Children of the River

An excellent approach to getting American teens to "walk in the shoes" of a refugee immigrant. Sundara, from Cambodia, still does much of the interpretation for her family and, thus, carries heavy responsibilities and family expectations. Added to this is the sense of guilt she feels over family who did not make it out of the war-torn country. Yet the tone of the book is not that heavy. Sundara also has her life as a high school student.

Many people don't realize what they have until it is gone. This is the case for thirteen year old protagonist, Sundara, who had to leave her family behind during the Vietnamese war in order to escape the Khmer Rouge with her aunt, Soka and her family. Later, Sundara sadly admits, “I have to go away before I see how I love my family.” In America, She finds herself struggling to fit in with her Oregon high school classmates, while simultaneously honoring her family tradition. At home, Sundara struggles with her transition into an American lifestyle. Meanwhile, Sundara's cousins, Ravy and Pon, are able to quickly change their ways and accept the new American lifestyle. Unfortunately for the adults, Soka, Naro, and Grandmother, this is show more not an as easy task. As they struggle day by day the true meaning of hope is revealed in not only their actions but by their spirits. Through their hardship and reluctance to change their homeland culture and tradition, Linda Crew is able to portray an honest picture of the Cambodian people. The contemporary fictional novel, Children of the River by Linda Crew, shows that the Cambodians were real people, with real prejudice. It also tells how difficult it is to make the transition to American life and that people today are still struggling. This book was a touching reminder of how hard it was in the Cambodian's eyes to leave their homeland and start over from scratch in a world entirely different from their own. Linda Crew wrote in a way that made me understand the difficulties Sunadra went through. It was like I was there witnessing the whole story live right before my eyes. Her vivid words allowed me to create an image in my mind and the way she wrote with such seriousness and maturity were a creative touch that made me take the novel more seriously and the situation as well. The reoccurring themes that appeared throughout the novel were effective and pertained to Sundara's situation. It was a very well written emotional book that appealed to me and made me rethink about the situation found worldwide. Sundara's lack of proper clothes touched me in particular because I realized us Americans take our money for granted unlike the selfless Cambodians. We always want something we can't have, but is that always something we really need? In most cases no, but in Sundara's case it is usually necessary. Yet when the thought of new boots came to Sundara's mind because her old ones were torn apart, she quickly denied the idea because she knew she couldn't afford it. And yet here we are buying a Red Sox jersey just because we don't have one, not because we need it. The novel also tells how difficult it is to make the transition to American life and how the one major impact that allowed Sundara and Soka's family to continue their struggles was hope. Hope for a better future and for a better life because “Sometimes it would be a river of deep whirlpools and treacherous shallows;...but now she saw that it could also be like this, a river stretching before them clear to the horizon, broad and inviting, shimmering with hope.” With these few inspiring words, even I am able to believe anything is possible. -A.M. show less

Although this is not the finest piece of literature, it succeeds as a young adult love story with a multicultural slant. Sundara, the protagonist, is a Cambodian refugee of the Khmer Rouge who struggles with her new life in an Oregon high school. She must contend not only with the cultural clashes of her present but also with the painful memories of her past. I would recommend this book to less skilled readers who enjoy dramatic and romantic plots.

In Children of the River Sundara is a young woman who fled Cambodia and journeyed to America. She had been sent from her parents' house to help her Aunt with a new baby (and to stay safer) when the Khmer Rouge army arrived in her Aunt's town. The family scrambled onto a ship and made their long tortuous way to sponsonship in the US.

Sundara is part of three worlds: the American teen world of school and boys, the traditional Cambodian family life of hard work and gender restriction, and the silent guilt ridden world that ties her soul to Cambodia. She works hard to keep the parts of her life separate but Johnathan, a local boy, and the stream of refugees still coming from Cambodia start to stir the separate parts together. Sundara wishes show more that the parts would mix smoothly but instead an explosian may happen. show less

Children of the River, by Linda Crew, tells the story of Cambodian refugees through the eyes of Sundara, a 17-year-old high school student. She had escaped with some of her family members from Cambodia as the Communists took over and moved eventually to Oregon with the help of American sponsors. The author takes us through Sundara's experiences with "white" Americans and with her Khmer family members as she tries to find her own place in the world. This is a book that teaches about the Cambodian culture but also examines the issues a high-school student wrestles with in any culture.

Two extensions that might work well with middle-school or high-school students would be:
1.) To look back at the history of what was happening in Viet Nam show more and Cambodia in the late 1970's and early 80's and how the US was involved.
2.) Try cooking some Cambodian dishes that might give a flavor of the region. show less

A nice story about the collision of two cultures, traditions, and worlds. A good, equal mix of pain and happiness, tragedy and triumph, with a pleasant ending. Sometimes the younger characters seem much older than they should be, but I understand how that could happen in such circumstances. The love story wraps itself up in a quaint, happy ending, though it is never quite clear whether the cultural holds are revisited or resolved. All in all, this is a nice story with a fresh perspective.

This book is lovely in its protrayal of how the two cultures: American and Cambodian collide and how a problem arises between old traditions and new traditions. I just really like it and the ending was sweet.