Golden Bones

An Extraordinary Journey from Hell in Cambodia to a New Life in America

By: Sichan Siv

Narrated by: David Thorn

While the United States battled Vietnamese Communists in the 1960s and 1970s, in neighboring Cambodia dictator Pol Pot and his Khmer Rouge declared war on their own people, enslaving and slaughtering anybody who disagreed with them. Sichan Siv knew he would soon be a target - ending up, perhaps, as one of the millions of anonymous human skeletons buried in his nation's Killing Fields - so he heeded his mother's pleas and ran. Captured and forced to perform slave labor, Siv feared that he'd be worked to death or killed. It was only a matter of time. But he never abandoned hope or his improbable dream of freedom - a dream that liberated him, astonishingly, from his brutal captors and ultimately led him to the United States, where he later became a senior White House aide.

Golden Bones is an extraordinary story of almost unimaginable hardship and remarkable courage by a survivor whose triumph over terror and adversity serves as a shining inspiration to us all.

©2008, 2012 Sichan Siv (P)2012 HarperCollinsPublishers

From the killing fields to the America dream

The pronunciation of the Khmer language was bad, but other than that I loved the book and it was a great listen. I feel all Cambodian's should read and/or listen to this story from gruesome struggle to a remarkable triumph, as it is a very painful memory for their parents to mention or even breifly remince of the Khmer rouge. I wish I had the chance to come across this book sooner when I was younger as it is left me in awe.

A lovely story of resilience & grace

Despite the slow start, it picked up and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing his remarkable story of survival and his perseverance in tough times, in order to thrive upon his arrival in America.

I love hearing history from the perspective of people who lived through it.

Very well done with easy to follow points from beginning to end. Heartbreaking and comforting all in one story.

Riveting & Absolutely a MUST READ

What made the experience of listening to Golden Bones the most enjoyable?

The narrator is amazing, the story is simply incredible. You almost can't believe that the events are something which a human being have endured. I think this book is such a clever combination of history interwoven in the life of Sichan Siv. I really wanted to learn more about the history of Cambodia and this book was a real glimpse from someone who experienced the atrocities and life of the 1970s Cambodia.

What did you like best about this story?

The flow of the story, the way the story continuously ties in with the family of the character and also talks about the geography of Cambodia.

Which character – as performed by David Thorn – was your favorite?

Sichan Siv - the main character - i just really liked how the main character was played.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

YES! i wanted to but couldn't! One of the reasons is that it's a very long story so it needs to be heard in chunks plus - I enjoyed going back and checking out the places Sichan Siv talks about online, looking at the map and seeing his journey as the book went on.

Any additional comments?

This book is simply phenomenal. It's a real glimpse into the history of his life and his country - Cambodia!

Thought this would be more exciting...

The story is lack luster. Khmer Rouge stuff is thin an uninteresting. I quit with 4 hours left. The narrator was good.