The book is about a Cambodian boy, Arn Chorn-Pond, who lives through the Khmer Rouge revolt. He really did...the author's story is a retelling of his life. It's like the movie "Killing Fields" but in YA literature. I don't want to say much more about it because I'll never do it justice or the experience of reading it justice.
I just know teenagers, by their nature, are drawn to stories of justice, survival, and resilience. As I read this book, I couldn't stop thinking about my boys and my students and how much I yearn to protect them from this kind of injustice, violence, and hatred. The truth is, I can't. This violent hateful story represents how this world works too often, and if we don't share these experience in safe, artistic, and genuine ways, we risk being too far removed from them. We need to live them...especially those of us who are safe, insulated, and privileged. So, yes, I recommend this book to my 8th graders (and to both of my boys once it's timely), and I celebrate Arn's story. I celebrate, with Arn, the power of tears, the power of music, and the power of embracing the past in order to live, alive and awake and aware, in the present.
Here is some of the buzz around this book:
Reading Rants (my most trusted book blog)
LA Times
NY Times
NPR
YouTube
