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Novel Guide

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Novel Guide: Children of the River Story Synopsis Sundara is a good Cambodian girl. She works hard at school and gets good grades. She respects her aunt and uncle, whom she lives with. She works after school on a farm with her family. She's successful. She drives a car and does the grocery shopping. The problems is, she feels guilty because she's starting to break away from her family's rules --strict Cambodian rules about girls not dating boys, family arranged marriages, no luxuries and strong Khmer nationality. Jonathan, a school sports star, wants to get to know Sundara after her English assignment on one of life's problems reveals a hint of the trauma Sundara has lived through. Sundara is a refugee. She escaped without her parents or sisters. She was sent away with her aunt and uncle because her aunt had just had a baby and needed help. Now, Sundara feels guilty because the baby died. She has no knowledge of her family back home and she is living a very good life here. Even though she likes the young man that the family has arranged for her to marry, she finds herself drawn to Jonathan. With all this self-doubt, her aunt and uncle think she's bad. Jonathan's girlfriend thinks she's trying to break them up and all the time. Sundara tries to keep her head and act as if nothing is wrong. But something is wrong. Sundara is afraid to cry, afraid she will never stop. When she finally faces the horrors of what she has lived through, Jonathan is there to help her pick up the pieces. Web Sites http://www.refugees.org/world/countryindex/cambodia.htm  News regarding Cambodian refugees- great source to compare refugee stories from around the world. http://www.askasia.org/for_educators/fe_frame.htm  This site presents a chronological history of the Asian American experience in the U.S. from 1763-1992. Also includes teacher lesson plans for other topics related to the teaching of Asia. http://www.dithpran.org/  This is the web site of Dith Pran, the Cambodian whose story was told in the movie "The Killing Fields". Excellent site that will give teachers ideas of how to get students involved in the working of government. http://www.khmernet.com/camnews/camnews11.html  Cambodian Headline News Full Lesson Plan ClarisWorks Acrobat