Never Fall Down - Plot Summary
The breathtaking novel of Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick is a story about how a young boy in a town is suddenly put into a work camp and told to work in the fields. Everything in his life is about to change when the Khmer Rouge force everyone in his small town in Cambodia to flee and go into the countryside because they said the Americans were coming to bomb them. They embark on a long walk to the work camp where they will be staying while the Khmer Rouge is in charge. There they have to work in the rice fields and sing to mask the sounds of the killings that go on in the camp. Nothing in this boy’s life will ever be the same.
Before to 1975, Arn is content in his small Cambodian village that is filled with life and family’s spending time with each other. Although he is not well-off and has his share of challenges, he is a happy and insightful 11-year-old boy. His life is filled with movies, music, and Rock n’ Roll which keeps him upbeat throughout the day. He has a family that he lived with in his small Cambodian town that he loved and spent a lot of time with. Then Arn's whole life is turned upside down when the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime, came into his town.
The Khmer Rouge made the people of Arn's village leave due to a "threat" from the United States. Most of the Cambodians had to take a long walk to the countryside where the Khmer Rouge ultimately imprison the people in camps. Arn, his aunt, and his siblings were among those walking. Even before the new prisoners arrive at the camps, they begin to die, food is scarce, and possessions are left behind. Everything that Arn had known from his life before was suddenly taken away from him. All day long, the prisoners were forced to work in the rice fields, and at night, they sit through indoctrination meetings. Arn had to learn to survive or he would die.
Arn quickly figures out how to survive. He tries to survive by the phrase "Never fall down" which means that if the Khmer Rouge sees that you fall down or something happens to you, you would be killed. If you don’t fall down and do everything they say, Arn thinks you should be fine. In the camp, the Khmer Rouge separate the families, call everyone Comrade, and force everyone to wear black pajamas. Angka, the ruler of the Khmer Rouge, is their new family leader. It goes around the camp that thinking too much is a disease. When Arn is put to the task of surviving while also helping other people out, he prevails and survives the Khmer Rouge work camp.
Before to 1975, Arn is content in his small Cambodian village that is filled with life and family’s spending time with each other. Although he is not well-off and has his share of challenges, he is a happy and insightful 11-year-old boy. His life is filled with movies, music, and Rock n’ Roll which keeps him upbeat throughout the day. He has a family that he lived with in his small Cambodian town that he loved and spent a lot of time with. Then Arn's whole life is turned upside down when the Khmer Rouge, a Communist regime, came into his town.
The Khmer Rouge made the people of Arn's village leave due to a "threat" from the United States. Most of the Cambodians had to take a long walk to the countryside where the Khmer Rouge ultimately imprison the people in camps. Arn, his aunt, and his siblings were among those walking. Even before the new prisoners arrive at the camps, they begin to die, food is scarce, and possessions are left behind. Everything that Arn had known from his life before was suddenly taken away from him. All day long, the prisoners were forced to work in the rice fields, and at night, they sit through indoctrination meetings. Arn had to learn to survive or he would die.
Arn quickly figures out how to survive. He tries to survive by the phrase "Never fall down" which means that if the Khmer Rouge sees that you fall down or something happens to you, you would be killed. If you don’t fall down and do everything they say, Arn thinks you should be fine. In the camp, the Khmer Rouge separate the families, call everyone Comrade, and force everyone to wear black pajamas. Angka, the ruler of the Khmer Rouge, is their new family leader. It goes around the camp that thinking too much is a disease. When Arn is put to the task of surviving while also helping other people out, he prevails and survives the Khmer Rouge work camp.
