Submitted by Timberland Regional Library
“Bending with the Wind: Memoir of a Cambodian Couple’s Escape to America” presents an inside look at the terrors of the Khmer Rouge and a portrait of the immigrant experience in America. Authors Bounchoeurn Sao, Diyana D. Sao and Karline F. Bird will be at the Olympia Timberland Library on Wednesday, November 28 from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. to tell the story.
The memoir chronicles the couple’s childhoods, their lives after the Khmer Rouge takeover of Cambodia in April 1975, their journeys to Thailand and later the United States, and their efforts to forge a new life.
After a secondary education, Bounchoeurn entered the army, joined the Special Forces, and worked for the Americans. He became a slave laborer after the fall of Phnom Penh and eventually escaped to Thailand. In another part of Cambodia, Bounriem enjoyed a happy childhood until the takeover. Fleeing from the advancing Khmer Rouge, she arrived at the same refugee camp as Bounchoeurn, where they met, married, and immigrated to America.
Bounchoeurn Sao is a retired Olympia School district educator and interpreter for Cambodian and Lao refugees. He also works for the family janitorial business. Diyana Sao (Bounriem) is the owner and manager of the business. Bird, a retired Olympia High School teacher, has taught English in Thailand and China.
The Olympia Timberland Library is located at 313 8th Avenue SE. For more information, people may contact the library at (360) 352-0595 or visit www.TRL.org.
