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Never Fall Down

a Boy Soldier's Story of Survival
Jan 17, 2017s390325 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is an absolutely amazing story. I had heard of the Khmer Rouge and the killing fields, but did not know much about it. Arn Chorn-Pond's story of his experience (from age 11 to 15!) is heartbreaking, eye opening, and ultimately inspiring. Despite being so young when he is taken away from his family and all the horrifying things he experiences and witnesses, he keeps on going. It seems like his affection for his friends, no matter how long he's known them, is a big part of his reason to keep trying to survive. Although he doesn't state that explicitly, I can't think of any other reason why he would have tracked down almost every person mentioned in this book. His story is told in a very straightforward way like he is just talking to you which makes it easy to read and understand what happened from his point of view as a child/ young adolescent. His determination to survive and adapt to his circumstances is remarkable. I have found myself remembering and repeating in my head one line from his story, I think when he was alone in the jungle towards the end: just keep putting one foot in front of the other.