History Buffs Read The Gate for March
About the Book
In 1971 a
young French ethnologist named Francois Bizot was taken prisoner by
forces of the Khmer Rouge who kept him chained in a jungle camp for
months before releasing him. Four years later Bizot became the
intermediary between the now victorious Khmer Rouge and the occupants of
the besieged French embassy in Phnom Penh, eventually leading a
desperate convoy of foreigners to safety across the Thai border.
Out of those ordeals comes this
transfixing book. At its center lies the relationship between Bizot and
his principal captor, a man named Douch, who is today known as the most
notorious of the Khmer Rouge’s torturers but who, for a while, was
Bizot’s protector and friend. Written with the immediacy of a great
novel, unsparing in its understanding of evil, The Gate manages to be at once wrenching and redemptive.
Labels: book discussion for adults, events/activities for adults, history buffs, ReaDiNG RooM News
Remember to READ 4 THe FuN oF iT @ Aaron Cutler Memorial Library!
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