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Tian Veasna
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Year of the Rabbit Paperback – January 21, 2020

by Tian Veasna (Author), Helge Dascher (Translator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 94 ratings
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One family’s quest to survive the devastation of the Khmer Rouge

"Striking and moving... The comics form allows readers [to] understand through chronological progression and a close view how horror can become the stuff of the everyday."―The New York Times

Year of the Rabbit tells the true story of one family’s desperate struggle to survive the murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. In 1975, the Khmer Rouge seized power in the capital city of Phnom Penh. Immediately after declaring victory in the war, they set about evacuating the country’s major cities with the brutal ruthlessness and disregard for humanity that characterized the regime ultimately responsible for the deaths of one million citizens.

Cartoonist Tian Veasna was born just three days after the Khmer Rouge takeover, as his family set forth on the chaotic mass exodus from Phnom Penh. Year of the Rabbit is based on firsthand accounts, all told from the perspective of his parents and other close relatives. Stripped of any money or material possessions, Veasna’s family found themselves exiled to the barren countryside along with thousands of others, where food was scarce and brutal violence a constant threat.

Year of the Rabbit shows the reality of life in the work camps, where Veasna’s family bartered for goods, where children were instructed to spy on their parents, and where reading was proof positive of being a class traitor. Constantly on the edge of annihilation, they realized there was only one choice―they had to escape Cambodia and become refugees. Veasna has created a harrowing, deeply personal account of one of the twentieth century’s greatest tragedies.

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  1. Part of Series
    Year of the Rabbit
  2. Print length
    380 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Drawn and Quarterly
  5. Publication date
    January 21, 2020
  6. Dimensions
    6.07 x 1.08 x 8.13 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    1770463763
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1770463769
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"At once stark and vivid, Year of the Rabbit is a stupendous achievement, comparable to Agnieszka Holland’s Europa Europa and Art Spiegelman’s Maus."―NPR Best of 2020

“A sense of dread pervades almost every panel.”―Phnom Penh Post

“Tian shows how horror can become everyday… [Year of the Rabbit] vibrates with a thousand details that show the dogmatic absurdity of the executioners and the hope that can still survive in victims on the edge of the abyss.”―Telerama

"Written and drawn with documentary precision, but also great sensitivity and tenderness. A triumph."―Le Figaro

"Tian Veasna’s brilliant and powerful book about the murderous reign of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia, and the experiences of his family under the regime [makes] easy work of complex political history. But it’s also exquisitely spare. Sometimes, there is nothing to be said; no words are adequate." ―Rachel Cooke, The Guardian

"Tian Veasna’s Year of the Rabbit documents in granular detail the society’s quick descent into terror... the beauty of the drawings a counterpoint to the depicted misery, with those interned there working back- and spirit-breaking hours at manual labour, while beloved relatives and friends disappear, never to be seen again. Against this hellish background, again, there are small bits of luck and minor kindnesses that stand out all the more starkly."
―The Globe & Mail

"Year of the Rabbit movingly depicts the rising terror of the Khmer Rouge years... Veasna’s energetic, loose lines are perfectly suited to capturing the nuances of the chaos and confusion." ―The Times Literary Supplement

About the Author

Tian Veasna was born in Cambodia in 1975, three days after the Khmer Rouge came to power. He moved to France with his parents in 1980, where he graduated from Strasbourg’s École des Arts Décoratifs in 2001. After that he returned to Cambodia for the first time, offering drawing classes as part of a United Nations humanitarian project. Since then Veasna has worked in publishing, taught visual art, and cofounded the workshop and gallery space Le Bocal, which specializes in illustration and graphic art. Veasna’s desire to recount what his family lived through in 1975 led him to return to Cambodia frequently and record the memories of his family members. Those stories became Year of the Rabbit, his first book. Veasna lives in France.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Drawn and Quarterly (January 21, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 380 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1770463763
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1770463769
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.31 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.07 x 1.08 x 8.13 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 94 ratings

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Tian Veasna

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
94 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Craig Adams
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb Graphic Memoir - I highly recommend.
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2021
Verified Purchase
This graphic memoir is a tour de force of storytelling, history, memoir, and illustration. I am about the same age as the author. There was much I could identify with - family, children, day-to-day living, and of course much I am grateful that I never had to live through - war, violence, murder, survival, and emigration. I highly recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Reader
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on January 24, 2021
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Loved it.
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Elena L.
5.0 out of 5 stars An essential graphic novel!
Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2023
From the day the author was born during the regime in Cambodia to his family escape from Phnom Penh, this graphic novel is the true story of Veasna family's desperate struggle to survive the totalitarian terror of the Khmer Rouge.
Each page offers experiences of chaos and pain in this reign of terror and destruction - moral foundations are shattered, communities suffer from different political objectives and people are erased.

Touching one to the core with this deeply personal book, one seeks sparks of hope amidst the flood of horror and absurdities. The emotions are palpable and ultimately, the resilience and survival paint an image of a better future.

YEAR OF THE RABBIT is a harrowing read yet an essential one. I hope you read it!
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Vivek Tejuja
5.0 out of 5 stars Gut-wrenching and essential.
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2020
History is witness to totalitarian regimes. Regimes that are autocratic, xenophobic, paranoid, and highly regressive. Khmer Rouge was one such regime that ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. They murdered hundreds of thousands of their perceived opponents, and also tortured and killed citizens, under the pretext of creating a better world, where everyone was equal. The Cambodian genocide led to the death of 1.5 to 2 million people in that time period.

Life under the regime was tough. Everything was out of bounds – culture, art, schools, hospitals, banking, and currency. What ruled the roost was agriculture. The ruling body was called the Angkar, which took all major decisions.

“Year of the Rabbit” is a story of a family in the times of Khmer Rouge. Tian Veasna was born just three days after the Rouge takeover in Cambodia, and this book is the story of his family journeying from Phnom Penh in the hope of freedom.

The book is universal in its theme of freedom and what it means to live under a regime that has no empathy or humanity. Isn’t this what is being seen throughout the world right now? Even after decades of autocrats being and behaving in a manner that is harmful to the state, yet no one learns. The same mistakes are repeated. But, back to the book.

Despite all this, there were times I smiled through the book because Veasna also shows us the compassion of humans. Of how his family and relatives were treated with kindness by some along the way, and how at the same time, they lost some family. “Year of the Rabbit” shows us how horror becomes the everyday living, the routine, and that is scary enough. It shows us both sides – of blind faith in a person or organization, and at the same time the sparks of hope that things will get better.

The drawings are clear and precise. The stories are told from various family members’ perspectives, so you might tend to get lost sometimes, but the family tree given at the beginning is handy.

1975 Cambodia till 1979 Cambodia wasn’t an easy place to live in. I haven’t read much about that time in reference to the place and what happened. I had heard of Khmer Rouge but didn’t know enough. I am glad this book was published and brought these stories to light. Read “Year of the Rabbit”. You won’t be disappointed at all.
4 people found this helpful
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Tan Huynh
5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and spell-binding story
Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2022
I've read other books about the Cambodian genocide, but this was the first book I read in graphic novel form. It provided another way for me to be there and see the story through the many characters. This is a great book for middle schoolers who are also learning English and learning about genocide as it is accessible because of the pictures and the language. At times, it got confusing with so many of the characters, but it is still a worthwhile book to read.
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Nhat Nguyen
5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful story and artwork!
Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2022
My sister in law is Cambodian, so this story was close to my heart. I knew a little about the Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot, but this story really put the events in perspective. It was an easy read with beautiful artwork. Highly recommended!
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M.B.
3.0 out of 5 stars True but confusing
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021
I have read several memoirs about the Cambodian Genocide. "Year of the Rabbit" by Tien Veasna is in the same vein, although it is perhaps a bit more tame since it reads quicker and lacks the detail of prose.

The book focuses on Veasna's family history, from their deportation from the capital to their separation in work camps to their attempts at reunited as the Khmer Rouge fell. The story will be familiar to anyone who has read Luong Ung, Haing Ngor, Nawuth Keat For readers unfamiliar with the genocide, historical details are provided between chapters in one page splashes that discuss topics such as diet, clothing, work, and so forth.

The difficulty with the book is keeping the characters straight - names are introduced once in passing and the cartoonish drawings offer few noticeable distinctions between them. However, the art does offer a much-needed visual reference for what happened during the Khmer Rouge regime. With a few exceptions, there is no visual documentary of the genocide. Veasna provides readers with a look at what this awful society looked like.
3 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars A tragic time
Reviewed in Canada on March 7, 2024
Verified Purchase
Well written real life story of a dark time in the history of Cambodia
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Alberto Martín de Hijas
4.0 out of 5 stars Los horrores de Camboya
Reviewed in Spain on August 15, 2023
Verified Purchase
La odisea de una familia camboyana durante la dictadura de los Jemeres Rojos. Un repaso muy amplio y bien narrado de los horrores del período, aunque quizás ganaría con una caracterización más clara de los personajes.
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R.M. Peterhans
1.0 out of 5 stars Verzonden in een slappe kartonnen envelop
Reviewed in the Netherlands on May 8, 2021
Verified Purchase
Geweldig boek, maar dat ze dit verzenden in een slappe kartonnen envelop zonder enige bescherming (bv bubble wrap), begrijp ik echt niet, buitenkant van het boek is dus ook beschadigd. Erg jammer. Als je het dan wil terugsturen moet je (vanwege adres in Duitsland) zelf de verzendkosten betalen en die zijn zo'n 10 euro. Dit doe ik dus niet meer.
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Kathryn
5.0 out of 5 stars Wow!
Reviewed in Australia on July 24, 2024
Verified Purchase
This graphic novel tells the true story of one family’s struggle to survive the reign of the Khmer Rouge. Spending months walking across Cambodia to safety, trading items for food, lying, sneaking, seeking assistance from relatives - this is such a powerful retelling of a horrendous time in history.
.
Although not something that is “enjoyable” to read, I found it such an impactful read and increased my knowledge of the history of Cambodia and definitely recommend this novel.
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