him’s “When Broken Glass Floats.”

To this day, Ms. Ung has yet to admit that her memories were flaws and her stories may have been exaggerated. This may an interesting topic for your school to bring up with Ms. Ung.

[Navy Phim]

I apologize for going off topic and discussing "First They Killed My Father" instead of "Lucky Child". After my disappointment with her first book, I don't intend her read her second one. But the controversy with her first book may also require that the second book be read with caution. It may be time that she addressed those issues also.

To read more review and discussion within the Cambodian community concerning Loung Ung, visit this site:

http://khmerinstitute.org/reviews/rev2.html

[Jamie Debicella]

All criticism and questioned accuracy aside Ms. Phim, this story was exceptional in personal detail. The alternating first person point of view is executed in a completely practical and effective manner, yielding brilliantly colorful insight pertaining to the author’s true feelings. Varying between the two worlds apart, namely America and Cambodia, Ung successfully superimposes a portrait of unbreakable unity found within her loving family. Obviously, some may call into question the historic accuracy of events in a memoir type account, such as those found within Loung’s story. However, this skepticism can never outweigh the feeling of awareness one obtains after finishing this book. This doubt can not and certainly does not diminish the story’s core message of family and brotherhood. It is these two values for why I believe Fairfield University has chosen Lucky Child as a summer read for the incoming freshman class of 2011.

I am also very excited that I will have the chance to enjoy a lecture by Ms. Loung, whose accomplishments as a human activist are something we can all agree are nothing short of remarkable. Her story has such a strong voice; a voice that brings about awareness and change.

[Carolyn]

Having adopted a child who was 8-10 years old at adoption, who had been born in a refugee camp, whose father stepped on a landmine and died of tetnus 3 months later, who had a sibling die of starvation, who had to steal to eat and be clothed, who was homeless, who lived though a war...and whose memories may or may not be totally accurate, I would like to point out that the things she went through, that her family went through, that my Cambodian friends' families went through are consistently at a level so awful that it is beyond my comprehension and almost sounds like it is beyond belief - except this was and is reality for much of Cambodia.

When I went to Cambodia I saw a level of poverty that absolutely was beyond anything I had ever seen. It made the "feed the children" TV adverts look like those kids lived in palaces. Heck just wash their faces and they would be fine compared to what I saw in Cambodia. It made the slums of Mexico look good.

Even today things are not good for so many of Cambodia's people. I got an e-mail from a friend in Cambodia the other day. A storm went through and flattened the village (primarily grass houses), tore the roof off the cement school and orphanage and killed all the farm animals - could I help?. He had no insurance (I doubt there is even such a thing in Cambodia for the average person), the entire village was living on the edge.

His school was the only school for that village and now it is closed until he can fix all that was ruined. Yet even if he fixes it the village is in shambles and will the kids be able to come back before their families get back on their feet? I have a Cambodian NGO lined up to help them presuming I can round up donations...but in a country like Cambodia there is so much need, so many problems...entire generations suffer from post truamatic stress syndrome after what they have been through.

I once listened in to a conversation between my daughter and a woman who was a refugee. She wanted my daughter to convince her 6 year old how lucky she was to be in America. My daughter and this woman had a very matter of fact conversation about how there are two kinds of grass to eat. One is OK and one gives you terrible stomach cramps. You eat the stomach cramp one because your hunger is too terrible. They discussed their initial confusion over why we feed our cats if the cats are capable of finding their own food and oh, by the way, why didn't we take away the food the cats caught to eat?

My daughter was crushed the first time she brought home a handful of bugs she had caught (including a still live and kicking wasp) and I put them in a jar with holes in the lid rather than the frying pan. She was proud to have contributed to dinner and didn't understand why I rejected her offerings. She had to steal food ("Mom our house blow down. A kind lady give us some rice and a plate and a knife"). She had to steal clothes so she wasn't naked - naked is something not OK if you are over 5. ("Mom, maybe we take some clothes and send them to my brother [still in Cambodia]. He 6. He too little to find own clothes. Maybe someone catch him and beat him. He no run fast.).

I would not be so quick to criticize the accuracy of these two books. Yes details may have faded, some things may be remembered wrong...but the overwhelming horror of what people went through is beyond what most of us can even to remotely comprehend and that comes across. It is the horror and inhumanity that is important. And also these books are a testiment to the survival of people living in terrible circumstances. I don't know if I could be as strong. I hope never to have to find out.

[Akhara]

I agree that Ms. Ung's book is still an inspiration even if there are "inaccuracies" as you alleged. I don't think it should matter that the family trip didn't happen or the picture isn't taken at Angkor Wat as claimed. As stated by Carolyn, memories faded, but the important thing is the stories of survival and the inspiration we feel from reading it.

As a Cambodian person, I am proud that Ms. Ung has achieved this level of success with the world and mainstream America. She is a motivational speaker and an author who represents all Cambodians and we should be proud of her. There has been many non-Cambodian who has written books on Cambodia and made money out of our country's tragedy and our people's suffering. It's about time that a Cambodian person is doing it too!

I am most proud of Ms. Ung because she is the bravest person I know. I read an article in the Boston Globe that Ms. Ung received threatening letters from fellow Cambodian-Americans for writing the book. She is a symbol of bravery because she continues to be a guest speaker around the world bringing attention to Cambodia and the suffering of our people. Most people who received threatening letters would be afraid to go out in public for fear of their life but she is not a coward. She does not care that people threaten her life. Her job as an inspirational author is more important than that. She will continue to speak at different functions about her life, our country and people's suffering. We should be proud of her for this. For someone to continue doing this despite those threats, you know that she is not doing it because of money. It must be a grand passion. I hope she continues to speak and bring awareness on Landmine in Cambodia because if she stopped, I have no idea who will want to continue her work and get paid to speak at these functions at all and Cambodia will become obscure and insignificant again. Thanks to her, the world knows about our plight and suffering and if she makes money because of it, more power to her, and if there are a few minor incorrect details, who care!!!

I read James Frey's "A Million Little Pieces" and I find it to be an inspiration even though some part of the story may have been changed for dramatization. We can all overlook Ms. Ung's minor memories problems and be proud of her success and work. The American public voted Bush for president so they can certainly praise Ms. Ung as a hero and an inspiration if they want.