Never Fall Down
By Patricia McCormick
I am president of my schools book club and this book is a Georgia Peach Award Winner so I decided to read it.
Back cover so I don't have to summarize for you:
When soldiers arrive at his hometown in Cambodia, Arn is just a kid, dancing to rock 'n' roll, hustling for spare change, and selling ice cream with his brother. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children, weak from hunger, malaria, or sheer exhaustion, dying before his eyes. He sees prisoners marched to a nearby mango grove, never to return. And he learns to be invisible to the sadistic Khmer Rouge, who can give or take away life on a whim.
One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. In order to survive, he must quickly master the strange revolutionary songs the soldiers demand—and steal food to keep the other kids alive. This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated from the Khmer Rouge, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier. He lives by the simple credo: Over and over I tell myself one thing: never fall down.
It is historical non-fiction which basically means that it is very depressing and even more depressing because you know that it actually happened. I love the basics of the book that music can get you through anything... I love how Arn (the main character) learned to play a instrument then latter that led him to being saved from the gripping turmoil of well being killed.
This is the man that the book is based on playing the flute.
It is a VERY good book that will open up you mind to see things differently and truly change a part of you like all good books do. A quick but deep read.
Really Good Quote:
“Long time I been on my own, but now really I'm alone. I survive the killing, the starving, all the hate of the Khmer Rouge, but I think maybe now I will die of this, of broken heart.”
― Patricia McCormick, Never Fall Down
I also really like other peoples reviews of books so here are some good ones I have read:
“Powerfully, hauntingly unforgettable.” (Booklist (starred review))
“A gripping account of the inner turmoil of a child soldier.” (New York Times Book Review)
Okay now go and read it!
I am president of my schools book club and this book is a Georgia Peach Award Winner so I decided to read it.
Back cover so I don't have to summarize for you:
When soldiers arrive at his hometown in Cambodia, Arn is just a kid, dancing to rock 'n' roll, hustling for spare change, and selling ice cream with his brother. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children, weak from hunger, malaria, or sheer exhaustion, dying before his eyes. He sees prisoners marched to a nearby mango grove, never to return. And he learns to be invisible to the sadistic Khmer Rouge, who can give or take away life on a whim.
One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. In order to survive, he must quickly master the strange revolutionary songs the soldiers demand—and steal food to keep the other kids alive. This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated from the Khmer Rouge, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier. He lives by the simple credo: Over and over I tell myself one thing: never fall down.
It is historical non-fiction which basically means that it is very depressing and even more depressing because you know that it actually happened. I love the basics of the book that music can get you through anything... I love how Arn (the main character) learned to play a instrument then latter that led him to being saved from the gripping turmoil of well being killed.
This is the man that the book is based on playing the flute.
It is a VERY good book that will open up you mind to see things differently and truly change a part of you like all good books do. A quick but deep read.
Really Good Quote:
“Long time I been on my own, but now really I'm alone. I survive the killing, the starving, all the hate of the Khmer Rouge, but I think maybe now I will die of this, of broken heart.”
― Patricia McCormick, Never Fall Down
I also really like other peoples reviews of books so here are some good ones I have read:
“Powerfully, hauntingly unforgettable.” (Booklist (starred review))
“A gripping account of the inner turmoil of a child soldier.” (New York Times Book Review)
Okay now go and read it!
Someone fix this
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