This devastating and moving account tells in a fictional form the author's true autobiographical story of her childhood, written as a loving testament to the unimaginable, inhumane experiences that were inflicted on her beloved grandfather and mother, as well as on her younger self and the people of Cambodia. The Freedom...Cage is a heartbreaking saga of endurance that brings into stark relief the depths of pain and depravation that people are capable of inflicting upon one another. Recounted in the narration of the main character, Moy, are vivid depictions of the firsthand experiences and memories of a child of Chinese lineage living through the upheaval and brutality of the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia during the 1970s. Blending dialogue and dialects, English, Khmer, and Chinese are interwoven in this startling book that summons up memories of horrors and atrocities that remain as painful today as when they were actually happening. Interspersed are remarkably poignant moments of family life and insights into the culture of the Chinese population of Southeast Asia during a time of terrifying uncertainty marked by countless gruesome acts associated with covert warfare, political manipulation, and dogmatic revolutionary regimes. For those unfamiliar with the history of Cambodia, The Freedom...Cage offers an astonishing and personal presentation of the Khmer Rouge's rise to power. Urban populations were forcibly evicted at gunpoint from cities and stripped of everything they owned or perceived to be associated with a past-history of colonialization . The ensuing aftermath defies all human capacity for comprehension of the nature of evil and its many manifestations. Amplified by a series of prophetic dreams, The Freedom...Cage conveys the powerful tale of Moy's grandfather, Wong Lai, and her ma, Keem Lai, who suffered through a veritable hell on earth both in her nightmares and in real life. The Freedom...Cage is a profound story that navigates the narrow path between memory and reality. It simultaneously captures the magic of a lunar New Year celebration with white dragons zigzagging upward toward Heaven at the tips of the burning incense in people's hands, alongside the horror of a nine-year-old giggling as a dead body floats face down in the pond. Read The Freedom...Cage and discover Moy's true-life story, and let your life be changed in the process.
About the Author: Luong Ung-Lai was born in the city of Angkor in Cambodia and grew up being called by her childhood nickname, Moy. The harrowing experiences she endured at age eleven during the rise of the Khmer Rouge in 1975 included having to smell and walk on dead bodies, and subsequently watching helplessly as her grandfather and mother died slow and painful deaths in succession. Six years after leaving Cambodia, Luong started writing The Freedom...Cage in 1987, shaping her memories into a narrative form in a process of psychological healing. Her story is presented here with newly composed poems and a closing author's note to provide additional context. Luong is presently preparing a new book of romance, laughter, and tears entitled, Silver Moon, Tom Cupcake.