"First they killed my father" takes you on an emotional journey filled with nothing but sorrow. I really liked this book but it was filled with tragedy that doesn’t seem to leave the family of Loung Ung. I mean, I was really happy until I read this book. It really makes you feel for the Ung family as well as all of the Cambodians that were involved. Because this book mirrors the life of the Cambodian people at this time, it really makes you feel for Cambodians everywhere.
I really enjoyed the way the author explains the way of life as a Cambodian. She tells it in a way that seems to put heavy meaning into her words. As well as explain her way of life she also does a great job of describing the culture from before the Khmer Rouge took over and after. It made you think about what would happen if the united states where taken over and how our life/customs would change. What this author does to us is make us imagine a world where our way of life has been interrupted and a new one has been forced upon us. In my opinion I think the imagery in this book is very vivid and quite meaning full. The imagery in this book really makes you feel pity for the author as well as the other characters in the book. Something that I cherished about the imagery is the feeling of helplessness. The author does a great job of making you feel like the characters are helpless. This book I have to say is very depressing. I would not recommend this book if you enjoy joyful books. This book is not a joy filled book. It is a book about death and tragedy. This is a great representation of how it must have felt to be a Vietnamese citizen at the time.
This book left me gasping for air. It is so well written and so vivid. I can easily say that this is one of the best books I have read. It makes you build a connection with the characters which make the book even more tragic. What Loung Ung does here with this book not only tell a story of her past but create a piece of art out of this book.