Dateline:
Bangkok (12 June 2007)
On
April 17, 1975 Sam Sotha and his wife Sony, along with thousands
of others, were forced by the Khmer Rouge to leave Phnom
Penh. Shot, tortured, starved and enslaved in hard labor
was the fate of many Cambodians during the Khmer Rouge years.
In
In The Shade of A Quiet Killing Place: A Personal Memoir,
Sam Sotha tells a moving personal story of love and a couple’s
struggle for survival during the four years of their captivity
by the Khmer Rouge.
In
the context of intense brutality and human tragedy, Sam
Sotha’s In The Shade of A Quiet Killing Place gives
an inspiringly beautiful portrait of love between husband
and wife that refused to yield under such terror. Forced
to leave their home and then from one prison camp to another,
Sam and Sony endured and witnessed family separation, torture,
starvation, mindless killings and acts more horrific than
death. Yet, against it all their spiritual bond only grew
stronger and became unbreakable. The strength of their love
guided the couple through the darkest moments, when it seemed
only a miracle could save them from certain death.
The
memoir is based on a hand-written diary and drawings recorded
while the couple waited for resettlement in the United States
in a refugee camp in Thailand. The book contains over fifty
unique Khmer-style drawings capturing the time and place,
the emotions, danger and turmoil in the couple’s experiences
during the Pol Pot rule.
Author’s
background
Sam
Sotha and his wife Sony resettled in the United States in
1982, where they raised two children. Sotha became a leading
advocate for refugees and an active political leader in
the US. The couple returned to work in Cambodia in 1995.
Sam Sotha has since served as Secretary-General of Cambodian
Mine Action and Victim Assistance Authority (CMAA). He also
serves as advisor to the prime minister of Cambodia.
Further
information
If
you would like to arrange an interview with Sam Sotha or
would like to request author’s photo, review copy, or additional
information, please contact the Heaven Lake Press Editorial
Department:
Email:
editorial@heavenlakepress.com
Fax: +66(0)-2260-4578
Telephone: +66(0)-2258-2543 Ext. 101.
Availability
of the book
In
the Shade of a Quiet Killing Place is available at
all leading bookstores in Thailand and at the airport. For
readers living outside of Thailand, copies may be ordered
from our web site: www.heavenlakepress.com
Author
Events
Sam
Sotha will be interviewed on Tonight with Tom Mintier,
12 July 2007, True News Channel UBC 7. He will discuss his
book and recount his time in the killing fields.
On
Saturday 14th July 2007, at 10.30 a.m. Sam Sotha will deliver
a lecture at the Siam Society and share his experiences
from In the Shade of a Quiet Killing Place.
