54 pages • 1 hour read
Chanrithy HimWhen Broken Glass Floats
Nonfiction | Autobiography / Memoir | Adult | Published in 2000A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Before You Read
Super Short Summary
When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him recounts her harrowing childhood and adolescence under the Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia. At the age of five, Him endured the brutal takeover, witnessing the murder of her father and losing her mother and siblings to starvation and disease. Despite the pervasive trauma, Him highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the enduring power of familial bonds. Torture, starvation, disease, death of family members.
Reviews & Readership
Review Roundup
When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him is lauded for its profound depiction of the Khmer Rouge regime's brutality through the eyes of a child. Reviewers appreciate the authenticity and emotional depth but note occasional narrative disjointedness. The memoir is praised for its historical significance, though its intense, graphic content may be overwhelming for some readers.
Who Should Read When Broken Glass Floats?
A reader who would enjoy When Broken Glass Floats by Chanrithy Him is typically interested in survivor memoirs and historical accounts of human resilience. Fans of First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung or The Diary of Anne Frank would find this book compelling for its poignant depiction of survival under the Khmer Rouge.