In 1975, the Khmer Rouge became the ruling political party in Cambodia after overthrowing the government of Lon Nol. Following their leader Pol Pot, the Khmer Rouge imposed an extreme form of social engineering on Cambodian society. They wanted to form an anti-modern, anti-Western ideal of a restructured “classless agrarian society,” a radical form of agrarian communism in which the entire population had to work on collective farms or forced labor projects. The Khmer Rouge revolutionary army applied this principle mostly with extreme violence. The book "First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers", written by Luong Ung, is the author's story about growing up during this time period. He was five years old when the Khmer Rouge came to power. As stated in the author's note, "From 1975 to 1979, through executions, starvation, disease, and forced labor, the Khmer Rouge systematically killed approximately two million Cambodians, nearly a quarter of the country's population." he wrote the book “First They Killed My Father”. One reason could be to show how people struggle to survive against all odds. Another reason to write this book would be to show how the government's intentions and its actions can differ. It is also attempting to show how important family is and the effects war can have on a person. When the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government and took power, Luong Ung was only five years old. He lived through the entire period when the Khmer Rouge were in power, which is why he can provide first-hand evidence of the war and its effects on the Cambodian people. He had to live in harsh conditions and his innocence was stolen by the new government and its... middle of paper... Why did the government immediately use force instead of finding some other method? Why did Lon Nol's government fail to fight the Khmer Rouge? The story "First They Killed My Father: Remember a Daughter of Cambodia" is a gripping tale of life during the Khmer Rouge takeover of the Cambodian government. Luong Ung said: "When I tell people about the genocide, I have the opportunity to redeem myself... It empowers me; it feels right. The more I tell people, the less nightmares haunt me. The more people listen to me, the less I hate ." I believe that the more Luong Ung can spread his story to others and make them aware of the tragedy that happened, the less likely it becomes that a catastrophe like this will happen again. Hearing Luong Ung's story will encourage readers to triumph over any obstacles they may face in life.