Synopsis
What happens to a family when survival means silence?
In this powerful memoir, Peter Chhim shares the story of his family’s survival during the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia — one of the darkest chapters of the 20th century. Through intimate interviews with his parents and siblings, he reconstructs memories of forced labor, starvation, loss, and resilience, weaving them together with his own reflections as the child of survivors.
Each chapter gives voice to a different family member, revealing how war fractures not only lives but also memory, identity, and love. From quiet acts of defiance to unspoken grief, Beneath the Killing Fields preserves personal histories that might otherwise be lost to silence.
More than a memoir, this is a story of perseverance and hope — a reminder of the importance of remembering, even when remembering is painful. For readers of When Broken Glass Floats and First They Killed My Father, this book offers a deeply human perspective on survival, trauma, and the unbreakable bonds of family.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Peter Chhim is the son of Cambodian refugees who survived the Khmer Rouge genocide. Born in 1977 while the regime was still in power, he grew up in Canada surrounded by the silence of a past his family rarely spoke about — yet one that shaped his understanding of resilience, memory, and survival.
Now based in the United States, Peter works in quality and process improvement and holds a PhD in Industrial & Systems Engineering and an Executive MBA from Michigan State University.
Beneath the Killing Fields is his debut book, written to preserve the voices of his parents and siblings and to ensure that their stories — and the history they lived through — are not forgotten.
From the Back Cover
A family torn apart.
A past left unspoken.
A story that refuses to be forgotten.
Beneath the Killing Fields is a deeply personal account of survival during the Khmer Rouge genocide, told through the voices of those who lived it.
Through intimate interviews and reflection, Peter Chhim brings together the fragmented memories of his family — preserving their stories of loss, resilience, and endurance.
For readers of First They Killed My Father and When Broken Glass Floats, this memoir offers a powerful and human perspective on one of history's darkest chapters.
From the Inside Flap
They were separated first.
Children sent to one camp. Parents to another. No certainty they would ever see each other again.
In Beneath the Killing Fields, Peter Chhim pieces together his family's survival during the Khmer Rouge genocide through a series of intimate, first-hand accounts. Built from interviews with his parents and siblings, each chapter reveals a different perspective of life under one of the most brutal regimes of the 20th century.
These are not distant historical accounts. They are lived experiences — of forced labor, starvation, loss, and the small, human moments that made survival possible.
But this story extends beyond the past.
As the child of survivors, Peter reflects on what it means to grow up surrounded by silence — to inherit a history that was never fully spoken, yet deeply felt. The result is a powerful exploration of memory, identity, and the lasting impact of trauma across generations.
This is not just a story about survival.
It is a story about what remains.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
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Paperback. Condition: new. Morris, Roberta (illustrator). Paperback. Beneath the Killing Fields: A Family Remembers is the searing and unforgettable story of one Cambodian family's survival during the Khmer Rouge genocide. Written by Dr. Peter Chhim, the son of survivors, the memoir is both an intimate family testimony and a historical preservation of voices too often silenced by fear, shame, or the passing of time.Born in 1977, while the Khmer Rouge still held Cambodia in its grip, Peter was too young to remember the horrors directly. Yet he grew up in their shadow-hearing fragments, living among silences, and carrying questions that his parents and siblings rarely dared to answer. This book is the culmination of years of interviews with his brothers, sisters, and parents, woven together into a single narrative that honors their strength while illuminating the hidden costs of survival.Through vivid and painful recollections, readers are taken inside the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh, the endless marches into the countryside, and the brutality of the children's labor camps. We hear how hunger drove children to hunt rats, snakes, and insects; how illness spread without medicine; how families were broken apart by arbitrary rules. We hear of punishments meant to crush the human spirit and the silences that became shields against further harm. Yet we also hear of small acts of love and defiance: a mother smuggling food across dangerous terrain, a father walking all night just to hold his daughter for one brief moment, siblings risking punishment to protect one another.At the center of this story is the loss of Po, Peter's sister who died as a toddler of starvation and illness. Her death devastated the family, leaving a wound that never healed and a silence that lasted for decades. By including her memory, Peter gives voice to the countless children who were erased by the genocide, ensuring they will never be forgotten.This memoir is not only about tragedy but also about endurance. Each sibling's voice reveals a different facet of survival: fear, resilience, rebellion, obedience, silence, and love. Together, their stories create a mosaic of what it meant to grow up during one of the twentieth century's darkest regimes.Beneath the Killing Fields speaks to readers who care about history, human rights, intergenerational trauma, and the enduring bonds of family. It is equally a resource for educators, students, and communities seeking to understand genocide from the inside out-not through statistics and dates, but through lived experience and memory.Peter Chhim now lives in the United States, where he built a professional career in engineering and leadership, but his purpose in writing this book is deeply personal: to preserve his family's history, honor those who never made it out, and give voice to those who did. By sharing their truth, he reminds us of the importance of memory-because forgetting is its own kind of death. This item is printed on demand. Shipping may be from our UK warehouse or from our Australian or US warehouses, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9798993114705
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Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Morris, Roberta (illustrator). nach der Bestellung gedruckt Neuware - Printed after ordering - Beneath the Killing Fields: A Family Remembers is the searing and unforgettable story of one Cambodian family's survival during the Khmer Rouge genocide. Written by Dr. Peter Chhim, the son of survivors, the memoir is both an intimate family testimony and a historical preservation of voices too often silenced by fear, shame, or the passing of time.Born in 1977, while the Khmer Rouge still held Cambodia in its grip, Peter was too young to remember the horrors directly. Yet he grew up in their shadow-hearing fragments, living among silences, and carrying questions that his parents and siblings rarely dared to answer. This book is the culmination of years of interviews with his brothers, sisters, and parents, woven together into a single narrative that honors their strength while illuminating the hidden costs of survival.Through vivid and painful recollections, readers are taken inside the forced evacuation of Phnom Penh, the endless marches into the countryside, and the brutality of the children's labor camps. We hear how hunger drove children to hunt rats, snakes, and insects; how illness spread without medicine; how families were broken apart by arbitrary rules. We hear of punishments meant to crush the human spirit and the silences that became shields against further harm. Yet we also hear of small acts of love and defiance: a mother smuggling food across dangerous terrain, a father walking all night just to hold his daughter for one brief moment, siblings risking punishment to protect one another.At the center of this story is the loss of Po, Peter's sister who died as a toddler of starvation and illness. Her death devastated the family, leaving a wound that never healed and a silence that lasted for decades. By including her memory, Peter gives voice to the countless children who were erased by the genocide, ensuring they will never be forgotten.This memoir is not only about tragedy but also about endurance. Each sibling's voice reveals a different facet of survival: fear, resilience, rebellion, obedience, silence, and love. Together, their stories create a mosaic of what it meant to grow up during one of the twentieth century's darkest regimes.Beneath the Killing Fields speaks to readers who care about history, human rights, intergenerational trauma, and the enduring bonds of family. It is equally a resource for educators, students, and communities seeking to understand genocide from the inside out-not through statistics and dates, but through lived experience and memory.Peter Chhim now lives in the United States, where he built a professional career in engineering and leadership, but his purpose in writing this book is deeply personal: to preserve his family's history, honor those who never made it out, and give voice to those who did. By sharing their truth, he reminds us of the importance of memory-because forgetting is its own kind of death. Seller Inventory # 9798993114705
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Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Morris, Roberta (illustrator). Beneath the Killing Fields | A Family Remembers | Peter Chhim | Taschenbuch | Englisch | 2025 | Peter Chhim Publishing | EAN 9798993114705 | Verantwortliche Person für die EU: Libri GmbH, Europaallee 1, 36244 Bad Hersfeld, gpsr[at]libri[dot]de | Anbieter: preigu Print on Demand. Seller Inventory # 134060954
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