I Little Slave: A Prison Memoir From Communist Laos

by Bounsang Khamkeo

Raised in the hierarchical society of traditional Laos, Bounsang Khamkeo earned his doctorate in political science in France and returned home in 1973 to a country in political chaos in the wake of the Vietnam War. He worked for the government until 1981 before being imprisoned by the communist Pathet Lao government after running afoul of a politically ambitious boss. I Little Slave is the account of his seven-year struggle in prison to stay alive and keep sane in spite of harsh physical privation and endless psychological abuse. Khamkeo's story is a moving and important one at a time when political oppression and crimes against human rights are on the rise throughout the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Asia, Memoir, Biography Memoir, History

422 pages, Paperback

First published December 30, 2006

Reviews

[Meaghan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A word of caution: this book begins very slowly. Khamkeo goes on for pages and pages about the political situation in Laos. I understand the need to create context for his story, but I think he went a bit overboard. I kept thinking, gosh, this is rather dull, am I going to be able to finish this? But after Khamkeo's arrest (about page 150), things picked up considerably and I didn't want to put the book down.

Except for its somewhat unusual setting -- there are not a lot of Laotian authors in the West, after all -- this is a fairly typical gulag memoir. Starvation, brutalization, arbitrary executions, hope of release, etc. If you like that sort of thing, I would highly recommend this book. I enjoyed it a great deal once the story took off.

[Khiogreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I read because my husband read it. It does have a significant meaning to me. This book is about this one author's life as a prisoner of war. My father too was a prisoner after the Vietnam War ended. The only exception between my father and this author was that he chose to write about it and give his experience a voice, while my father on the other hand chose not to talk about it. I think it's still very painful for him. Anyhow this book gave me a lot of insight into the lives of this prison and others who he talks about in the book. I would say that my father's experience is somewhat similar to this one author's experience.

[Lapis Pezuli · Rating 5 out of 5]

found it at the PCC sylvania library.

excellent book. it's a memoir of bounsang khamkeo's time in laotian reeducation camps during the communist regime and how he managed to survive. i'm glad conditions in american prisons aren't like this.

[Patsy Hancock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent inside look at Socialism and Communism. If you live in the free world today, be thankful and read this book. It's a true story of one individual's life and death struggle with Socialism and Communism.

[Ian Baird · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-written account of one Lao man's experience in a harsh "re-education" camp in northern Laos.

[in8 · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://5cense.com/25/1222.htm

[Jerry]

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