Call number
GRAPH N VEA
Collection
Genres
Publication
Drawn and Quarterly (2020), 380 pages
Description
"Year of the Rabbit tells the true story of one family's desperate struggle to survive the murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge seizes power in the capital city of Phnom Penh. Immediately after declaring victory in the war, they set about evacuating the country's major cities with the brutal ruthlessness and disregard for humanity that characterized the regime ultimately responsible for the deaths of one million citizens."--
User reviews
LibraryThing member villemezbrown
Most of my knowledge of the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge comes from dry textbooks read long ago and The Killing Fields, one of those 1980s movies that felt obliged to shove a white character into the middle of another people's story. I'm most grateful for the chance to refresh myself on
A couple quibbles: The extended cast was a bit difficult to keep track of (I made frequent use of the family tree in the front), and some information given in the middle of the book would have been more useful near the front. I recommend reading a brief overview of the larger events at play before diving into this very personal family story.
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the tragic events that killed millions of people -- around one quarter of the country's population -- by execution, torture, disease and famine during the years 1975-79. And I was moved by the courage, luck and persistence that allowed the author's parents to keep themselves and their infant son alive during all the turmoil.A couple quibbles: The extended cast was a bit difficult to keep track of (I made frequent use of the family tree in the front), and some information given in the middle of the book would have been more useful near the front. I recommend reading a brief overview of the larger events at play before diving into this very personal family story.
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LibraryThing member chrisblocker
Year of the Rabbit is a graphic novel that depicts one family's struggle to survive the genocide in Cambodia. I've read about the horrors of the Khmer Rouge--this book doesn't really show that. This genocide looks like every other genocide by a tyrannical ruler and I'm not sure this was the case.
Also, this story is a bit chaotic. Too many characters and an artistic style that makes it difficult to distinguish one family member from the next. In many ways, this is an important work, but I didn't find it particularly eye-opening.
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I'd like to have seen a story that didn't hold back. Perhaps this is just how it was for this family.Also, this story is a bit chaotic. Too many characters and an artistic style that makes it difficult to distinguish one family member from the next. In many ways, this is an important work, but I didn't find it particularly eye-opening.
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Awards
Eisner Award (Nominee — 2021)
Excellence in Graphic Literature Award (Finalist — Adult Non-Fiction — 2021)
Freeman Award (Winner — 2020)
NPR: Books We Love (2020)
Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List (Grades 9-12 — 2022)
ISBN
1770463763 / 9781770463769