Book excerpt: Around 1970, the peaceful country of Kampuchea (now Cambodia) gradually began to change by the force of political power and corruption. At the same time, many parts of the world became influenced by the Communist system. The Communist party called the Red Khmer (also known as the Khmer Rouge) began to form. They spent years in the jungle recruiting and brainwashing anyone who joined. They believed they could change the country for the better by taking over the current government and changing everything to a system where everyone could become equal. They spent years fighting and claiming each region of the country until they successfully took over the entire country. Their main purpose was to eliminate anyone who’d caused the corruption and those who’d embraced the political powers. No one knew their main purpose until they began to execute their scheme. Tragically, they didn’t just eliminate their initial targets. They went far beyond their original plans, and millions of innocent civilians also became their victims. My family lived through this gruesome and horrifying ordeal, and this book is our story of how we all managed to survive the Red Khmer and remain together.