Sacred Vows: Poems

Using myths, stories, and history as ironic counterpoint to Cambodia's present-day situation, Oeur foretells freedom's return.

In 1975 U Sam Oeur and his family along with 2.8 million citizens of Phnom Penh were driven out of the city by the Khmer Rouge. During the next four years, the family survived life in six different concentration camps.

Sacred Vows retells the recent terror of Cambodia and the beauty of its culture. A survivor of the Pol Pot regime, Oeur hopes to inspire young Cambodians to reacquaint themselves with their heritage and make it once again vibrant.