nonfiction graphic memoir (Phnom Penh refugees during the years under the Khmer Rouge regime, 1970s Cambodia) ( )

I have read several memoirs about the Cambodian Genocide. "Year of the Rabbit" by Tien Veasna is in the same vein, although it is perhaps a bit more tame since it reads quicker and lacks the detail of prose.

The book focuses on Veasna's family history, from their deportation from the capital to their separation in work camps to their attempts at reunited as the Khmer Rouge fell. The story will be familiar to anyone who has read Luong Ung, Haing Ngor, Nawuth Keat For readers unfamiliar with the genocide, historical details are provided between chapters in one page splashes that discuss topics such as diet, clothing, work, and so forth.

The difficulty with the book is keeping the characters straight - names are introduced once in passing and the cartoonish drawings offer few noticeable distinctions between them. However, the art does offer a much-needed visual reference for what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime. With a few exceptions, there is no visual documentary of the genocide. Veasna provides readers with a look at what this awful society looked like.

"Year of the Rabbit" is translated from the French. The translator is not mentioned. ( )

I recently watched "Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll" (it's on Kanopy) which is a history of Cambodian music before and during the horrible upheaval and oppression. It served as a really helpful history lesson that I didn't actually know very much about. This book covers some of that same period, mostly the brutal Khmer Rouge era.

I couldn't really connect with this book. It's very sad and very grim and doesn't shy away from telling a true and terrifying story, so of course that's going to be hard to read. But I couldn't keep track of all the characters and their relationships so it was like a bunch of episodes rather than the journey of a large group of people.

I didn't find the illustrations that compelling and while each chapter started with a unique and creative infographic about some aspect of the horrible conditions and cruelty, I didn't typically look at them as they were tiny and non-linear and I wanted to get on with the story. ( )

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. 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. ( )

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 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. ( )