Golden Bones: An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America | 
| Author: Sichan Siv
Publisher: Harper
Category: Book
List Price: $25.95
Buy New: $9.25
You Save: $16.70 (64%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 65330
Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1
ISBN: 0061340685
Dewey Decimal Number: 327.2092
EAN: 9780061340680
ASIN: 0061340685
Publication Date: July 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
While the United States battled the Communists of North Vietnam in the 1960s and '70s, the neighbouring country of Cambodia was attacked from within by dictator Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge imprisoned, enslaved, and murdered the educated and intellectual members of the population, resulting in the harrowing "killing fields"–rice paddies where the harvest yielded nothing but millions of skulls. Young Sichan Siv–a target since he was a university graduate–was told by his mother to run and "never give up hope!" Captured and put to work in a slave labor camp, Siv knew it was only a matter of time before he would be worked to death–or killed. With a daring escape from a logging truck and a desperate run for freedom through the jungle, including falling into a dreaded pungi pit, Siv finally came upon a colorfully dressed farmer who said, "Welcome to Thailand." He spent months teaching English in a refugee camp in Thailand while regaining his strength, eventually Siv was allowed entry into the United States. Upon his arrival in the U.S., Siv kept striving. Eventually rising to become a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Siv returned with great trepidation to the killing fields of Cambodia in 1992 as a senior representative of the U.S. government. It was an emotionally overwhelming visit.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
an extraordinary story September 4, 2008
A truly touching story of courage and survival. I couldn't put this book down. A must read to see how fortunate you really are. This is one of the best books I have ever read. A story that will have you shaking your head as you understand what the author and his beloved homeland experienced. This story will stay with you long after you finish the book.
 Pierre Chomat, French citizen September 3, 2008
Golden Bones: An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America
A must to read for anyone interested in knowing the extent to which the Kmer Rouge destroyed Cambodia.
A Rippin' Good Read August 30, 2008
Want good writing? Want a rippin' good read? This book is good for both. The other reviews will tell you it's a heroic story of a young man who survived - in every sense of the word - the horrors of the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields. That it is. But there's much more to this biography than that. This guy made it from being a member of a 'mobile slave unit' to being an ambassador of the United States to the United Nations. Not even Hollywood can invent a superhero with that kind of meteoric potential. No one would buy tickets to such a fairy tale. Ah, but they wouldn't have read Golden Bones! It's one thing to "fall into the mouth of a tiger" and have the presence of mind to play with his teeth - as Sichan Siv did more than once in his hell-on-earth struggle to survive bands of murderous teenagers armed with AK47s and infused with revolutionary zeal. It's one thing to weigh only 120 pounds, be covered with sores from rancid soup and wounds from pongee sticks and wake up one night to find a boa constrictor crawling across your chest. But it's another thing altogether to rise from a pile of ashes that deep and work your way so close to the very top of the American political hierarchy. We've heard of concentration camp survivors making new lives for themselves in America. But Sichan Siv's incredible story rivals the best of them. It left me with the irresistible thought that despite its many faults, tomorrow's world will be even better than today's.
Compelling saga of human resolve August 28, 2008
I just finished reading this book -- it is extraordinary and well worth buying. In many respects this is the ultimate 'self help' guide. It is the kind of book you read when facing adversity in life, or give to a friend when they are looking down. Sichan Siv has faced the worst life has to offer and has made it to the top. Anyone who thinks they can't rebound or pick themselves up from tough times should read Siv's story.
The other remarkable message is the opportunities that America gives to everyone, no matter what your background. Siv came to the U.S. as a refugee and soon found himself working in the White House. What other country on the planet offers opportunities like that? Another inspirational message to people of any background, color, education, etc. about what can be accomplished if you keep on trying.
An Amazing and Inspiring Tale of the American Dream August 28, 2008
Golden Bones is a true story which will inspire and captivate you from beginning to end.
Ambassador Sichan Siv shares his journey from his younger days in Cambodia to the White House to the United Nations. His story reminds us that America is a great country and that with hope and hard work-- dreams do come true.
This book intertwines history, Cambodian and American culture with a tale of courage and hope. A must read for all and a story we, as a land of immigrants, can appreciate. His story is the American Dream.
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