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Haing Ngor: A Cambodian Odyssey Hardcover – February 2, 1988


The author, winner of an Academy Award for his role in "The Killing Fields," tells his own story of flight from the Khmer Rouge who forced him underground where he worked as a doctor at his own peril

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ngor spent four years as a "war slave" under the Khmer Rouge, experiencing severe torture, losing most of his family and posing as a former cab driver when in fact he had been a doctor. His account of what amounted to a living nightmare vividly conveys the extent of organized savagery that held sway in Cambodia from 1975 until the invasion by the North Vietnamese. Some of the details are so ugly that in three places the author suggests that "readers with sensitive feelings" skip the balance of a chapter. This is more than a recounting of his ordeal, however; Ngor goes a long way toward explaining why a land known for its shy and gentle people became the site of mass killings that reached genocidal proportions. He also provides an excellent account of the origins of the Khmer Rouge and the career of Pol Pot. The latter part of the book has to do with the almost incredible circumstances that led to an Academy Award for his role in the film The Killing Fields. A terrible and thrilling story.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Best known for his Oscar-winning role in The Killing Fields , Haing tells his life story, concentrating on his experiences in the hell that was Cambodia from 1975 to 1979. He lost most of his family; unable to admit his medical training (doctors and their families were marked for death), he watched helplessly as his wife died in childbirth; and he was repeatedly imprisoned and tortured. This frank and often horrifying narrative of survival is enriched by the author's attempts to understand incredible inhumanity, his perceptive discussion of events that led to the Khmer Rouge victory, and his description of the continuing suffering of Cambodians under North Vietnamese occupation and as refugees in Thailand. For adult readers. Kenneth W. Berger, Duke Univ. Lib., Durham, N.C.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Macmillan; First Edition (February 2, 1988)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 476 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0025893300
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0025893306
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 2 x 12 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Haing Ngor
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Customer reviews

4.9 out of 5 stars
4.9 out of 5
31 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on March 11, 2023
ES UN LIBRO EXCELENTE, PERO NO LO RECOMIENDO A LA GENTE SENSIBLE O
CARDIACA.
JAMÁS HE LEIDO ALGO SEMEJANTE, EL
GOBIERNO COMUNISTA DEL KHMER ROUGE (KHMER ROJO) , EL CUAL GOBERNÓ A CAMBOYA
ENTRE 1975 Y 1978, HA SIDO EL EXPERIMENTO
MAS CRIMINAL, ESPELUZNANTE Y DEMENCIAL
DE LA ERA MODERNA.
EN MI OPINIÓN TRES FACTORES CONTRIBUYERON A SU TRIUNFO:
1) LA IDEOLOGIA MAOISTA IMPORTADA
DE CHINA, TODA LA RETÓRICA, SIMBOLOGIA
E INCLUSIVE LA MÚSICA REVOLUCIONARIA
ERA UNA COPIA AL CARBÓN DE LA CHINA DE
MAO, TANTO LA GRAN MARCHA HACIA ADELANTRE DE 1957 COMO LA REVOLUCIÓN
CULTURAL DE 1966 A 1976 SIRVIERON DE
INSPIRACIÓN AL KHMER ROUGE.
2) LA PRESENCIA DE LOS NORVIETNAMITAS
Y EL VIETCONG EN TERRITORIO CAMBOYANO
CON EL BENEPLÁCITO DEL GOBIERNO ERRÁTICO
DEL PRÍNCIPE NORODOM SIHANOUK QUIEN
MANIFESTABA SU NEUTRALIDAD Y NO ALINEAMIENTO, SIN EMBARGO ESO ERA FALSO,
DESDE 1963 SE HABIA INCLINADO HACIA CHINA
COMUNISTA Y VIETNAM DEL NORTE, AL MISMO
TIEMPO EL COMBATIÓ A LOS COMUNISTAS
LOCALES, DESPUÉS DEL GOLPE SE ESTADO
DE LON NOL EN 1970, DECIDIÓ ALIARSE AL
KHMER ROUGE, SELLANDO ASI LA SUERTE
(MALA SUERTE MAS BIEN) DE CAMBOYA.
3) LA INJERENCIA NORTEAMERICANA ; SI
BIEN ES CIERTO QUE EL GOLPE DE ESTADO
DE 1970 DE LON NOL FUE UN ASUNTO INTERNO
( NADA QUE VER CON LA CIA, COMO SUELEN
SEÑALAR LOS IZQUIERDISTAS), TAMBIÉN ES
CIERTO QUE PERPETRARON BOMBARDEOS
MASIVOS EN LAS POBLACIONES RURALES
CAUSANDO MILLARES DE VÍCTIMAS INOCENTES
Y DE REFUGIADOS QUE ABARROTARON LA
CUIDAD DE PHNOM PENH, ESTO LO APROVECHÓ
EL KHMER ROUGE PARA RECLUTAR CAMPESINOS, MUCHOS DE ELLOS NIÑOS;
AL MISMO TIEMPO USA APOYÓ AL REGIMEN
CORRUPTO E INEPTO DE LON NOL, LOS OFICIALES LES VENDIAN LAS ARMAS QUE LES
DABAN LOS NORTEAMERICANOS,AL KHMER ROUGE.
EN OCCIDENTE HUBO INTELECTUALES DE
IZQUIERDA QUE APOYARON AL KHMER ROUGE,
TENEMOS EL CASO DE NOAM CHOMSKY QUIEN
TUVO LA DESFACHATEZ DE DECIR QUE NO
HABIA QUE CRITICAR AL KHMER ROUGE PORQUE
ESO ERA EQUIVALENTE A HACERLE EL JUEGO
A QUIENES HABIAN APOYADO LA GUERRA,
ALGO VERDADERAMENTE DESCABELLADO,
TÍPICO DE ESTA IZQUIERDA VENENOSA Y
A LA VEZ PUERIL, COMO YA LO ACOTÉ. PREVIAMENTE LA INJERENCIA DE USA ENTRE
1970 Y 1975 LEJOR DE ACABAR CON EL COMUNISMO LO QUE HIZO FUE ALLANARLES
EL CAMINO, POR LO TANTO NO HAY NADA
QUE REIVINDICAR.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 28, 2023
Despite the horrific things that happened to this man, once you start reading you cannot put it down. From the very first page to the last, it is a gripping story.
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Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2012
This is an awesome book. The story that Dr. Ngor lived is so much more intense, real, and spellbinding than the rather slanted and sketchy story put forth in the Movie "The Killing Fields". I read this book when it was first published. I gave away the copy and decided to get some more. I bought several copies to give to others. They are really cheap right now with the book out of print and not PC in some respects as it touches on the fact that the Pol Pot regime was nothing but a Chinese Puppet with Chicom Cadres actually playing Chinese music as they toiled in the fields. I suggest reading this book and then Hungry Ghosts about the Great Leap Forward in China where the same events played out on a much grander, but barely known, scale.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2015
One of the BEST Cambodian-American autobiographies of all time. Dr. Ngor is not only a captivating story-teller, but an incredible intellectual and inspiring humanitarian. He has amassed so many accomplishments in his short lifetime (including being the very first Asian American to win an Academy Award for his role in the film, "The Killing Fields"). This book brings him to life and gives readers such an intimate insight of Dr. Ngor's life. Anyone interested in learning about the politics, history, culture and tragedy that surrounds recent Cambodian history, this book is a must read!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2015
I will admit that I am a casual reader and don't do as much reading as I should but I picked up this book to learn more about my culture and my roots. Let me tell you that once I picked it up, I could not put it back down. This books seems to have this effect on you. Dr. Haing S. Ngor's story is truly remarkable and I suggest any reader pick the book up. You must read this book once in your lifetime. You won't regret it.
5 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2018
Hard to believe that humans can endure such suffering and deprivation and still be human. I admired this man endlessly, and am ashamed and saddened that he had to die here at the hands of low-lives.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 29, 2017
excellent. product received was as described. very satisfied with vendor.
Reviewed in the United States on February 23, 2023
I read this a long time ago, but I cannot forget it. The details of man's inhumanity to man were astounding. The torture and killing were barbaric and intentionally cruel. But it is an important part of history, and one that everyone should understand to prevent it from happening again. To think that this happened 30 years after the Holocaust makes me wonder if we have learned anything from the genocidal maniacs of our past.

Top reviews from other countries

heather allen
5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 29, 2013
Don't be put off by the worst designed book jacket of all time - the story is fascinating, what an amazing life! Arrived quickly and in good condition.