When Broken Glass Floats

When Broken Glass Floats is a memoir chronicling Chanrithy Him's experiences as a child during Cambodia's Khmer Rouge regime in the 1970s. The account begins with her middle-class life in Phnom Penh before the Khmer Rouge takeover and follows her family's forced evacuation from the city. Him recounts the years of displacement, starvation, and forced labor camps that followed, as her family struggled to stay together and survive. The narrative tracks her journey through multiple work camps and refugee settlements, documenting the realities of life under the brutal communist regime. Through a child's perspective, Him captures daily existence during one of history's darkest periods, detailing both moments of despair and instances of human resilience. The memoir draws its title from a Cambodian proverb that speaks to the eventual triumph of good over evil - when good deeds rise like glass while evil sinks like rocks. The book stands as both a historical record and a meditation on the human capacity to endure extreme circumstances while maintaining hope and dignity. Him's account contributes to the essential work of preserving Cambodian history and understanding the impact of political violence on families and children.

Readers describe this memoir as raw and unflinching in its portrayal of surviving the Khmer Rouge regime through a child's eyes. The personal details and emotional honesty resonate with many readers. What readers liked: - Clear, straightforward writing style - Balance of personal story with historical context - Inclusion of Cambodian cultural elements and traditions - Vivid sensory details that bring scenes to life - The author's resilience without self-pity What readers disliked: - Some found the pacing uneven - A few noted the writing could be simplistic at times - Several wanted more reflection on long-term impacts Ratings: Goodreads: 4.3/5 (3,800+ ratings) Amazon: 4.7/5 (230+ ratings) Common reader comments: "Helps understand Cambodia's tragedy through one family's experience" "The child's perspective makes the horror more impactful" "Cultural details add depth missing from other Khmer Rouge accounts" "Sometimes hard to follow the timeline"

First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung A child's memoir of survival during the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge regime parallels Him's experiences with loss, family separation, and resilience.

Red Scarf Girl by Ji-li Jiang This memoir chronicles a young girl's life during China's Cultural Revolution with themes of political upheaval, family loyalty, and childhood innocence stripped away.

Survival in the Killing Fields by Haing Ngor A Cambodian physician's account of life under the Khmer Rouge presents another perspective of the same historical events that Him experienced.

The Girl with Seven Names by Lee Hyeon-seo This North Korean defector's story shares themes of escape from oppression, family separation, and the struggle to build a new life.

Beautiful Hero by Jennifer Lau A family's journey through the Cambodian genocide follows similar paths of forced labor camps, starvation, and the preservation of humanity in inhumane conditions.

🌿 Chanrithy Him was only seven years old when the Khmer Rouge came to power, forcing her family to join thousands of other Cambodians in labor camps. 🌿 The book's title comes from a Cambodian saying: "When broken glass floats, a nation drowns" - referring to times when the natural order is disrupted and evil triumphs over good. 🌿 Despite enduring severe trauma, Him went on to earn her GED and became a public health researcher at Oregon Health Sciences University, studying Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Cambodian survivors. 🌿 The memoir received the Oregon Book Award for Literary Nonfiction and has been used in many universities as part of their genocide studies curriculum. 🌿 During the Khmer Rouge regime described in the book (1975-1979), approximately 2 million Cambodians - nearly a quarter of the country's population - died from execution, starvation, or disease.