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A generation of children completely missing.

posted by LockeProposal on TheGrittyPast

[The following is an excerpt from Loung Ung’s amazing memoir about her experiences as a young girl who survived the Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia during the late 70s.]

Of the five hundred or so new people in our village, there are only two or three babies among the families. Although I cannot fully understand her words, I overhear Ma say women are so overworked, underfed, and filled with fear that most cannot become pregnant anymore. Even when they do, many suffer miscarriages. Most newborn babies do not survive more than a couple of days. Pa says there will be a generation of children completely missing from our country. Shaking his head, he looks at Geak [Loung’s infant sister]. “The first victims are always the children.”

Source:

Ung, Loung. “Ro Leap, November 1975.” First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers. Harper Perennial, 2017. 66. Print.

[**The following is an excerpt from Loung Ung’s amazing memoir about her experiences as a young girl who survived the Khmer Rouge atrocities in Cambodia during the late 70s.**] >Of the five hundred or so new people in our village, there are only two or three babies among the families. Although I cannot fully understand her words, I overhear Ma say women are so overworked, underfed, and filled with fear that most cannot become pregnant anymore. Even when they do, many suffer miscarriages. Most newborn babies do not survive more than a couple of days. Pa says there will be a generation of children completely missing from our country. Shaking his head, he looks at Geak [**Loung’s infant sister**]. “The first victims are always the children.” ____________________________ **Source:** Ung, Loung. “Ro Leap, November 1975.” *First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers*. Harper Perennial, 2017. 66. Print.

6 comments

[–] E-werd 2 points (+2|-0)

The Khmer Rouge is something I actually know next to nothing about. Any suggested reading/documentary on that?

[–] LockeProposal [OP] 0 points (+0|-0)

This should do the trick. And then there are a lot of memoirs and such on Amazon.

[–] E-werd 0 points (+0|-0)

Edited

Nice, thanks. Doesn't look like my local library has it, I'll have to see where else I can get it--aside from Amazon, I mean. I'm attempting to read first, buy later where possible.

On an unrelated note... I'm mostly a Russophile when it comes to history and I'm currently working on Voices From Chernobyl. I thought you might be interested in it, the entirety of it is basically full of /s/TheGrittyPast material. This excerpt is pretty much my favorite.

[–] LockeProposal [OP] 1 points (+1|-0)

Fuck, man. Definitely need to pick that up.

My wife and I are hitting up a book store after work. If I can't find it there, I'll be ordering this from Amazon tomorrow. Thanks so much for this!

[–] nomad_goat 1 points (+1|-0)

I have a coworker who married a woman from the lost generation. When they go back and visit, as soon as the locals find out her age, they'll always ask about her families story of how they made it out.

[–] LockeProposal [OP] 0 points (+0|-0)

Fuck.