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 .. 0 petals ..

5 Comments

• I think Geak understands what is happening around her eventhough she is very young.
• I wonder how their feet turned out as a result of walking so much and so long without shoes.
• I thought Loung was dreaming when she bumped into her family.
• I never really understood Cambodians hate for Vietnamese.
• Loung is lucky that she found Chou and Kim after the bombing, I almost cried...

4 Questions

• Is Loung afraid that she would face the same fate Kaev did?
• Where did Loung wandered off during the past three days after she found out her mother's death?
• Is Pa and Ma watching for Loung?
• Why do they kill people? What will it solve?

3 Vocabularies

• Regime(pg. 155)-noun. a mode or systemof rule or government power.
• Jubilant(pg. 174)- adj. showing great joy or satisfaction.
• Infiltrate(pg. 184)-verb.to filter into or through.

2 Literally Devices

• "I walk away not knowing when I will see them again"(pg150)- It's foreshadowing the next time they will see eachother again.
• "The village is quiet"(pg.159)-Ominous, it's a bad sign that something had happen or about to happen.

Summary
Loung visited her mom and learns that her mother suffered abit after she kicked Chou, Loung and Kim out. Later on Loung reunited with her family at the infirmary minus Pa,Kaev and Khouy(still alive). However, that is the last time she saw her mother because in he later pages t told of her mother and Gaek being taken away by soliders. Not after her discovery, she returns to camp but it soon get attacked. The only thing she thought during the chaos was to find Chou and in the end they found one another and Kim. Kimbeing oldest take cares of his younger sisters from then on.

posted by Angellica M. @ 7:51 PM .. 0 petals ..

5 Comments

• It is best for the family to forget about Keav's death and move one.
• I still can't get over that their childhood is like hell.
• It must be hard for Loung to lie to herself and ignore the truth about her father.
• It scares that a seven years old kid like Loung ca hate so much that she wants to kill.
• I wonder of the pain that Ma felt when she sent the kids away.

4 Questions

• Are the soldiers gonna kill Pa by tellinga lie to the family?
• How come the soldiers do not have mercy for the people?
• How could Loung crack mean jokes when she is separating from her sister?
• id they really sent not young kids to fight war?

3 Vocabularies

• Omnipotent(pg. 114)-adj.having unlimited aunthority or power.
  
• Zealous(pg. 130)-adj.devoted.
• Seethe(pg. 136)-verb.to boil.

2 Literally Devices

• "It is still dark and the shimmering sunset of red, gold, and purple over horizon..." Setting, it is descrbibing the beautiful sunset before Pa leaves.
• "Kim's face look like a monkey"(pg. 113)- Simile, Kim's face is described as a monkey.

Summary
Not long after they took Keav away. Soldiers came and took fathers away from home including Loung's father. After Pa left, the family waits for him on the steps, but they slowly realize that he won;'t come back. It was hard for Ma accept, but she slowly accepts it and work harder because she was part Chinese. But Ma fears for the children safety because she hears that soldiers would come to houses andkilled the whole family. In order ton prevent Ma sents them and told them to lie about their idenitity. Loung does not want to leave her Ma and baby sister, Geak, but she has to leave with Kim and Chou.Kim then seperate froms Chou and Loung, and Loung and Chou goes to a different camp. Soon, Loung leave her sister to another camp that trains younger kids to fight. Now, I question when will Loung see her siblings again.

posted by Angellica M. @ 3:37 PM .. 0 petals ..

5 Comments

• Angkar keeps moving people so the Khmer won't revolt against them.
• The way the chief of Ro Leap speaks reminds me of how I can not understand Cambodians from Cambodia when they talk.
• As I read this book, I find out how much Cambodians suffered in the past.
• The children lost their childhood since the beginning.
• In order to survive, they would eat things I would never tried to eat such as rabbits and rats.

4 Questions

• Isn't 800 a big population for a village?
• If they don't attend school, how will the children learn for to read and write Khmer?
• Does the village chief wants the village to starve to death?
• Why didn't Chong's girls checked with their first to know if the mushrooms were poison or not?

3 Vocabularies

• June bugs(pg. 53)-noun. any of several, brown beetles of the genus Phyllophaga, appearing in the lates springs and early summers.
• Broth(pg.81)-noun. thin soup of concentrated meat or fish.
• Contort(pg.89)-verb.to twist, bend,or draw out.

2 Literally Devices

• "Their twisted trunks, roots, andvines wrapped themselves around the ruins like gigantic boa..."(pg. 67)-Simile, comparing the trees to gigantic boa.
• ""My heart cries"(pg.81)-Personafication, a heart can't really cry out.

Summary-
Loung and her family started to adpat to the life. However to survive they must wrok twice as hard as normal people because they were different. Loung's older brothers leave home to work at camp. Her other brother who was only about ten works at the chief's house in order to bring extra food home, but while working he is abused. Soon, he gets fire. Loung's oldest sister, Keav, also was force to leave home to work at a childern camp. Only months later, Loung's family finds out that she is ill and on her death bed. Loung's family was able to their sister because when they arrived to the camp, Keav pasted away without a final goodbye. Loung then have a flame of hate grow inside of her.

posted by Angellica M. @ 3:05 PM .. 0 petals ..