2024-2025 Book Selection: "First they Killed my Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers" By Loung Ung

From a childhood survivor of the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot, this is a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.

One of seven children of a high-ranking government official, Loung Ung lived a privileged life in the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh until the age of five. Then, in April 1975, Pol Pot’s Khmer Rouge army stormed into the city, forcing Ung’s family to flee and, eventually, to disperse. Loung was trained as a child soldier in a work camp for orphans, her siblings were sent to labor camps, and those who survived the horrors would not be reunited until the Khmer Rouge was destroyed.

Harrowing yet hopeful, Loung’s powerful story is an unforgettable account of a family shaken and shattered, yet miraculously sustained by courage and love in the face of unspeakable brutality.

2023-2024 Book Selection: "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George M. Johnson

The cover of "All Boys Aren't Blue" by George Johnson, pictured, George's side profile and they are wearing a flower crown.

From the memories of getting their teeth kicked out by bullies at age five, to flea marketing with their loving grandmother, to their first sexual relationships, this young-adult memoir weaves together the trials and triumphs faced by a Black queer young person.

Both a primer for teens eager to be allies as well as a reassuring testimony for young queer masculine presenting people of color, All Boys Aren’t Blue covers topics such as gender identity, toxic masculinity, brotherhood, family, structural marginalization, consent, and Black joy. Johnson’s emotionally frank style of writing will appeal directly to young adults.

For any information regarding the 1Book/1Project/2Transform program, please contact:

Shayla Bischoff – [email protected]