birth to several children. Chou's story was recorded by Loung and translated to English. It is written in the third person. Characters Loung Ung - The author and narrator of the American story arc. Chou Ung - Loung's sister. Older by three years, Chou remained in Cambodia with the rest of her family. Chou was closest to Loung and missed her younger sister a lot. At age eighteen she marries Pheng. She is the central character in the Cambodian story arc. Meng and Eang Ung - Loung's caretakers, Meng is her eldest brother and Eang is her sister-in-law. They flee Cambodia with Loung for Thailand, there they receive sponsorship by an American church to live in Vermont. Maria and Tori Ung - The children of Meng and Eang and Loung's nieces; they are the first Ungs to become American citizens since they were born in America. Author Loung Ung is a Cambodian-American human-rights activist. Born in Phnom Penh, Ung came from an affluent Cambodian family. Since her father was a senior military official, the Ung family was specifically targeted in a genocide known as the Killing Fields. An orphan, Ung spent time in a labor camp and a child-soldier training camp. Ung is now the national spokeswoman for an international anti-landmine organization, Vietnam Veterans of America’s Foundation for a Landmine Free World. References External links The Society for Better Books in Cambodia Loung Ung's official website 2005 non-fiction books Autobiographies HarperCollins books