Never Fall Down [Hardcover]

Patricia McCormick (Author)

Book Description

Release date: May 8, 2012

When soldiers arrive at his hometown in Cambodia, Arn is just a kid, dancing to rock 'n' roll, hustling for spare change, and selling ice cream with his brother. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever. Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children, weak from hunger, malaria, or sheer exhaustion, dying before his eyes. He sees prisoners marched to a nearby mango grove, never to return. And he learns to be invisible to the sadistic Khmer Rouge, who can give or take away life on a whim.

One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers. In order to survive, he must quickly master the strange revolutionary songs the soldiers demand—and steal food to keep the other kids alive. This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated from the Khmer Rouge, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier. He lives by the simple credo: Over and over I tell myself one thing: never fall down.

Based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, this is an achingly raw and powerful novel about a child of war who becomes a man of peace, from National Book Award finalist Patricia McCormick.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“While never shying from the ugliness and brutality of this genocide, McCormick crafts a powerful tribute to the human spirit.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

“Powerfully, hauntingly unforgettable.” (Booklist (starred review))

“This compelling chronicle deserves to be widely read, discussed, and reflected upon by a generation of young people who may be largely unaware of this dark chapter in world history.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review))

“A gripping account of the inner turmoil of a child soldier.” (New York Times Book Review)

“McCormick’s novel is one that needs to be read.” (The Horn Book)

“One of the most inspiring and powerful books I’ve ever read. Never Fall Down can teach us all about finding the courage to speak our truth and change the world.” (Archbishop Desmond Tutu)

“Following the pattern of excellence McCormick began with her novel SOLD, she has created another amazing story through skilled and patient research.” (Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA) (Starred Review))

“Arn Chorn Pond is a fast-talking dynamo with endless energy and zest for life. In Never Fall Down, Patricia McCormick captures brilliantly the man, his heart, and his passion to make Cambodia and our world a better place for all. Arn’s against-all-odds survival story and McCormick’s crisp prose gripped me from the first page to the very end.” (Loung Ung, bestelling author of First They Killed My Father, and Lucky Child)

Praise for PURPLE HEART: “In this suspenseful psychological thriller…McCormick raises moral questions without judgment and will have readers examining not only this conflict but the nature of heroism and war.” (Publishers Weekly (starred review))

Praise for PURPLE HEART: “McCormick builds the plot subtly and carefully with rich, spare prose.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Praise for PURPLE HEART: “Gripping details of existence in a war zone bring this to life.” (ALA Booklist)

About the Author

Patricia McCormick, a two-time finalist for the National Book Award, is the author of five critically acclaimed novels: Never Fall Down, an unforgettable story of a boy solider who defied the odds to survive the murderous regime of the Khmer Rouge; Purple Heart, a suspenseful psychological novel that explores the killing of a ten-year-old boy in Iraq; Sold, a deeply moving account of sexual trafficking; My Brother's Keeper, a realistic view of teenage substance abuse; and Cut, an intimate portrait of one teenager's struggle with self-injury.

Her books have earned many honors: Never Fall Down was a National Book Award finalist in 2012 and a New York Times Notable Children's Book of 2012; Sold was named one of Best 100 Books of the Year by Publishers Weekly and was selected by the American Library Association as one of the Top Ten Best Books for Young Adults in 2006. Cut was an ALA Best Book for Teenagers. McCormick was named a New York Foundation on the Arts fellow in 2004.

She is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and lives in Manhattan.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Balzer + Bray (May 8, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061730939
• ISBN-13: 978-0061730931
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (78 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #51 in Books > Teens > Historical Fiction

More About the Author

Patricia McCormick is a former journalist, novelist and two-time National Book Award Finalist. "CUT" was her first novel. Published in 1999, it has sold nearly a million copies. Her other books, "SOLD," "My Brother's Keeper", and "Purple Heart" have received numerous awards.

Her new book, "NEVER FALL DOWN," also a National Book Award finalist, is based on the true story of an 11-year-old boy who survived the Killing Fields of Cambodia by playing music for the Khmer Rouge. He would later find out that the music was used to cover up the sounds of the killings; as a man, he has worked to revitalize the traditional songs of Cambodia, an art form that would otherwise have been lost in the genocide.

'The Khmer Rouge used every means possible to break the spirit of their victims," McCormick says. "But Arn Chorn Pond, an 11-year-old boy, would turn the tables on them. He used music to save his life, to save his soul and to repair the broken heart of his country."

"One of the most powerful and inspiring books I've ever read. NEVER FALL DOWN teaches all of us about the courage it takes to speak our truth." - Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

For more information: http://www.pattymccormick.com/ and http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patricia-McCormick/150993641605301

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Heartbreaking and Heart opening May 12, 2012

By CeceBee

Format:Hardcover

I read this book straight through. Although I knew the story, the telling is magnificent. McCormick captures a pure and wrenching voice. I hope It will take a place with the Diary of Anne Frank and Catcher in the Rye on school reading lists.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Devastating and eye-opening June 3, 2012

By Evie Seo (Bookish blog)

Format:Hardcover

Never Fall Down was one absolutely devastating read. I was not prepared for its searing authenticity and intensely emotional message; it took me by surprise, broke my heart to pieces and left me drained and breathless, but also very satisfied and enriched. Reading this book was an experience like no other. Profoundly harrowing and cathartic, Never Fall Down tells a true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a child soldier in Cambodia who later became famous for his advocacy of peace and civil rights. With her raw and painfully realistic prose, Patricia McCormick weaves a gripping tale of death, abuse, starvation, terror, and brainwashing. A poignant story of survival against all odds and keeping one's humanity. This is a book with a beating heart, and one that everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - should read.

Arn Chorn-Pond was born into a family of performing musicians that owned and ran a famous opera in Cambodia. When the Khmer Rouge (a ruthless organization that was following the Communist Party of Kampuchea) came to power, Chorn-Pond (and hundreds other children) was separated from his family and sent away to a work camp, where all the kids were forced to work in rice fields from sunrise to late night hours. Starved, terrified and growing weaker with every passing day, Chorn-Pond witnessed people dying all around him: from exhaustion and starvation, from sickness (like malaria), or simply being executed by the Khmer Rouge "Camrades" (for having too pale a skin, or too soft hands, or for not working hard enough). He had to learn how to bottle up his emotions, how to make himself numb and desensitized to all the death and horrors around him. He had to adapt and find a way to survive. Later on, Chorn-Pond and a group of other boys were chosen to play propaganda songs for the camp soldiers. That saved him from the certain death in the fields, but it also put him right in the middle of the Killing Fields (sites outside Phnom Penh, where nearly 17,000 people were tortured, executed, and buried in mass graves). When Cambodia was invaded by the Vietnamese, and the country was standing on the brink of liberation, this young teenage boy was handed a gun, sent to the front lines, and forced to become a soldier.

This book literally broke my heart to pieces. And the fact that it's based on a true story only makes it that much harder to stomach and embrace the events described in its pages. I loved the raw prose, the broken-English with all the spelling and grammar mistakes - all that made the narrative voice feel real, dynamic and convincing. It was almost as if Arn Chorn-Pond was sitting in the room with me and I was listening to him tell the story in an urgent, strained voice. In her "Dear Reader" note at the beginning of the book, Patricia McCormick explains how difficult it was for her to capture the authenticity of that voice, she says: "Trying to capture that voice was like trying to bottle a lightning bug. Every time I imposed the rules of grammar or syntax on it, the light went out. And so, after hundreds of interviews here and in Cambodia, where we traced the steps of his childhood and came face-to-face with the Khmer Rouge soldier who was both his warden and friend, I chose to use Arn's own distinct and beautiful voice." And I thank you for that, Mrs. McCormick. That was an excellent choice. Chorn-Pond's voice is what truly made this book for me.

The story itself is very sad, disquieting, and often absolutely horrific, but it's also one that ends with hope for the future and tears of happiness. I did cry while reading it, and quite a lot too. A couple of times I had trouble catching my breath.. And I definitely felt depressed, disturbed and broken. Never Fall Down affected me deeply and in ways I really didn't think possible. Something about this boy, and the way he tells his own story, was just so intensely emotional and overpowering, I couldn't help but to get completely immersed in it. It was draining. It was overwhelming. But it was also very rewarding, thought-provoking and unforgettable. And while all throughout this novel my stomach was twisted in a tight knot, I came out of reading it armed in at least three important things: knowledge about the Khmer Rouge and their crimes against humanity, compassion for all the victims, and admiration of Chorn-Pond's unbreakable spirit and inspiring courage.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Sad and charming! May 12, 2012

By Susan by the Mekong

Format:Hardcover

This is an amazing story about a real life hero who overcomes the excruciating trauma of being a child soldier during the Khmer Rouge regime to become an award-winning human rights activist and a leader in rebuilding his nation's culture. The story is, by turns, painful, disturbing, but ultimately full of hope and love. Patricia McCormack has told Arn's early life in a manner that gives voice to an innocent and good child who is caught up in events that are virtually unimaginable. Definitely read this book. You will be touched and inspired. And, knowing Arn, you can be sure he will do more good things with the residuals. So, you get 2 for 1: a great read and you contribute to improving the lives of Cambodia's children. :)