Beautiful & Hero

Editorial Reviews. Review. WINNER OF 5 AWARDS: IPPY Gold Award, BookLife Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge Kindle Edition. by.
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They should make her lower body decent, her legs look too short and something about her makes me gayer everytime I look. Go to the store and click one of those hero bundles where you get tons of sets then preview Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy.

Log in or sign up in seconds. Submit a new link. Submit a new text post. Welcome to Reddit, the front page of the internet. Become a Redditor and subscribe to one of thousands of communities. Want to add to the discussion? The batterwitch might hear you Kuala Lumpur Major Region Qualifiers. Thank goodness they found a home in the United States of America where they thrive. Most importantly, their humanity is still intact. I highly recommend this book.

Please grab yourself a copy of Jennifer H. How We Survived the Khmer Rouge. Sep 03, Peggy Geiger rated it really liked it Shelves: During the Cambodian revolution in the years to , Cambodian genocide resulted in the death of over two million people, one third of the country's total population. Although the story was written by the adult author, it is told from the perspective of a small child. At the age of five, her village was forced to evacuate their Genre: At the age of five, her village was forced to evacuate their homes with very little time to gather food and belongings.

The book describes with unimaginable horror, the author's family of eight, as they endure detailed hardship and atrocities as they traveled through war ravaged Cambodia. The author and her family were forced on a death march through Cambodian labor camps on the way to Thailand. What followed was an ongoing nightmare mixture of starvation, massacres, diseases, deprivation, insects and slavery. The author would ultimately lose her grandparents, most of her aunts and uncles as well as numerous cousins during their eventual migration to America. From the author, "I am only alive today because of one woman's courage: Another quote from the author at age five, "It felt like the Khmer Rouge had dropped me in a deep well, and while I was lost, stuck and in shock.

Fellow classmates and young men my age were drafted and sent to fight in the hot jungles of Vietnam right after high school graduation. The "not old enough to buy a beer or vote but old enough to fight and die" mentality of the clueless Johnson administration insured many young men would never come home.

Thousands more would come back permanently injured, drug addicted and suffering from post combat stress. In , as a young mother of a two year old, I was unaccountably less informed on the subject of the Cambodian genocide. I would not be aware of the horrific consequences for many years.

Until I read this book, I was mostly unaware of the magnitude of the suffering of tens of thousands of victims of the Khmer Rouge. Considering the ongoing genocide in today's world, I recommend this book to anyone. It is a hard book to read, but necessary if we are to ever learn from the past. The author does not soft peddle the horrific abuse inflicted upon their family and many others. I received an autographed copy from the author after winning a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Jul 13, Lori rated it really liked it Shelves: I won a giveaway kindle version of this book for a review. Jennifer Lau gives an impressive account of what her family went through to escape the siege of the Khmer Rouge. At five years old her family was forced out of their homes.

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Her family spent to next six years trying to escape to freedom and eventually to America. The goal for this Chinese family who were born in Cambodia was to survive and make it to Thailand where they hoped for freedom and help. Some of her young cousins aunts and uncles died during the six years. The families were always starving with little food and water to keep them alive.

Geng remembers her mother and her bravery to help keep her family alive.

Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge by Jennifer H. Lau

Heartbreaking to read and I am amazed at the endurance of this family. Nov 15, Andrea Huelsenbeck rated it really liked it. In , I was a young wife and teacher. Meanwhile, five-year-old Geng, born in Cambodia to Chinese parents, was about to have her world turned upside down. Along with her parents a photographer and a hair dresser , her brother, and two sisters, she was driven from In , I was a young wife and teacher.

Along with her parents a photographer and a hair dresser , her brother, and two sisters, she was driven from her home and relocated by the Khmer Rouge. The next four and a half years consisted of death marches, starvation, forced labor, and dreams of escape. Lau , details their trials and credits her mother, Meiyeng Beautiful Hero , with keeping the family together and alive. Lau uses simple language to narrate the experience from the viewpoint of her five-year-old self, forced by circumstance to endure at a young age what no one should ever have to experience.

She describes the crowds of people leaving her village in a forced evacuation, carrying with them prized possessions they had only minutes to gather. Her father carried cameras, protecting his business investment. Her mother packed practical things, food, medicine. They joined their extended family in the street and started their long trek to an unknown future, their terror punctuated with occasional gun shots from the Khmer soldiers accompanying them.

Meiyeng, considering all the information she gleaned from conversations with other evacuees, came up with a strategy for their Khmer Rouge interrogations. Never admit we owned land. Never mention we can read and write. In fact, many had fled before the Khmer Rouge came, only to be turned back at the border by soldiers mowing down escapees.

Meijing traded her jewelry for rice and livestock, which they slaughtered for food. Unfortuately, the Khmer Rouge knew their whereabouts, and soon came with trucks to round them up, along with others who had been earmarked for termination. But first they were taken to a labor camp. Their survival depended on their ability to perform long hours of back-breaking labor. The work continued beyond their exhaustion. People died from overwork, or from being shot for trying to escape.

Soon, they were marched to a different village where they were allowed to build a hut. They were even allowed to plant a garden, which they did, because food was scarce. In this village, children were told to watch the newcomers and to report if anyone did anything suspicious or forbidden. The soldiers accused them of being spies.

Why else would they have so many cameras? Meiyeng quickly explained they were photographers by trade and apologized that they had not turned in their cameras before then. Her quick thinking, offering the cameras to the soldiers, saved their lives. After work, women came to her to have their hair cut to the required bob, and paid her in plants, seeds, rice, and meat. As the plants in the garden thrived, Meiyeng gave propagations to family and friends, helping them survive the austere conditions.

Her dedication to the garden assured the Khmer Rouge she was not a flight risk. Other villagers advised Meiyeng about how not to draw attention to herself. The family gave up practicing Chinese traditions and spoke only Khmer. Later, when he was sent to a labor camp, the loss of the fish brought them close to starvation. They were responsible for chores, but they also found time to play. Geng was in charge of the woodpile, and was severely punished if it ran out. Illness was a constant challenge.

The remedy for intestinal worms was much worse. Meiyeng became the middleman for the black market in the village. Fluent in Khmer and three Chinese dialects, she moved between the haves and the have-nots, facilitating trades of goods, usually jewelry for rice, and taking a commission. Geng was now nine years old; she had a new baby sister. They entered the jungle with a guide and twelve other families, walking single file in silence, due to soldiers patrolling and fighting nearby.

They walked throughout he night, while battles raged around them. After a short nap, they continued, cautioned to watch out for booby traps, until they met up with Thai soldiers, an indication they had crossed the border. The family joined a large crowd of fellow runaways in a refugee camp. Thai citizens handed them plastic baggies of water, rice, and a blue tarp to use as a tent. After a time, they were herded toward buses to be transported. Again, locals gave them gifts of water, rice, and candy.

Thirteen hours later, they were unloaded at the top of a cliff, and pressed toward the edge with thousands of other refugees. Below them lay Cambodia. And an unmarked minefield. The soldiers commanded them to descend. For six hours, the crowd stood at the precipice. Then the soldiers fired a barrage. With no other alternative but death, one by one the people jumped off the cliff and rolled down the steep side of the mountain, grabbing at tree roots and boulders, trying to slow their falling bodies.


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Like a steady waterfall, people streamed down the mountain, forcing those at the bottom to spread out and move away, some triggering mines and getting blown to bits. Those who survived the descent off the cliff now carefully picked their way across the minefield. Some of the trailblazers lost their lives by accidentally detonating explosives; others successfully navigated by carefully placing their feet in the footprints of those who had gone before, surrounded by the stench of decaying corpses. It took them three months to return to the area of Cambodia they had tried so hard to leave.

I have given you some of the highlights from Beautiful Hero; but the story is by no means complete. I am ashamed that I was totally oblivious to what happened in Cambodia. Millions of Americans probably have no idea what transpired there. I am thankful to have read this account by a survivor of the atrocities. This is the stuff of nightmares. While reading Beautiful Hero, I had to keep reminding myself that the horrific circumstances surrounding the narrator's childhood actually happened.

The atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, its forced labor camps and genocide are unfathomable. Watching the news sends us riding an emotional rollercoaster from outrage to shame and helplessne This is the stuff of nightmares. Watching the news sends us riding an emotional rollercoaster from outrage to shame and helplessness.

Tragedy wanes with moments of humor. The one thing it never evokes is indifferent.

For me, these were retrospective triggers. No doubt I was wallowing in teenage heartbreak or whining under the burden of too much homework. This story needs to be passed on. Thank you, Jennifer H Lua, for your courage and the gift of your remarkable memories. Mar 27, Yibbie rated it really liked it Shelves: What does love look like? Every page of this memoir gripped me. How can she understand the action of adults What does love look like?

How can she understand the action of adults who no longer control their own lives? How can she understand the love of parents forced to make impossible decisions? This is the story of a child beginning to understand that love. While it is a devastating read and the author has done her best to keep is as clean as possible, it is still for a mature audience. The level of violence, death, and disease is just horrific. There are also two or three mild curse words.

It suits the story. There is something incredibly sad about it. I have read several memoirs of this time, and this is one of the saddest; the saddest part being the absence of any eternal hope. How terrible to only be able to look forward to a reincarnation to this wicked world! It was just heartbreaking. I received this book for free through the Goodreads Giveaways. No review was required, but it was my pleasure to write it. Jan 21, Laura Ruetz rated it it was amazing.

This is a non-fiction book that you won't want to put down. The writing is clear and concise and it is a heartbreaking look at the best and worst of humanity but there is good that shines through. The author was young when she went through this, and the book is written from simple and honest views of a child.

It hasn't been embellished, nor are the things witnessed shied away from - but they are described in stark reality from a child's view and memory and that makes for such a powerful book tha This is a non-fiction book that you won't want to put down. It hasn't been embellished, nor are the things witnessed shied away from - but they are described in stark reality from a child's view and memory and that makes for such a powerful book that really had an impact on me.

I don't often read non-fiction, but this book is something that I am glad that I read, because I had such a tenuous grasp about this part of history. It is hard to read sometimes but there is a theme of hope that runs through it, and perseverance and will. It really is a book that I will not soon forget. I was given a free copy of this book. Aug 25, Russty rated it really liked it. Won Kindle version in a GoodReads giveaway Wonderful story of survival..

Lot of history never learned in "history" class!!! Thanks for the education!!! Aug 11, Dara rated it it was amazing Shelves: An amazing book about a time in history that I knew little about. To read about the atrocities that mankind is capable of is unbelievable. The perseverance of this family makes you wonder if given the same situation how would you fair? My guess is not well. A well written book rich in detail.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via the Goodreads giveaway. Only five years old when the Khmer Rouge appeared at her door one night and forced her family out, the author tells her story of death, famine and ultimately resilience.

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The author does a good job with her personal narration, and also makes sure to add historical context and facts throughout. The maps and personal pictures embedded throughout the book were also an appreciated personal touch. Overall, this is a tough but important read and I would highly recommend it to other non-fiction readers.


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Very good, yet horrifying, biographical account of one side of the evils of war. Jul 26, Jen Estevez rated it it was amazing Shelves: I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway contest and this is my honest review. This memoir is told from the voice of Geng, third oldest of seven siblings. In Cambodia the Khmer Rouge soldiers force villagers from their homes and town, then into giant concentration camps. Geng, her family and extended family had moments to gather their belongings and start walking.

Initially they were told it was a temporary evacuation for the safety.

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For the next four years Geng and her fa I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads Giveaway contest and this is my honest review. For the next four years Geng and her family would work to survive against starvation, disease and other hardships. Although this story is difficult to read at times because of the harsh reality spoken through the words of a child, it was important for me to learn about this part of history.

I am close to Black Ghost age. This part of history was not taught in school. Much of what I learned of the Vietnam era, when I was younger, was through movies and shows. I think perhaps it was too recent and raw for many to talk about. Beautiful Hero not only taught me about recent history in Cambodia and the atrocities against humanity, but also of the culture, values, and the mindset of this family and their will to survive. I see how family played a vital role in their survival and well being.

She took extreme measures to bring him back to health. Throughout the story you read of how Mei Yeng keeps her family alive. Jennifer Lau Geng vividly describes life for her, her siblings and parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. I would recommend this story to anyone wanting to read how one family survived against all odds, in recent past Cambodia, yet still losing extended family members and friends.

I would also recommend it to anyone needing a reality check on the cruelty against humanity that continues in some countries still today. Those of you who would like to take their history lessons into their own hands. I chose a five star review for the clarity and detail, but also the pouring out of painful memories to bring awareness to the cruelty faced and lives lost in Cambodia at the hands of the Khmer Rouge regime in the mid to late s.

Memories that are no doubt still a part of this family and other survivors daily lives, and the backbone of who they are today. It also makes you think of people you live near or work with whom may have endured a horrible past and come out the other side. A past very few may know about. I want to thank the author for sharing her story. Aug 03, Steve rated it it was amazing Shelves: I sat in row by myself, which I usually did, and, just as the lights started to dim, a small Asian man sat down in the seat next to me. It was obvious, by his reaction to the movie, that he was Cambodian, and that he had lived through the horror that was Khmer Rouge's reign of terror in Kampuchea.

His running commentary and outbursts towards what was on Disclaimer: His running commentary and outbursts towards what was on the screen may have annoyed the other patrons in the theater, but it added a deep poignancy to the story for me. Jennifer Lau's story adds greatly to my understanding of what those poor people went through during Pol Pot's misguided and sadistic reign.

A middle class, ethnically Chinese family is forced out of their home and marched until reaching a village where they are forced into what was essentially a forced labor camp. For years they suffered, trying to avoid the Khmer Rouge's notice, and slowly starving. Slowly aunts, uncles, cousins and other family members die of starvation or disease. Eventually they are able to make an escape to a different part of the country, where friendly villagers welcome them and protect them from the soldiers.

Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge

Then a faction change in the Khmer Rouge fools them into thinking things will get better, but it isn't so. They manage to get across the border to Thailand, where they are put on buses and sent back to Cambodia. A harrowing trip through mine fields is followed by an attempt to live in Cambodia again, but things are too bad, and again they make their way to Thailand. This time, luck is on their side, and they get in just before the borders are closed.

This is a true story of human will overcoming the worst kind of evil, and triumphing in the end. The Beautiful Hero of the title is the English translation of the author's mother's Chinese name. An amazing woman who somehow managed to save most of her family when put to the most horrible trials imaginable. A truly inspiring story, which I highly recommend. Aug 08, Naomi rated it really liked it Shelves: I received this book for free through a Goodreads' giveaway. I've read other memoirs about the Khmer Rouge, so I had a basic grasp of the overall timeline and back drop before reading "Beautiful Hero" by Jennifer H.

This does not take away from the horror Lau's family faced or this memoir, and it amazes me that they were able to survive while others were less fortunate. There were parts of the memoir that were especially shocking to me, such as the treatment the family received w Disclaimer: There were parts of the memoir that were especially shocking to me, such as the treatment the family received when reaching Thailand.

This was a complete surprise, as I never heard about the country's involvement in the genocide that occurred beyond assuming refugees attempted to escape across their border. While I have read other memoirs on the topic, as already mentioned, I think it's important that more is written, as this is still a period in history that isn't covered well and rarely discussed. I have a History degree, and while the Khmer Rouge was mentioned in different classes, it was only in passing. I would have appreciated learning more about the genocide that occurred, as well as Thailand's involvement and the U.

I would recommend this memoir to others, especially those interested in history. While this is the story of only one family in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge's reign, it gives a glimpse into what many endured during that time period. Jun 29, Stephanie rated it really liked it Shelves: Beautiful Hero is a remarkable account of the strength one mother has to lead and protect her family in a war torn country. The horror of day-to-day survival is told by an adult through the eyes of her five-year-old self.

The brutal reality of being forced to endure the loss, conditions, fear, hunger, and despair is, in the end, overcome by her mother's sheer determination, and cunning instinct. When I was young our church sponsored a family coming over from the war. I remember their language so Beautiful Hero is a remarkable account of the strength one mother has to lead and protect her family in a war torn country. I remember their language sounding so foreign, yet we communicated the important things back and forth.

My dad was involved in making sure the place they stayed was in working order and that they had transportation when needed. The grandfather had the most kind eyes. His grandson was just a few years older than I was and he attended youth outings with our church.