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Reflections of a Khmer Soul | 
 enlarge | Author: Navy Phim
Publisher: Wheatmark
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
Buy New: $8.71
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Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 1087205
Media: Paperback
Pages: 164
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.6
ISBN: 1587368617
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.049593
EAN: 9781587368615
ASIN: 1587368617
Publication Date: August 15, 2007
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Product Description
A lyrical journey of self-acceptance as the author questions and comes to term with the Killing Fields and other genocides. This journey involves traveling inside oneself and to a distant past to discuss what it means to be Khmer, a hyphenated American, and different misconceptions about Cambodians and Cambodia, a place that still haunts and inspires her. "In Reflections of a Khmer Soul, Navy Phim explores what it means to be a child of the 'Killing Fields' raised in the United States. In the thirty years since the Khmer Rouge came to power in Cambodia, many personal narratives of that horrific period have been written, but Navy offers a new point of view on this tragic story. Hers is the story of the middle generation growing up with, and trying to make sense of, two cultures and two worlds-the beauty and tragedy of her Cambodian past (her Khmer soul) and the comfortable restlessness of her American present. Through stories, memories, and 'snippets,' Navy shares her life journey from her birthplace in Battambang, Cambodia, to Kao-I-Dang refugee camp on the Thai-Cambodian border, to a refugee processing center in the Philippines, to Long Beach, California, home to the largest population of Cambodians outside Southeast Asia. Told from the perspective of a seasoned world traveler, this book offers a unique perspective on both Cambodian and American cultures and history. " -Dr. Susan Needham, associate professor, anthropology, California State University, Dominguez Hills
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 An intriguing tale from an experienced world traveler August 10, 2008
Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA)
To be brought up both in the United States and the killing fields of Cambodia - what is life like for such an individual? "Reflections of a Khmer Soul" is the life story of Navy Phim, who experienced this kind of childhood. She discusses the culture clash and shock that she had to deal with between the two places, and the differences between them. An intriguing tale from an experienced world traveler, "Reflections of a Khmer Soul" is highly recommended to community library biography collections.
 Rich Tapestry of Memories, Dreams and Reflections June 19, 2008
Malcolm R. Campbell (Northeast Georgia)
Navy Phim was born in Cambodia in April 1975 as the insurgent forces of Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge seized control of the country bringing to an end a brutal civil war against the US-backed government of Lon Nol. However, the brutalities did not end with the war's end: two million Cambodians would die at the hands of the Khmer Rouge during the next 45 months through starvation, execution and torture.
Pol Pot proclaimed 1975 as Year Zero and began his "purification" of the country, ridding it of city dwellers, capitalists, westerners, banks, stores, hospitals, churches and other purportedly unnecessary organizations, while forcing mass numbers of people into agrarian work camps. Those who did not survive the work and the torture, those who were often forced to dig their own shallow graves, ended up in what Cambodian photojournalist Dith Pran called "the killing fields."
"Reflections of a Khmer Soul" is a collection of stories, "snippets," travels and contemplations representing Navy Phim's inner and outer journey away from that Year Zero. Her outer journey began when her parents left Cambodia for Thailand for economic reasons in 1979. Swept up in a mass exodus of some 600,000 people, Phim's life for the next four years was largely defined by refugee camps and the roads between them.
At six years of age, Phim helped the family earn a living in the camps by selling bread at a marketplace stall and nearby neighborhoods. "When I returned to Cambodia and saw young merchants touting their produces," Phim writes, "I remembered my life as a peddler in the refugee camps and how much I hated walking around with my merchandise, being afraid of meeting Thai soldiers."
Finally, after a year in the Philippines in a refugee status, her family was sponsored to the United States, ultimately settling within the large Cambodian population of Long Beach, California.
This beautiful, well-written book also explores Phim's inner journey, one concerned to a large degree with identity. She asks questions and tries to understand how and why Khmer could kill Khmer. Phim lives within the very long shadow of the Killing Fields and the near-requisite negative connotations for the word "Khmer." While that shadow is real and persistent, Phim did not see, much less know about, the Killing Fields as a child in the late 1970s.
"To think of myself as a survivor of the Killing Fields is strange," writes Phim. "I did not live through the Killing Fields per se, but I am trying to understand the pain, loss, dehumanization and post-traumatic syndrome that lingered in the minds of many survivors."
Some people assume that because she was born in Cambodia, Phim is Khmer Rouge or that her parents were Khmer Rouge. It's as though an entire people have become tainted in some way or held to be complicit in the actions of Pol Pot's political party. Phim's inner journey brings her to the realization that while she does not carry shame for being born when and where she was, "being Cambodian requires a lot of explanation."
Phim's journey took her back to Srok Khmer, the country of Khmer, the motherland, four times. She writes that the "kind of love, heartache, and pain I feel for Srok Khmer is deeply imbedded within my soul; these feelings are suffused with glorious memories and stories that are real, even if they are stories and distant memories that may not even be mine."
"Reflections of a Khmer Soul" is a rich tapestry of memories, dreams and reflections of the tragic yet wondrous Srok Khmer into which Phim was born on Year Zero and the America where she grew up and makes her home. Phim's soul is "poetically Khmer," and this book shows us that she has found joy and hope and peace in that ultimate reality of her world.
beautifully written February 9, 2008
book.of.the.moment (USA)
"Reflections of a Khmer Soul" is not what it appears to be at first glance. The author, Navy Phim, is a Cambodian who was born in the midst of war, and to this day can feel her heritage cursing through her veins.
When I read the title, I assumed this was going to be a book about being raised in a war torn country. While books like that do indeed move me, and I completely value their importance as literature, I was still quite pleasantly suprised when I realized that this isn't what this book is all about. The book is a collection of snippets; memories, cultural lessons and explanations, thoughts and ideas. The author doesn't remember a whole lot about her life in Cambodian refugee camps. At a fairly young age, she was moved to the US, and the majority of her life has been spent here. Yet she has always remained true to her history and her motherland, chosing not to change her Khmer name and to return to Cambodia at every given opportunity.
Some parts of the book were more interesting (to me) than others, but all in all, I would say I enjoyed reading it. I learned a lot, both about the Killing Fields, and about Cambodia itself, and I smiled at several of the author's trips down memory lane. The snippets are written with passion and heart, and that's what makes them so wonderful. Never once do you doubt your narrator's sincerity, and because you can immediately trust her, your interest holds through to the last page.
An excellent read December 16, 2007
A. MCIVOR (London, UK)
I ordered Navy Phim's book in July after having seen it mentioned on a Cambodian-themed website in Britain. I have never regretted that decision. Navy, a former child refugee from what used to be called Democratic Kampuchea, is to be congratulated for having produced such a well written, interesting and at times moving book. It is a work that I never tire of re-reading. For someone who has never been to Cambodia or had contact with its emigre community, Navy has spurred me to read more about Cambodia and the events which led her parents to leave their homeland. I would recommend others to read Navy Phim's book.
A great book to have! December 13, 2007
Chankrisna Chea
I've just finished reading this reflections of a Khmer soul book written by Navy Phim. Overall, I'd like to say this book is a well-written biography of herself that encompasses various topics mainly Khmer cultures, mixed with some of American cultures through her personal story, her journey and her thoughts.
As a person who is new to this country (the U.S) myself, I find it an inspiring personal story of success that helps me successfully adapt to this new environment as I go on with life. I'm glad to have this book in my shelf that I can always refer to and read whenever I have time.
Thanks for spending your time and great effort in writting it up and putting things together to have this great book.
-Krisna
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