Written in collaboration with his college literature professor, Keat tells the compelling story of how he survived the horrors of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. The fifth of eight children, Nawuth was nine when the Khmer Rouge came to his small village. Nawuth’s father was a successful rice farmer, making the family one of its most prosperous—and a prime target for the Khmer Rouge, which captures and enslaves them. Forced to labor with hunger and physical brutality as constants, Nawuth eventually loses his parents, younger sister and several other members of his family; his resourcefulness and determination to keep the rest alive are inspiring. His recollections are vivid and often horrific, though the disjointed narrative sometimes makes it difficult to follow the chronology. As compelling and poignant as Nawuth’s personal story is, though, the lack of any historical context is a significant oversight. Without even an introduction or historical note to guide them, young readers will not understand what the Khmer Rouge was or why it engaged in a genocidal campaign against its own people, rendering this moving memoir incomplete. (time line) (Memoir. 12-16)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2009
ISBN: 978-1-4263-0515-3
Page Count: 128
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
Marguerite Henry died barely two years ago, after living the life of which most writers dream: She wrote from the time she was young, her parents encouraged her, she published early and often, and her books were honored and loved in her lifetime. Her hobby, she said, was words, but it was also her life and livelihood. Her research skills were honed by working in her local library, doing book repair. Her husband Sidney supported and encouraged her work, and they traveled widely as she carefully researched the horses on Chincoteague and the burros in the Grand Canyon. She worked in great harmony with her usual illustrator, Wesley Dennis, and was writing up until she died. Collins is a bit overwrought in his prose, but Henry comes across as strong and engaging as she must have been in person. Researchers will be delighted to find her Newbery acceptance speech included in its entirety. (b&w photos, bibliography, index) (Biography. 9-12)
Pub Date: March 10, 1999
ISBN: 1-883846-39-0
Page Count: 112
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
With an emphasis on Western “makers” of the millennium, and, perhaps inevitably, deep coverage of the last 200 years and fleeting coverage of the first few centuries, this volume offers brief biographical sketches of 1,000 people who had an impact on the last 1,000 years. Profusely illustrated and printed on heavy glossy stock, this is a coffee table book for children, meant to be dipped into rather than read from start to finish. Organized chronologically, with a chapter for each century, the parade of people is given context through a timeline of major events, with those of particular importance discussed in special boxes. As with any effort of this kind, there are surprising omissions (the publisher is creating a website for readers’ own suggestions) and inclusions, a Western predominance that grows more pronounced in the later centuries, and an emphasis on sports and celebrity that finishes off the last few decades. The selection can seem highly subjective and provocatively arbitrary, e.g., the US presidents from Nixon back to Teddy Roosevelt are all covered, but none after Nixon. Still, there is a clear effort to include a wide variety of countries and cultures, and this ambitious effort will be the starting point for many historical journeys. (chronology, index) (Nonfiction. 8-12)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-7894-4709-6
Page Count: 256
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 1999
BOOK REVIEW
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