FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER - a public lecture by Loung Ung

More bookish goodness going on in Columbia, this time courtesy of our friends at the University of Missouri Honors College.

The annual Honors College One Read this year is the astonishing FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER by Loung Ung, a childhood survivor of the Camdodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot. The book presents a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.

One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung's family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed.

Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung's powerful story is an unforgettable account of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.

The author will be speaking at the Missouri Theatre at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 16. The event is free and open to the public. We are proud to co-host this event with the Honors College. It will be a spell-binding presentation. Don't miss it!