Fulfilling a Promise

Book excerpt: This is a true story of how an opportunity can completely change a life. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to buy school supplies for impoverished children in Cambodia. The youngest son of an impoverished rice-farming family in Cambodia, Chamroeun Pen shares his extraordinary story as part of a promise he made with the US Embassy in 2008. It begins with his early life in Cambodia, a country that still bears the scars of the genocide known as the Killing Fields, where most of the educated population was slaughtered between the years 1975 and 1979. This left the younger generation struggling to receive adequate schooling, and the majority of students, including Chamroeun, knew almost nothing about the world beyond their borders. Teachers doled out cruel punishments, there were threats by gang members, along with continual lack of school supplies. Against all odds, Chamroeun was granted an opportunity to study in the US at the age of thirteen. But he had to adapt to the American way of life and overcome adversity as his journey progressed. Torn by problems in his families in both the US and Cambodia, he often wished he could just quit and return home. Yet, his father's dream of having at least one of his eight children finish school propelled him forward. Chamroeun's perseverance is a stirring message of hope. With this book, he wants to encourage youth, not just in Cambodia, but also around the world, to never give up in the pursuit of an education.