5 Comments

• I guess Lung's training did paid off as she was escaping from the refugee being attacked by Khmer Rouge.
• The thought that Loung, Kim, and Chou being abandon by a family who taken them in sadden me. But they never complained about their sufferings.
• Khmer Rouges are monsters...
• I can tell that it is hard for Loung to express her feelings to others or even show affections to her siblings.
• It sicken that the Khmers that had suffered wants to do the same thing to the Khmer Rouge who caused pain to them to suffer the same pain. At times I think it is not enough, but then those Khmers would turn out to be like the Khmer Rouge themselves.

4 Questions

• What is happening at the refugee? Is it not suppose to be a place where they would feel protected?
• Does Meng, Loung's oldest brother, remind her of Ma and Pa?
• Had the siblings suffered enough that they could no longer show affections towards one another?
• Is Uncle Leang skeptical of Meng's plan of America?

3 Vocabularies

• Ruputures(pg.195)-noun. the act of breaking or bursting.
• Devoid(pg.207)-adj.untouched by.
• Voluptuous(pg.230)-adj.sensuously pleasing or delightful.

2 Literally Devies

• "Stories about victims of the Khmer Rouge attack spread like fire"(pg.1980- Simile, it is comparing how stories spread fast like fire would spread.
• "The bright sun transforms the otherwise ascenery into a magical land of silvery lakes"(pgh. 219)-Setting of the view to Vietnam on Mekong River.

Summary
Not after the attack and staying at the refugee camp with one family to another, the three siblings soon finds their brothers, Meng and Khouy. The reunion was a happy silent one that brought painful memories of the past. Soon, they set out to go to their uncles' home, their mother's hometown. On their way there, Loung finds a woman that resemblance their mother and she gave a riceball to her. It was the first time I read of her giving something to others and not keeping it for herself. When they arrived at the uncles' home, Meng is then married off to Eang. He then moved to Vietnam with her and comeback and told of his plan to/of America. He decided to bring Loung with him because she is still young. Loung then gets separated from her sister again and this time it was harder. And coming to America, she wanted to change herself and she did. Loung worked hard to be where is as at now.In the changes she still remember who she was with paniful memories that could never be forgotten.
As I read this book, I cried many times because I learned of what my mother went through. Now I see her always smiling and while reading the book, I questioned of how she could smile so happily when she lost so much. But then I guess it is because she has us. When Loung mentioned how she saw resemblance of her parents in her brother, I thought, "Do my mother sees resemblance of her family in us?". It sadden because sometimes she would stare at us sadly and I could only think we brought her little pain everytime she look at us. Moreover, this book cause me to be more determine to work hard so my mother would not suffer anymore. But also this book causes me to want to learn more of my own country history.

posted by Angellica M. @ 8:05 PM