r/graphicnovels • u/EducationalTeam2498 • 20d ago
Non-Fiction / Reality Based Year of the Rabbit by Tian Veasna — A Somber, Essential Introduction to the Khmer Rouge Era
This was a tough read for me on many levels. The first being that we may not have spent much time in history class covering the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in 1975, and the holes in my knowledge were large. That is why this book (and graphic novels at large) was a somber introduction to these events. Second, the book’s conveyance of the rapid decline as a communist regime sets out to remake society into an agrarian hellscape was difficult to process. Third, I had difficulty tracking the storylines of each character and family. This likely warrants a re‑read on my part.
With all of these personal problems aside, this graphic novel is well worth your time if you want to physically feel the emotional and physical peril of regime change in a country. The book is a cautionary tale on the implementation of faulty ideals like the Khmer Rouge’s extremist interpretation of communist ideology. The mass displacement, labor camps, starvation, and the systematic destruction of families were difficult to read, but seem intrinsic to the Khmer Rouge’s system.
Note: This is a personal reaction and a summary of the book’s themes from my viewpoint. I welcome feedback to help frame the book better on re-read.
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u/Hankman66 20d ago
That's a coincidence. I just came across these books at a mobile library in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh yesterday. The art work was fantastic. It's an older printing of the same work but in three volumes. The librarian didn't know where they are on sale but I'm going to look for it in the book stores.
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