10x10 Writer, Loung Ung, in Cambodia. Photo by Martha Adams of 10x10

To inaugurate the 10×10 Book Club, we bring you the work of bestselling writer and international activist Loung Ung. Her debut memoir, First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers, is the perfect choice to kick things off!

As a child, Loung survived five years under the vicious Khmer Rouge in her native Cambodia. She was trapped in tortuous horror, trying to outrun destruction, war, starvation, and death. Although Loung witnessed evil acts of inhumanity during her most formative years, she also experienced both the unconditional devotion and courage of her family. With the same courageous energy that allowed her to survive when so many did not, Loung has spent most of her adulthood enabling, championing, and saving other people’s lives.

Choose Loung’s unforgettable First They Killed My Father for your next book club meeting, then be sure to download her 10×10 Book Club Kit to enhance the conversation.

• Get to know Loung in-depth through 10×10’s biography and exclusive Q&A; you’llfind her to be warm, practical, mischievous, curious, and downright goofy. Mixed in with her humor, are glimpses of her difficult past:  “I can eat anything, and sleep anywhere!” she declares almost gleefully. “I grew up eating out of the garbage cans, so nothing ever upsets my stomach!”
• Meet Sokha, our 10×10 Cambodian girl, and find out why Loung was so drawn to Sokha’s “own conviction, her own power.”
• Have easy-to-use discussion questions immediately on hand to deepen your exchange about Loung’s book.
• Find out more about Cambodia – then and now – to add context to your discussion.
• Check out all the additional articles, videos, films, policy briefs, and more for further information.
• Make your next meeting a full-sensory Cambodian
  night by using the included recipes and music playlist.

Each of our 10×10 writers will have their own club kits… and we’ll be sure to announce them here as they become available. So check back often and keep reading along with our writers. We promise we’ll be sharing some mesmerizing, insightful, unforgettable adventures! Visit the 10×10 Book Club here.

And discover more books we recommend with a global perspective over on Pinterest.