Personal & Historical

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Under the Naga Tail is a heart-wrenching historical read that recounts the Cambodian genocide from the point of view of Mae Tiang, who lived it as a young man. His experience has been diligently documented and carefully written up by his son, James Tiang, who began asking his father questions when he was a young man himself. James' writing style is engaging and quick-paced. I found myself only taking breaks when the emotional toll of the story grew too great, then picking the book right back up when I was ready to rejoin Mae's journey.

I was shocked at how quickly the family's life was turned completely upside down and by the cruelty they experienced along the way by their fellow human beings. The extent to which war, hunger, and fear can alter our very humanity is nakedly bared in this account. I found myself clinging to the kind people Mae's family ran into throughout their escape from Cambodia and hoping that more would appear along the way. The power of familial love and desperation of a father trying to keep his family safe when nearly everything was outside of his control was beautiful and intensely painful to read.

Despite the many breaks that I took to make it through this book, I finished it in two days - a testament to James' writing and the power of his father's story.