Intended for Evil: A Survivor's Story of Love, Faith, and Courage in the Cambodian Killing Fields

by Les Sillars

A True Story of Surviving Genocide and Forging a New Life

When the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh in 1975, new Christian Radha Manickam and his family were among two million people driven out of the city. Over the next four years, 1.7 million people--including most of Radha's family--would perish due to starvation, disease, and horrifying violence. His new faith severely tested, Radha is forced by the communist regime to marry a woman he doesn't know. But through God's providence, he discovers that his new wife is also a Christian. Together they find the courage and hope to survive and eventually make a daring escape to the US, where they raise five children and begin a life-changing ministry to the Khmer people in exile in the US and back home in Cambodia.

This moving true story of survival against all odds shows readers that out of war, fear, despair, and betrayal, God can bring hope, faith, courage, restoration--and even romance.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography, Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2016

Reviews

[Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A loud strong voice against inhuman and murderously vicious totalitarian regime at war against his own population!!!
Written with much love to the details, and readable like a thriller.....

The Khmer Rouge murdered more than 20 percent of Cambodia's population between 1975 and 1979.
Radha, a young Christian and his family went trough this terrible ordeal at the lost of many members and with deep traumatic injuries left to the few survivors.....

A story that tells about the power of faith, and the resilience of the human nature!!!
The sufferings cannot impede God's plan and love in our lives, its one of the lessons I've been able to deduce from it.
Despite the many gruesome graphic scenes depicted, it's a novel of hope and Christian strength....

A great testimony....
Five stars and with a lot of confidence!!!

Dean;D

[Yibbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s incredibly sobering. I’m not sure when a book affected me as deeply as this one has. After I finished it, I felt too introspective to write the review. Now that I’ve thought about it over night, I think I’m ready. If you don’t read any farther than this, please let me encourage you. Read this book.
The more I think about it, the more I’m awed and humbled. It’s so understated that I almost missed some of the most poignant moments while reading through all the horror. Then I realized, he is still attempting to obey God’s commands. He is relying on Christ’s strength and control through all of this. It’s like reading The Hiding Place, in that, the main character sees their faults so much more clearly than their obedience. For Radha Manickam, he sees his lying to Khmer Rouge, thinking of his hunger first, stealing food, etc. far more clearly than his Bible reading, prayer, and care for others. There is one scene where his desire to obey the Lord’s direct command leads him into conflict with Angka; then God resolves it. There is no other explanation. It’s one of the most powerful stories of God’s provision of strength for obedience and sovereignty I’ve read in a while. If that was the only personal story in here amidst all the history, this book would be worth reading.
Nothing is sugar coated not Radha’s struggles, not man’s evil, not international culpability, nothing. It’s hard to read. Sillars has overlapped the Cambodia’s national politics and the international politics that caused such suffering with Radha’s personal memoir. It’s very well done. He doesn’t bog you down with endless statistics; rather he weaves both history and memoir into one full picture. The ending of the book is a discussion of the root of the tragedy. It would have been incomplete without it. That’s another part that would be worth reading all on its own.
Best of all…The Gospel is given. God’s plan to forgive our sins through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus is told so simply, but the effects are illustrated so powerfully.
Thanks to NetGalley and Baker Books for the free ARC of this book to read and review. No review was required, but it was my pleasure to write it.

[Julie LaRock · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, so hard to read. Hard to believe it is true. But, well worth the look at an often overlooked historical tragedy and the lives of some remarkable people.

[Wayne K. Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of Christian courage…trusting God when it doesn’t seem to make sense.

[Sahani Perera, The Book Sherpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What would you feel if you were thrown into the abyss? Not knowing how to find your family or will you ever see them again? These were the thoughts running in Radha's mind.

The Manickam family had a lot going on more than what they bargained for. In 1975, when the Khmer Rouge took forces in Phnom Penh, Radha was a new Christian when he had to flee hiding his bible. It was a tough ride, he's father was a strong devotee and being the eldest Manickam it was close to impossible when deciding to change one's faith. This is a journey filled with horror, lingering death, survival, New found love, loss, and establishment of faith.

Less Sillars was exceptionally effective when she presented a story that she could only dream phantoming about. Written in the third person's perspective, we are direct spectators to the horrors committed in Cambodia. The authors' words were life-like letting you experience everything from Radha's perspective. This was a story of a man finding his faith. A story on how power is abused by delusional people. An effective description on one of the worst crimes in humanity.

Readers who enjoy WWII memoirs, Historical non-fiction, and self-discovery may find this read fascinating. Readers who are sensitive to gore and dismemberment, be aware!

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew very little about this period of Cambodian history (or any period of Cambodian history for that matter) and while this book focuses on one man's story of surviving the horrific killing fields, it also provides a lot of political and historical background. At times, it was a little hard to wade through, but I was grateful for the inclusion of so much background to help with understanding the factors that led to this genocide. It's an inspiring story of faith in unimaginable hard times and what can happen when you trust that God is in control of things you can't control.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher. Opinions in this review are honest.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book caught my attention primarily because I visited Siem Reap (Angkor Wat) a couple of years ago and wanted to learn more about the Khmer Rouge. The Khmer Rouge is often overlooked as sort of the JV squad of the Asian communists in favor of China and Vietnam. Although everything is on a smaller scale in Cambodia compared to its' neighbors, the events that took place there in the 1970's were amazing. 20-25% of the population died over the course of 4-5 years.

The book is probably of moderate value if you are trying to learn about the Khmer Rouge and the Cambodian Killing Fields; meaning, if you want a complete historical perspective of the circumstances described in the book, you should read a history book. This book follows the life of one man as he struggles to survive under the Khmer Rouge. I found the book to be fascinating and it was hard to imagine what it would've been like to live in his shoes.

I was reminded a great deal of Mao when reading this book, mainly due to the completely delusional beliefs of the leaders. It is hard to fathom insane their thinking was. Like Mao, they created ridiculous expectations for how much rice could be harvested. They would take the absolute best case scenario, and assume that would happen for every acre of cropland in the country. Anyone with a brain should be able to figure out that will never happen. Nevertheless, they base their entire plan upon this assumption. When they can't produce what was expected, their followers lie because they are scared of being murdered by their superiors for failure. All failure is evidence of being a traitor. So they starve the people even more than they already were to try to make up for gap in production. The leaders on top finally get told they aren't meeting quotas. Instead of re-evaluating their expectations, they increase their demands. They have to make up for lost time and get back on track. Just like the Great Leap Forward in China, this just leads to mass starvation and murder.

The actions of the Khmer Rouge, like most Communist countries, are notable for the almost random violence and destruction inflicted on their own people. It is so different than violence inflicted by other evil regimes like the Nazi's and to a lesser extent Stalin's Soviet Union. You can see reasoning behind their actions and most of what was done was done for an evil purpose. The Khmer Rouge killed mostly through carelessness.

Like reading any book on Nazi's or Communism, you spend most of the book feeling horrified. Many of the events are told graphically enough that you can picture them in your head. Some examples are babies being swung by their feet so that their heads are smashed against rocks and a guy getting his throat slit using the spikes on a palm frond. One quote that stuck out to me: "Pol Pot saw himself taking exceptional measures to save the Khmer Nation. He believed life was pure class warfare-one that required and justified violence. Murder was not a crime but the 'necessary prelude to the birth of a new society'. To execute revolution, you had to crush what existed; after the revolution, you had the crush the surviving counter-revolutionaries; to maintain the revolution, you had to crush the revisionists and traitors who might undermine it."

I think the book was pretty fair to the various countries involved. For example, it routinely brought up how the actions of the United States impacted events in Cambodia without passing judgement on being friendly with bad people to combat worse people and whether or not that is true or works. The book regularly talks about the protagonist's strong Christian faith. If that is offensive to you, this probably isn't the book for you. I found the author to be inspiring.

I think this is an important book because of how ignorant so many people are. It is indefensible how many people are ignorant regarding WWII, but at least that is 80 years ago. This was happening in the late 1970's and I bet 90% of Americans would have no clue who the Khmer Rouge were. I knew the basics prior to reading this, and I learned quite a bit.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intended For Evil tells the story of Radha Manickam, an ethnically Indian, Cambodian Christian who survived the Khmer Rouge genocide (1975-1979)  and aftermath before emigrating to the US. Journalist and journalism professor, Les Sillars relays Radha's story and provides historical and political context.

In 1973, Nixon ordered carpet bombs on Cambodia, turning the small South Asian nation into the most bombed country in the world (bombed 2.7 million times. A civil war with the Khmer Rouge had been going on since 1970. The US bombings led to greater destabilization of the country. The Khmer Rouge took the reigns of government in 1975 and their paranoid, four-year Cultural Revolution re-mix of the Holocaust resulted in the deaths of 1.5 to 3 million people.

Also in 1973 Radha trusted Jesus savior and Lord through a conversation with a pastor Nou Thay at an English class at Maratha Church, a Phnom Penh church planted by American missionaries. Radha's faith grew, and he participated in evangelistic efforts  and worshipped at the church, though his faith was not always reflected in his life.

When the Khmer Rouge came to power, they were governed by  both Communist ideology and Cambodian nationalism. Pol Pot was opposed to Western ideology, ideas and aid (except for what his government accepted from Russia). Westerners and those educated by the west were executed or re-educated. The Khmer also expected Cambodians to have a total commitment to the state, which they  vigorously enforced. The hope was to reshape Cambodians into a new Socialist people. Cambodians lived in fear because as the government became more and more paranoid about subversive elements, more and more people were killed.

Radha kept his faith and his relationship with Western missionaries quiet. More than once he tried to commit suicide but he felt God had a plan for his life. He didn't invite martyrdom by living his faith openly. Outwardly he complied to whatever demands the Khmer put on him, making certain he never fell behind in his labor (and so give soldiers a chance to punish him). Several times his life was in peril. The Khmer control was total and they even arranged marriages for the Cambodian people. It is only after his marriage to Samen he discovered she was a third-generation Cambodian Christian.

Pol Pot's government fell to Veitnam in 1979. He and the Khmer Rouge escaped to the jungles of Thailand. The terror was alleviated though danger and bad conditions persisted. Vietnam set up a client government which continued to engage in warfare with the Khmer Rouge through the next decade. Radha and Samen  emigrated to the US. They made their first trip back to Cambodia in 1989 after the fall of Communism in the Eastern Bloc (the dissolution of Soviet support, made Cambodia more stable and open). Today he and his wife work to bring the gospel to Cambodians in Cambodia and North America.

Radha has an amazing story and  Les Sillars tells it in an engaging way. I give this book four stars and recommend it for anyone who likes a good biography.

Note: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Mariejkt · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Intended For Evil" by Les Sillars is the story of a survivor of the Cambodian killing fields. How do I describe a book so powerful and disturbing at the same time. I remember in the 80's hearing on the news or reading in the newspaper a tiny bit about the killing fields and the war in Cambodia but did hear much about it. This book should be required reading for anyone that is studying about Cambodia especially of the time of the Khmer Rouge rule. The violence and the pain that Radha Manickam seen and had experienced during his time of this hell was so sad but powerful. Why do I say powerful well he could have become hateful himself but he clung to Christ no matter what was happening to those he loved and others around him. In midst of the nightmare he found love but not by his choice (you must read the book to understand that portion) and was able to become a refugee in America. While in America he became Pastor and went back to Cambodia to help those that were left behind. I just can't say how much I recommend this book as it is powerful on how a person can cling to Christ even in the worst of situations. I highly highly recommend it and as a homeschool mom I will be requiring it to be read by my son when he is in high school (I say high school because of the horrific things Radha describes that happened are not for the faint of heart but they do need to be told).

I was given this book from Baker Books for free and was not required to give a positive review.

[Karla Renee Goforth Abreu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an in depth account of survival during Pol Pot's brutal regime and the Khmr Rouge, during the 1970's. Radha Manickam tells the story, having lived through it. It is devastating to read the accounts of mass killing and starvation of the people. I was physically shaken with a few of the horrific descriptions. (1.5 -2 million people died during this time. )
I have read various biographical books of those who have survived through unimaginable circumstances (especially to those in the western world). This book goes deeper into the issues that led up to such a totalitarian take-over, much having to do with the disastrous consequences of the Vietnam war.
Reading this reminds me that it would do us good, who live in a relatively free society, to consider how well we are instead of living self centered lives. How much, personally, do we sacrifice to help others here and abroad? People suffer intensely under untold circumstances the world over. (Read accounts of escapees or those who lived through the famine in the 1990's in North Korea. ) For example, sex slavery abounds under our noses in the U.S., as do forced under age polygamous marriages in some sects, among other atrocities. Let those of us who live in virtual ease, not live for self.
I highly recommend this book for all.

[Michele Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love, Faith, and Courage in the Killing Fields

“One death is a tragedy.
One million deaths is a statistic.” ~Joseph Stalin
Banking on this banality of evil, the Khmer Rouge murdered or starved 1.7 million Cambodian citizens during the years in which they were in power, all with an eye toward establishing themselves and their Community ideology. Having wiped out 25% of the population, the Khmer Rouge will go down as history’s most totalitarian regime, for even though Mao and Stalin were responsible for more deaths, no dictator has ever destroyed one fourth of its citizens.

This chilling period of history forms the meta-narrative of Les Sillars’s Intended for Evil, but he has brilliantly shared the harrowing story through the eyes of one man, Radha Manickam who survived the Cambodian Killing Fields. Of Indian ethnic descent, Radha was born into a Hindu Brahmin family, but came to faith in Christ as a young man in 1973. Accustomed to a life of plenty, Radha’s world turned upside down in 1974 when Phnom Penh, his home city, was caught in the cross fire of the war between Vietnam and the United States. As the violence progressed, the Khmer Rouge gained power, adding to the death and destruction. As refugees streamed into Phnom Penh from surrounding villages, fleeing U.S. bombs and the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror, the population more than tripled and food was very scarce.

Lee Sillars’s journalism background is evident in his skillful reconstruction of the political and historical implications of this period, the pointless movement of the masses and the evacuation of entire cities, the irony of communism’s rejection of an existing social structure only to create their own class system based on “kum, a revenge so brutal that it destroys an enemy so they never can rise again,” (79).

In 1975, year zero of Pol Pot’s “new calendar for a new era,” Radha and the entire Manickam family concluded that there was no future for them in Cambodia, and so they joined the current of bodies flowing from their makeshift camps to the next uncertain stopping point. When their passports were confiscated, they learned the folly of trusting Khmer Rouge officials and eventually discerned that any mis-step could have devastating consequences, for even gathering food in the woods to supplement starvation rations was considered a “betrayal” and, according to Pol Pot’s brutal rule book, the guilty party “will be crushed,” (99).

Weakening the population through starvation was only one technique of the Khmer Rouge. They undermined family bonds by separating relatives whenever possible, and they scorned (and ultimately abolished) all religions, including even those indigenous to Cambodia. Anyone wearing glasses (the sign of an ability to read), possessing an education, owning a business, or practicing a profession was systematically eliminated, leaving behind a bankrupt culture that would take generations to recover.

Our family was introduced to the regime’s lasting effects ten years ago when we hosted a family of missionaries on home assignment following a term in Cambodia. Arriving in our yard, their kids and our kids poured out of vehicles, mixed and mingled, and then headed straight for the woods to pursue adventure. Witness to the stricken look on their mother’s face, I was surprised at her explanation:

“Land mines. In Cambodia, the kids can’t just go running off into the woods unless there is a well-marked trail. For a minute, I forgot that it’s o.k. here.”

In that moment, the legacy of Khmer Rouge terror migrated into a back yard in Maine.

By grace, Radha Manickam’s life was spared because he was able to persevere in forced labor — a city boy, learning by trial and error what to do with the business end of a shovel and how to plant and harvest rice for back-breaking, spirit-crushing hours on end. The soldiers in charge of his work details were essentially a brute squad who subjected workers to unspeakable torture and cruel indignities while overseeing canals that collapsed and agricultural projects that failed abysmally due to mismanagement and ignorance.

Disease and starvation were all that flourished until the Vietnamese ousted the Khmer Rouge in January 1979. Tragically, most of Radha’s extended family had already perished, but grace triumphed when Radha learned that Samen, the wife he had been forced to marry in a mass wedding ceremony (set up to breed the next generation of new socialists), was also a believer. Sponsored by Samen’s family in the U.S., they made their arduous way to California where they began to heal from the years of devastating loss and began to minister to other victims of the crisis in Cambodia.

Les Sillars’s chosen title, of course, brings to mind the biblical story of Joseph, the refugee, slave, and prisoner who found, at the end of his waiting that God had transformed the evil intentions of his brothers and all of his own suffering into a great good — for himself and for the people of Israel. Brought face to face with the unspeakable atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge, I am forced to question the contents of my own heart. After all, the people who were conscripted into service as guards and soldiers were just common peasants and farmers, and following the fall of the Khmer Rouge, most of them went quietly back to their homes and families. There is a sobering subscript to this inspiring story about Radha’s God-given courage under extreme circumstances: a society can be plunged into evil by the removal of all that is good, and “those surprised by the evil found in human hearts don’t yet know themselves, and those terrified by the discovery have not grasped the grace of God.”

Like Joseph, Radha would affirm that his years of suffering are evidence that what evil men intend for harm, God was able to turn upside down for the accomplishment of His purposes and the advancement of His kingdom.

//

This book was provided by Baker Books, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

[Melissa Enderle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Intended for Evil" is an excellent memoir about a young ethnically Indian man who survived the horrific Khmer Rouge years. Prior to the rise of the brutal regime, young Radha became a Christian and was part of a thriving Christian community in Phnom Penh. It was this faith that sustained Radha after his prosperous family's lives were turned upside down, along with most citizens of Cambodia. The author combined extensive research along with Radha's experiences to give readers insight to the unthinkable challenges and atrocities that occurred from 1975-1979, as well as the challenges that faced survivors afterwards.
Having traveled to Cambodia and visited some of the locations where the Khmer Rouge committed some of their heinous crimes, this book had special meaning to me. Readers will also see how God sustained Radha and used him (including the evil experiences) for good, including leading others to Christ.

[ShellbyJo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a heavy read, so please be warned that there is some deeply tragic, graphic content ahead of you if you pick this up. That caution aside, this book was such a powerful and important read. Not only did this book educate me on historical events I knew nothing about (To this day I have almost never heard people mention the killing fields of Cambodia), it's also a powerful tale of God's faithfulness in the darkest of situations. It's been three years since I read it, and this story still serves as a humbling reminder of how we do -or don't- live out our faith in incredibly dark times.

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first heard Radha's story on the Doubletake podcast by World radio, and the book is even better! It's hard to read of the evil but so encouraging to watch God's faithfulness. Even if you know the history of the Khmer Rouge's reign of horrors, this story will give historical information as well as a personal account. If you like Corrie Ten Boom's story from WWIi, I think you'll enjoy this book as well.

[Kristjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It shows the faith of one man through apparently hopeless circumstances and God's faithfulness through those difficult times. Some amazing answers to prayers are described, even beyond what the one praying could imagine. The epilogue is sobering and highlights the sinfulness of man and the faithfulness of God.

[Uncle Alfred · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many Cambodian survival stories, but this one stands out at the gradual and tender revelation of Jesus in a new believer's life. The events in the book are atrociously slow-moving, and yet you can see Jesus' faithful presence granting mercy for the next hour's troubles and the following day's threats and the hard months that turned into heart-aching years.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The pure evil of the Cambodian killing fields under Pol Pot is the backdrop of this story. A young man, Radha Manickam, is caught up in the madness and cruelty of the regime, along with his family. Radha is a Christian, but his faith is tested in the extremes of pain, difficulty, and seeing the death of so many in his family and others around him. Most of the book involves details of his life under the regime, including a forced marriage (the regime wants more children to raise in its likeness). But all along the way, Radha sees how the Lord is watching over him and saving him for very specific purposes. When he and his wife and a few other family members finally leave Cambodia after the Khmer Rouge is overturned, they go to the United States to settle. But Radha eventually feels the call to go back to his homeland and bring the gospel to them. What the Khmer Rouge meant for evil, the Lord used for good.

[Naomi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking and sobering book. Through one man's story you witness the terror and unimaginable horrors that became a normal part of life for millions of Cambodians under the reign of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. Difficult but worthwhile read.

[Daniel Farabaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a harrowing account of one person's experience in the Cambodian genocide. The book is well written and does a nice job with the context surrounding the events. He balances the world politics with the personal narrative well.

[Yolanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both a story of redemption and an excellent history of one of the world's horrible eras.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a crazy story. I learned about the history in this period, and had no idea that this had happened to the extent it did. Amazing to see his journey.

[Rachel Song · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid 3.5

[Rebekah Mohn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intense, but good. (4 stars as a guarded recommendation.)

[Ansley Hutton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A powerful story but some of the political and cultural context (while important) felt like it wandered a bit.

[Lilly Roepnack · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an emotional tough read, but Sillars did an amazing job. It's easy to follow. Even in the darkest hour, God is still working and that is evidanced through some of the graces God gives the survivor. Dr. Sillars personally reccomanded this book to me while at camp; and it was 100% worth the read.

[Rachael Lesko · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a tough book to get through but was very enlightening on a topic that is not often written about.

[Janine · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Some in the West found the refugees' accounts too incredible to believe..." At times throughout this book, I found myself astonished at what a sick and twisted mind the author must have to think these things up, but then I remembered that this wasn't a work of fiction.

This is a truly horrific account of life in Cambodia under the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot. I am aghast at what the Cambodian people suffered, that my own country continued to recognize a genocidal leadership as the "official government" of Cambodia for so long, even after they were ousted, and that this receives so little attention. What the Cambodian people endured (and are still enduring the lasting effects of) truly is on the level of the Holocaust, which we are all highly educated on. I think we are all aware that there have been, and continue to be, major humanitarian issues in Cambodia, but I truly did not know the extent. These events predate my lifetime, and this was not something that was ever covered in school history classes.

I struggle to understand what ends the Khmer Rouge could possibly have thought they would get from murdering so many people. The methodology is completely illogical. I doubt I will ever understand how mass murder, brutality and starvation helps a government achieve any sort of utopia. It is probably better for me, as a human being, to be unable to understand this mindset. Even in the aftermath, Pol Pot felt he was right, which is unfathomable. "I would like to tell you that I came to carry out the struggle, not to kill people. Even now, and you can look at me, do I look like a savage person? My conscience is clear." There are no words for such unspeakable evil.

I would highly recommend this book to others, if for no other reason than I feel that people should be more aware of what happened. The only way we can avoid future atrocities is to never forget the ones that have already occured. The book itself is extremely well written, and it will hold you captive.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intended For Evil: A Survivor's Story Of Love, Faith, And Courage In The Cambodian Killing Fields is an intense story of survival recounted by Les Sillars, a journalist and journalism professor in Virginia. In this profound book, Les Sillars shares with us the life of Radha Manickam, a young Christian living in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took control in the 1970s. Sillars weaves Radha's personal vivid (and frequently horrifying) memories with well-researched historical information from the area during the same time period.

This book is a very thorough illustration of what millions of Cambodians lived - and died - through during the reign of the Khmer Rouge throughout Cambodia. Sillars does his best to paint an accurate picture, without trying to make it pretty or undermining the atrocities that occurred. Though it is at times rather dry and slow-paced, reading like a reference encyclopedia entry rather than a personal story, this book is by no means for the faint of heart or those lacking the ability to handle the harsh realities of human violence and the struggle for mere survival.

While this book does recount the worst of what human beings are capable of, it also serves as a very potent reminder to God's enduring love for us and His power to redeem us from even the most vile of circumstances. Though we may struggle to survive what seems like a lost battle, there are countless signs of God's presence and His plan for our lives, if we only choose to listen to His voice when He makes it known.

Having been born in the 1980s, I cannot attest to the complete accuracy of the history unfolded within the pages of this powerful testimony, but Radha's story is a lesson of faith that I will never forget. Highly recommended to those mature audiences interested in Cambodian history or stories of martyrs and others who have fought for their beliefs. 5/5 stars.

*Disclaimer: I received a free print edition of this book from Baker Books for the purpose of this honest review. All opinions are my own.*

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sillars tells the story of Radha Manickam, a victim of the Khmer Rouge.

Radha had become a Christian in 1973 through an independent missionary teaching English classes. For the three previous years, the U.S. had done intensive bombing in Cambodia aimed at aiding the pro-American Khmer Republic government in a brutal war against Khmer Rouge, communist guerrillas backed by North Vietnam. The Americans ended up officially leaving in 1975.

Interwoven with the background information about the war is the story of Radha. His whole family was forced to evacuate Phnom Penh when the Khmer Rouge invaded in 1973. They were forced marched to settlements where they were forced to work in cooperatives. Radha saw much horror and thanked God every day for letting him live. They experienced malnutrition. Radha was forced into marriage (and was surprised to later find his wife was a Christian too). They suffered under leadership purges and saw many atrocities. He and his wife survived when the Vietnamese invaded and eventually ended up in a U.N. refugee camp. They later emigrated to America and Radha was involved in ministry to Cambodians in Seattle. He made several visits to Cambodia to minister and connect with his remaining family members.

I recommend this book to those interested is a very good history of Cambodia in the 1970s. While Radha's story is the main theme of the book, there is a great deal of information about the country during this time. Radha's story is a powerful one of survival, forgiveness and a determination to help Christians remaining in Cambodia.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

[Lynn's · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Intended For Evil” is a deeply moving telling of a man’s suffering and survival in the killing fields of Cambodia during the reign of the Khmer Rouge. I have always loved true stories and reading ones like this remind me how blessed I am to live in a country that’s free. The things that Radha Manicham and his family went through under the regime of Communism were horrific - it’s a true miracle that one could keep their faith in God after living through such terror and fear. One can see the faithfulness of God through Radha’s story, and it’s both an inspiration and a challenge to read how people suffered through such circumstances. I would recommend this book to anyone who reads biographies and true stories, or, wishing to learn more about life under the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In fact, I would go a step further and say that even if you’re not interested in either the topic or the genre, read this book anyway. It’s an education as to what happens when Communism takes over a government and if you’re not familiar with the reality of what that means, this book will enlighten you. I for one, am more grateful for what I have after reading Radha’s story.