Books of Local Interest: ‘Two Teaspoons of Rice’ set in killing fields of Cambodia
By Capital Gazette staff
Capital Gazette |
Apr 25, 2020 | 2:37 PM

"Two Teaspoons of Rice" tells how a playful and unruly ten-year-old came of age in the killing fields of Cambodia.(Courtesy Photo)

“Two Teaspoons of Rice, A Memoir of a Cambodian Orphan” is the story of Sida Lei of Alexandria, Virginia, written with Monica Boothe of Bowie. The children’s history book tells how a playful and unruly 10-year-old came of age in the killing fields of Cambodia.

Orphaned by the Khmer Rouge, Sida not only had to survive; she had to lead what remained of her family in a desperate dash for the border. They faced many dangers: bullets, guerilla ambushes, landmines, and starvation.

"They tried to starve me, to wear me down with disease, to catch me stealing so that they could execute me. They tried to work me to death. But every time, I beat them. Every time, I survived. And not only that. I saw what they thought they could hide from me. I saw glimpses of beauty in a hideous world. I saw light that penetrates even the fiercest darkness. I saw that there was hope."
https://www.capitalgazette.com/lifestyl ... story.html