Individualism

Lucky Child
By: Loung Ung
2005

A memoir about a girl trying to find who she is in a world completely new to her. Loung Ung immigrates to America from the war ridden Cambodia when she is just ten years old. It is a story of struggle as you see young Loung trying to fit in to American culture while trying to please her older brother, Meng, who is her caretaker. She wants to forget about all the violence that she has been exposed to in Cambodia, but her roots keep bringing her back to that love of her native country.
While reading along with Loung's story you are also reading about her sister, Chou's, story while she is still living in Cambodia at the same time. This creates a very interesting juxtaposition about the privileged life that we live in America and the not so privileged life lead in Cambodia.

This book is definitely not a light-hearted read, it will leave you with a wide range of emotions throughout the memoir. This is a book that makes you think of the world outside our tunnel vision of American life and we are let in to the struggles of a young girl trying to become her own version of the "American Dream."