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Jennifer H. Lau

Goodreads Author

Born

in Battambang, Cambodia

Website

http://www.jenniferlau.net

Twitter

jenniferhlau

Genre

History, Memoir, Biography

Member Since

September 2016

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Jennifer H. Lau was born in Cambodia in 1970, the third of seven children. She was only five when the Khmer Rouge forcibly relocated her family, friends and neighbors to live and work in one giant concentration camp. She endured four long years of living in perpetual fear, under constant threat of execution, disease, and starvation. Her daily survival often depended on finding the next drop of water, the next grain of rice.

Finally arriving in America at age twelve, illiterate and traumatized, Jennifer forged on – neither willing to accept these setbacks nor to let her former oppressors dictate her future. In addition to working full-time alongside her family to contribute to a fragile new beginning, she also pursued her education with great Jennifer H. Lau was born in Cambodia in 1970, the third of seven children. She was only five when the Khmer Rouge forcibly relocated her family, friends and neighbors to live and work in one giant concentration camp. She endured four long years of living in perpetual fear, under constant threat of execution, disease, and starvation. Her daily survival often depended on finding the next drop of water, the next grain of rice.

Finally arriving in America at age twelve, illiterate and traumatized, Jennifer forged on – neither willing to accept these setbacks nor to let her former oppressors dictate her future. In addition to working full-time alongside her family to contribute to a fragile new beginning, she also pursued her education with great fervor, endeavoring to learn how to survive the enigmatic first-world challenges of her new country. Her keen understanding of the harsh realities of a struggling nation served her well in her studies at the University of California, Irvine, where she earned dual degrees in Chinese and Chinese Literature, and Economics.

Today, as a Certified Public Accountant, Jennifer Lau owns and runs Topp and Lau accounting firm, where she is proud to contribute to society by assisting individuals, businesses, and charitable organizations. She lives in Orange County, California with her architect husband and their two children, a daughter who was freshman class president, and a son who enjoys karate, basketball, and creating animation.

Having early on been deprived of education herself, Jennifer contributes both time and money to her immediate and extended communities to combat illiteracy. She hopes her story of sorrow and survival inspires readers from all walks of life in their own struggles and successes. She provides this firsthand account of the Khmer Rouge atrocities for future generations to study in the hope to shed light into a dark time. Her greatest fear is that history will repeat itself if we don’t learn from it. Revolution just doesn’t happen overnight.
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Jennifer H. Lau's Blog

Free Kindle

Hi Friends,

I'm giving away free kindle version of Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge. You can message me your email address and any of your friends' email addresses, too. I respect your privacy and I will only use the email to send the book. I promised.

Jenny

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Published on March 09, 2020 14:21

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Jennifer H. Lau’s books

Average rating: 4.53 · 847 ratings · 194 reviews · 1 distinct work • Similar authors

Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge

4.53 avg rating — 847 ratings — published 2016 — 4 editions

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Jennifer Lau is now friends with Joseph Andri
Oct 30, 2025 09:55AM · like

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Quotes by Jennifer H. Lau (?)

“how the Khmer Rouge had multiplied and risen to power. It was due to four years of bombing, ordered by Washington, D.C. to destroy the cargo route linking Cambodia to North Vietnam.”
― Jennifer H. Lau, Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge

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“Mother’s tenderness toward my younger sisters caused more tears to pool in my eyes. I felt too old to be hugged and caressed by her, yet my body yearned for her touch; at least this once. I couldn't recall the last time she had shared the same warmth with me. The countless months of hardship had created an ocean of distance between us. It would be too awkward to hug her now. I sat across from her with tear-stained cheeks, wondering if she could feel my sadness and if she knew I loved her unconditionally.”
― Jennifer H. Lau, Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge

tags: cambodia, hardship, khmer-rouge, mother

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“her supervisor and the soldiers were already accusing her of being a malingerer.”
― Jennifer H. Lau, Beautiful Hero: How We Survived the Khmer Rouge

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