Stay Alive, My Son

On April 17, 1975, the Khmer Rouge guerrillas filed into Phnom Penh, signaling the start of a reign of terror which would devastate an ancient culture and cause the deaths of over two million Cambodians in just three years. Moving from camp to camp, Pin Yathay and his family became the 'New People'—displaced city dwellers forced to live and work as peasants.

About the Author

Astonishingly, Pin Yathay, a successful, highly educated professional, survived that terrible time. But he and his wife were faced with a decision that no couple should ever have to make: whether to abandon their six ­year-old child. In the era, Pin Yathay escaped the 'killing fields', but in his heart is etched the memory of the seventeen members of his family who lost their lives.

What others are saying

'Brilliant . . . I could not put it down . . . Stay Alive, My Son is a story of miracles, timeless and timely.'
-Lynne Bundesen, author of City of Angels