9780062132697
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Never Fall Down audiobook

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Never Fall Down Audiobook Summary

This National Book Award nominee from two-time finalist Patricia McCormick is the unforgettable story of Arn Chorn-Pond, who defied the odds to survive the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979 and the labor camps of the Khmer Rouge.

Based on the true story of Cambodian advocate Arn Chorn-Pond, and authentically told from his point of view as a young boy, this is an achingly raw and powerful historical novel about a child of war who becomes a man of peace. It includes an author’s note and acknowledgments from Arn Chorn-Pond himself.

When soldiers arrive in his hometown, Arn is just a normal little boy. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever.

Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children dying before his eyes. One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn’s never played a note in his life, but he volunteers.

This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier.

Supports the Common Core State Standards.

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Never Fall Down Audiobook Narrator

Ramon de Ocampo is the narrator of Never Fall Down audiobook that was written by Patricia McCormick

Patricia McCormick is a former journalist and a two-time National Book Award finalist whose books include Cut, Sold, Never Fall Down, The Plot to Kill Hitler, Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero, and the young readers edition of I Am Malala. Patricia lives in New York. You can visit her online at www.pattymccormick.com.

About the Author(s) of Never Fall Down

Patricia McCormick is the author of Never Fall Down

Never Fall Down Full Details

Narrator Ramon de Ocampo
Length 6 hours 2 minutes
Author Patricia McCormick
Category
Publisher Balzer + Bray
Release date May 08, 2012
ISBN 9780062132697

Subjects

The publisher of the Never Fall Down is Balzer + Bray. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Biographical, General, Juvenile Fiction

Additional info

The publisher of the Never Fall Down is Balzer + Bray. The imprint is Balzer + Bray. It is supplied by Balzer + Bray. The ISBN-13 is 9780062132697.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Alyse

January 02, 2013

I knew about a movie titled The Killing Fields for years, but never knew that the movie was about one of the world's worst genocidal atrocities. This past summer I spent some time in both Siem Reap and Phnom Penh, Cambodia during a month-long backpacking trip through Southeast Asia. We went to the Killing Fields at the Choeung Ek Genocidal Center, and I walked around in a stunned silence as I listened to the audioguide in my ear describe what I was looking at: The Killing Tree, where the Khmer Rouge slammed babies head-first against its trunk before throwing them in a ditch, enormous ditches that marked mass graves of almost 9,000 people at that one site, how bone fragments and shreds of cloth still surface after the rainy season and a Buddhist stupa (memorial) filled with human skulls, many of which have marks of being assaulted by an ax. Never in my life have I felt like more of an ignorant American. How did I never learn about such recent history (1975-1979...people are just NOW being brought to trial for their involvement) in school?? The whole experience was so incomprehensible, this is actually my first attempt to put any of it into words. So when I heard about this new YA novel, based on the true survival story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a few months after I got home, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy in hopes of better understanding what I saw and learned about at Choeung Ek.It's hard not to give this book 5 stars, even though it was really hard to read. I wanted to cry or throw up after reading practically every page, and it's the first book I've read where I actually found myself questioning whether the material is "appropriate" for a young adult audience. Then I frequently reminded myself that this is, for the most part, Arn's story. This is what he really lived through in his attempt to survive the Khmer Rouge through his musical ingenious and pure luck. And everyone, young and old, should read his story so we can better understand what human beings are capable of, what they can survive and how we need to prevent history like this from ever repeating itself.

Linda

January 25, 2014

This is not a book I would choose for a favorite and yet I cannot not choose it...It is a book that is so powerful that it has touched my depths. It is written beautifully sharing a heartwrenching powerful story of a child's story in the killing fields. Read it

Knerpaw

January 03, 2018

I read this book “Never Fall Down”, It’s a book about teenage Cambodia boy Arn who telling his story about running away from his home because of the war. And he also lost his family while running away from war. He did a lot bad thing and trying to be famous to protests himself from being killing. Thing that I like about this book is that very emotional book and interesting book. I like this book because it kind like the type of my level reading. And another thing that I like about this book is that I learn about Cambodia run away from their home and why they be killed. I never noticed about a soldier group call Khmer Rouge that lie to Cambodia people and force them to work and kill them. I was glad that I read this book and make me understand about other children struggling with their life. Thing that I don’t like about this book is that it talk about killing and dying stuff and killing people everyday. It make me very sad reading this book and it mostly talking about Khmer Rouge killing people everyday, I feeling this book keep repeating same stuff. Another thing I don’t like about this book is that the author didn’t talk about Arn sisters and brothers when they separated, it only talk about Arn, I also want to know about his brothers and sisters life and how they struggle with their life. I just want the author also talking about Arn sisters and brothers life too, not only him. I Recommend this book because it very emotional and really good book. And you also learn about different country about children struggle life. If you in that time, I want you to think about what can you help and stop what happens in the book, think about when you reading. I recommend this book to adult because there a lot of violence and hurting the kids. And I also recommend this book to teenagers because there many youth that are trying to survive in the war and protests their self from bad thing.

Brendan

February 07, 2019

The theme of this book is never give up hope. Very strong and good book, definitely recommend it.

Amy

February 07, 2013

The usual questions driving personal reviews--did you like this book; what did you like/not like about it; why did or didn't you--must, I feel, be dispensed with in this case. There are two questions I do feel are worth asking:First, is the book worthwhile of its topic?And the answer of course is yes. To explain the question, however, let me say that I hesitated to begin reading this, confused and not sure exactly how the book would unfold--was it fiction or non-fiction? Why was it written by an American journalist rather than by the person who experienced it? And then, would it feel like another American Journalist Writing About Atrocities In Other Countries story? Etc.But put those concerns aside, if you share them. Told in first person and only a "novel" in the sense that artistic liberties are taken for the sake of forming a coherent narrative from the childhood memories of Arn Chorn-Pond, it is an absorbing story, and makes an important contribution as a book for understanding.P.S. The "Author's Note" is placed at the end of the book but it's worth your time to read it first, to understand both the voice McCormick chose to use, and the blurry line between fact and fiction for this story. Second, is this book really for kids?Truly, I don't know. Usually the age of the protagonist is a pretty good gauge for the age of the intended reader, and the book begins with Arn at eleven years old, and ends with him at fifteen. Reading it as an adult with complete awareness that everything going on in the book really happened, I had a hard time processing the sheer scale of suffering. And my immediate reaction is to say that kids shouldn't have to go through that. On the other hand, it seems practically unjust to say so, when Arn Chorn-Pond and so many children in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge lived through it as children. But in the end I don't think that kids should be the ones to pay for the cruelty of adults. So: While I would certainly not take it away from a middle-grade reader mature enough to want to read it in the first place, I would recommend recommending it to high school-age and up.What made me pick it up?It was a much-lauded, starred-review new book last year. I also heard Arn's story on NPR a while back, although I didn't make the connection until after I checked it out from the library.Overall recommendation: Highly recommended

Paul

April 14, 2012

"As a child, I never imagined good people in the world. . ."In 1979, fourteen-year old, Arn Chorn-Pond, wandered into a United Nations camp on the border of Thailand. He was adopted by a minister. A year later, Arn Chorn, now Arn Chorn-Pond was a New Hampshire high school student.In Patricia McCormick's newest release, we read about Arn Chorn-Pond's experiences as an eleven-year-old in "The Killing Fields." Forced by Khmer Rouge soldiers to play their revolution songs, Arn must learn not only to play an instrument himself but he must help the other boys to learn to play theirs. Only later will Arn realize the horrifying truth of why he asked to play continually through the day.The book is as raw and brutal as the experiences of its main character. Look for descriptions and depictions of violence and torture. NEVER FALL DOWN should be part of a reader advisory conversation with students, but this does not exclude the book from classroom discussions that might be best suited for U. S. History or International Relations courses. McCormick pulls no punches by allowing Arn Chorn-Pond to share his story--which he had done with audiences since 1979--with a voice that will not soon be forgotten by readers. Patricia McCormick sits down with Arn Chorn-Pond in this video created and posted by Harper Teen:http://youtu.be/L-A_Y1kjJwwArn Chorn-Pond "Everyone Has a Story" (ten minutes):http://youtu.be/9uHeCzSM_PIArn Chorn-Pond has been awarded many humanitarian awards to include the Spirit of Anne Frank Award and the Reebok Human Rights Award. He speaks at high schools to share his story with young people encouraging them to think about their roles as world citizens.I am so pleased that my friends at Harper Collins thought that I should see this book a little early and I thank our friends there for having sent this title.

Emma

September 14, 2012

Review by ShellyI have to say that I do not know a lot about Cambodia and the war that went on there so was fully engrossed from page one. The book is written as Arn and takes on his speech patterns and language which did take me awhile to get used to but once I did it was like he was speaking to you through the pages and you went on his journey with him. And what a journey it was. Sometimes it was brutal and was very hard to read especially when it focussed on the children and how they were tortured. I enjoyed, if that is the right word, the relationships he formed with people he met especially his music teacher and one of the Khmer Rouge soldiers who, in their own way help him to survive and show that even in the toughest surroundings you can form relationships. It is hard to get your head around the fact that this is a true story and quite remarkable that Arn and others like him actually managed to stay alive. It was a draining read but one I would highly recommend especially for those who are learning this period of history in school.

Grace

January 10, 2016

I could have probably finished this in one sitting. However the story and the horrifying aspects of the crimes comitted by the Khmer Rouge made me stop reading once in a while. I just wanted to put the book down now and then and think about what this must have meant for the people who had to live under this "rulership". What did it mean for the children, the mums, the rich, the poor, even the people who were part of this movement?It is highly disturbing and yet so important to read about it. I am really disappointed that we didn't cover this when I was in High School because I talked about it with my parents and they both learned about this dark episode in world history. We often talk about WWII, about the Holocaust or about the civil rights movement. But this is about a country slaughtering its own people!It was beautiful and cruel at the same time to read about these events from the perspective of a little child. It was put into such simple words, yet sometimes they carried such deep wisdom.This is such an important read and I'm recommending it to EVERYONE!!

Elle

March 10, 2017

4 stars. This is one of the most impactful memoirs I’ve ever read. Never Fall Down chronicles the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a survivor of the communist revolution in Cambodia. This revolution led to the deaths of around 1/4 Cambodia’s population, a higher proportion of the population than almost any other genocide. In terms of emotional impact, the book hits hard. We see the journey from relative peace to constant violence firsthand here, and it’s just as shocking as you’d expect. The writing style is a bit clinical, which sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. In one way, the clinical tone makes events hit harder. However, the narrative occasionally feels detached during incredibly horrific events. This style is completely understandable; I can’t imagine going through the kind of trauma Chorn-Pond went through and surviving. But the unemotional tone stays around for the entire book, and it’s almost tiring. Highly recommended.

Sonja

August 25, 2012

One day, Arn is a street-wise child - catching frogs, gambling a little, and sneaking into movies in his city in Cambodia. Then, the Khmer Rouge took control of the country, forced Arn and all the citizens into work camps. His life became defined by starvation, endless labor, and death. Arn spent four years in the heart of what became known as The Killing Fields, surviving partly because of his skill as a musician and partly because he told himself just never fall down.Because it is told wholly in the voice of the child, this story unfolds with no context. There is no explanation of the politics or background. It is simply a litany of one child's brutal experience, drawing the reader into the horror and confusion of the events.The result is both stunning and devastating.

Brandon

April 01, 2019

This book is actually so good. The narrator tells it as if it were his own mind. Thus, the entirety of the book is written in broken English. While reading this book, I found myself chuckling at the comedic scenarios the narrator would describe. Whether it’s putting rocks in his napping friends mouth or talking about other children’s diarrhea, I always laughed at the randomness of the novel. The author manages to portray a serious topic and plot whilst adding little bits of comedy, making the book much more enjoyable.

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