“The most beautiful thing in Cambodia isn’t the country – it’s the Cambodian people.”
Cambodia is a country whose storytelling goes back thousands of years, but whose influence can still be felt by visitors to this day. One of the most prominent hubs for Buddhism in the world, Cambodia (or Kampuchea as is more common in the Eastern world) is a land of stunning natural beauty, vibrant cultural identities and enduring reminders of the power of resilience. The nation is still synonymous with the nightmarish Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields, with the little kingdom being a potent reminder of the lessons from history. From the mythicism surrounding Kambu, the enduring legacy of Pol Pot and Democratic Kampuchea, to the country and its culture at present, join us at What We Reading for the best books about Cambodia.
Holiday In Cambodia – Laura Jean McKay
If you’re looking for more bite-sized stories about life and living in Cambodia, Laura Jean McKay’s Holiday in Cambodia is an excellent go-to. Spanning the 1950s to the 1990s this collection of short stories explores the thin line across the country where locals and tourists meet.
From a singer creating a swinging sixties on the eve of an American bombing run, three backpackers ignoring the warning signs at a train station and ending up in the hands of the Khmer Rouge, to elderly sisters visited by their vampire niece from Australia, Holiday in Cambodia is one of the best books about Cambodia for capturing the poignancy and disturbing aftermaths of war and conflict.
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Temple Of A Thousand Faces – John Shors
Arguably the most famous historical fiction book about Cambodia, John Shors whisks readers back to the construction of Angkor Wat and the warring Cham and Khmer nations in Temple of a Thousand Faces.
The ancient city of Angkor is Cambodia’s most popular attraction, with the Hindu temple Angkor Wat standing as the largest religious site in the world. Shors’ love for the material is infectious throughout the book, and the detail in the food, clothing, tools and daily routines described give a great insight into ancient Khmer culture that continues to reverberate today.
Cambodian Folk Stories From The Gatiloke – Kong Chhean
Cambodian Folk Stories features fifteen different folk stories that all take inspiration from the teachings of Buddhist monks. The stories were often used by religious practitioners to educate others on their faith and were first put to paper in the nineteenth century.
Some of these folk stories are lighthearted and humorous, whilst others offer more serious and moral conclusions. A mix of fables, fairytales and genuine spiritual lessons, it is a short and snappy read but undoubtedly one that will impart a lot of traditional Cambodian beliefs that may intrigue a Western audience.
A Cambodian Prison Portrait: One Year In The Khmer Rouge’s S-21 – Vann Nath
Whilst many of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge have disappeared into history, one place where their bloodthirstiness and cruelty remain on display is Security Prison 21. Democratic Kampuchea’s killing grounds for its secret police, only a small handful of the 14,000 prisoners who were sent to the renovated school survived their ordeal.
One such survivor was Vann Nath, a Cambodian artist who became a national legend on the back of his book, A Cambodian Prison Portrait. In it, he documents his experiences behind the walls of S-21. Delivered with an unimaginable amount of dignity and empathy for his captors, fellow prisoners and the country as a whole, it remains one of the most important books about Cambodia and one of the most powerful witness accounts from across its history.
When Broken Glass Floats: Growing Up Under The Khmer Rouge – Chanrithy Him
When Broken Glass Floats is the spellbinding memoir by Chanrithy Him and her trek through the hellish plains of Cambodia’s killing fields. A finalist for the Kiriyama Pacific Rim Book Prize, it chronicles an innocent child’s view of a country where technology was removed and men, women and children were exposed to illness and death in labour camps in the countryside.
Yet, Him’s poetic delivery also manages to capture fleeting moments of incredible humanity. Whether it be the briefest of pleasant exchanges with Khmer Rouge members or the unshakeable loyalty shared between her and her family, When Broken Glass Floats is not only one of the best Cambodia books about the Khmer Rouge but undoubtedly one of the most hypnotic.
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter Of Cambodia Remembers (Daughter Of Cambodia #1) – Loung Ung
As a child of one of the country’s highest-ranking government officials, Loung Ung had lived a privileged life until five. That all changed in April 1975 when Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge stormed the capital of Phenom Penh, forcing the family to flee and then disperse.
Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labour camps and, those who survived the hellish experiences of the killing fields, would not see each other again until the Khmer Rouge were finally ousted. First They Killed My Father is the harrowing recount of the Cambodian Genocide and the staggering strength and enduring hope demonstrated by one small girl and her family living through it.
When The War Was Over: Cambodia And The Khmer Rouge Revolution – Elizabeth Becker
Most books on Cambodia focus rightly on the Pol Pot regime and the long shadow of the Khmer Rouge and its crimes. But for one of the most comprehensive accounts on the build-up to what remains one of the single-worst crimes against humanity in history, its brutality when in power to the first attempts to recover from it following its toppling, look no further than When the War Was Over by Elizabeth Becker.
Beginning with the era of French colonialism, the book covers the establishment of Cambodian nationalism, Pol Pot’s education in 1950s Paris, his death in 1998, and the decision-makers in Washington, Moscow, Beijing, Hanoi and Phenom Penh political chambers that have shaped the country’s path since. Combining original historical research with interviews with leaders and civilians alike, Becker’s work is one of the best books for understanding Cambodia from all levels.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
