Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Never Fall Down: A Boy Soldier's Story of Survival
    Never Fall Down: A Boy Soldier's Story of Survival
    Never Fall Down: A Boy Soldier's Story of Survival
    Audiobook6 hours

    Never Fall Down: A Boy Soldier's Story of Survival

    Written by Patricia McCormick

    Narrated by Ramon de Ocampo

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    This National Book Award nominee from two-time finalist Patricia McCormick is the unforgettable story of Arn Chorn-Pond, who defied the odds to survive the Cambodian genocide of 1975-1979 and the labor camps of the Khmer Rouge.

    Based on the true story of Cambodian advocate Arn Chorn-Pond, and authentically told from his point of view as a young boy, this is an achingly raw and powerful historical novel about a child of war who becomes a man of peace. It includes an author's note and acknowledgments from Arn Chorn-Pond himself.

    When soldiers arrive in his hometown, Arn is just a normal little boy. But after the soldiers march the entire population into the countryside, his life is changed forever.

    Arn is separated from his family and assigned to a labor camp: working in the rice paddies under a blazing sun, he sees the other children dying before his eyes. One day, the soldiers ask if any of the kids can play an instrument. Arn's never played a note in his life, but he volunteers.

    This decision will save his life, but it will pull him into the very center of what we know today as the Killing Fields. And just as the country is about to be liberated, Arn is handed a gun and forced to become a soldier.

    Supports the Common Core State Standards.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateMay 8, 2012
    ISBN9780062132697
    Never Fall Down: A Boy Soldier's Story of Survival
    Author

    Patricia McCormick

    Patricia McCormick is a former journalist and a two-time National Book Award finalist whose books include Cut, Sold, Never Fall Down, The Plot to Kill Hitler, the young readers edition of I Am Malala, and the award-winning picture book Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse Who Became a Hero. Patricia lives in New York. Visit her online at pattymccormick.com.

    Related to Never Fall Down

    Related audiobooks

    Children's Historical For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz

      Jan 27, 2021

      The Boy Who Drew Auschwitz
      4 min read

    • Article

      Wyoming Is a Real Place

      Jun 1, 2021

      Wyoming Is a Real Place
      7 min read

    • Article

      Books From The Past

      May 8, 2020

      At the airport the charming Boeing awaits passengers who must leave for America. Some have already climbed onto the beautiful plane, others are registering their baggage. Some children went to buy some treats for the trip. A hostess guides the passen

      3 min read

    • Article

      Musings On My Father

      Aug 8, 2022

      Musings On My Father
      5 min read

    • Article

      What We Are For

      Dec 1, 2023

      At the Stop and Shop I joke with the girl helping me find the star anise that it looks like someone left her a chicken bone on the shelf. Oh, isn't that nice, she laughs. They wanted you to have a fun surprise, I tell her, tell the checkout lady I lo

      1 min read

    • Article

      Besting Big City

      Aug 3, 2020

      Satin’s coming home! I’m at the end of our long, tree-lined lane, making daisy chains and waiting. I know they have a distance to travel from the city, but 2 hours late? Every cloud of dust has me hoping it’s the truck and trailer. Oh boy, here they

      3 min read

    • Article

      White Tears

      Mar 27, 2018

      White Tears
      3 min read

    • Article

      Getaway Driver

      Feb 10, 2022

      Getaway Driver
      11 min read

    • Article

      The Listeners

      Jan 1, 2023

      The Listeners
      4 min read

    • Article

      Traders

      Sep 3, 2020

      Traders
      8 min read

    • Article

      Ravenscar

      Jun 1, 2023

      Ravenscar
      6 min read

    • Article

      Summer Of Love

      Jun 22, 2022

      Summer Of Love
      15 min read

    • Article

      Starr Power

      Mar 23, 2021

      Starr Power
      6 min read

    • Article

      Four Poems

      Jan 1, 2024

      I’ve always been an easy crier (let it come, not ashamed, never held it back in joy or grief, and wherever … subway, teaching, grocery store, (oh the desolate grocery store during the height of Covid) but now, the welling up: that’s daily now. —Lia P

      5 min read

    • Article

      The Doors

      Mar 15, 2019

      Many of us demand a living wage. Others demand health insurance. At least one of us demands some dress-code wiggle room. (I for one am sick of wearing black.) We all demand hazard pay on New Year’s Eve and Saint Paddy’s Day and the night before Thank

      22 min read

    • Article

      Tori Amos: ‘I Prefer Ladies’ Soccer. The Guys Are All Right, But Ladies Come Out With Bloody Noses.’ It’s Gladiatorial’

      Jul 23, 2022

      When I look in the mirror, I hope to see bits of my mother because she was my bestie. I was lucky to have the mum I had. People have told me, when your mother dies, you either mourn the mother you had or you mourn the mother that you wish you had. I

      2 min read

    • Article

      Thirteen

      Jan 30, 2020

      Thirteen
      21 min read

    • Article

      ‘Never Say You Can’t, Always Say You Can And You Will’

      Aug 27, 2020

      Supportive parents really make a difference. My mum and dad, Marge and George, were always very encouraging. I think because I was born just after the war there was the sense in them of, ‘This is the generation that can have more than we had.’ She wa

      2 min read

    • Article

      Skin Hunger

      Jul 29, 2019

      Skin Hunger
      3 min read

    • Article

      David Harewood

      Mar 20, 2023

      David Harewood
      5 min read

    • Article

      Brad Saunders

      Sep 23, 2021

      Brad Saunders
      14 min read

    • Article

      Danielle Heath

      Nov 25, 2021

      Which famous person would you invite to dinner? Audrey Hepburn. I’m a bit of a film buff, so I would ask her about her movie-making and, of course, about her boyfriends. If you weren’t a rider, what would you be? An interior designer, and I’ll never

      3 min read

    • Article

      Laughter Heals

      Jun 21, 2022

      Laughter Heals
      12 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Never Fall Down

    4.5/5

    163 ratings16 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 3/5
      Based on a true story, a young boy tells how at the age of 11 his family and village were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and of the terrible things he had to do in order to survive.
    • 4/5
      Very powerful and sad especially since it is based on a true story.
    • 4/5
      So good!! I learned so much and loved that it was based on a true story.
    • 5/5
      This is an incredibly powerful and emotional book, and difficult to read. Not because of the way it is written, but because of the horrific circumstances, brutality and torture that the Cambodian people had to face under the Khmer Rouge. Based on true events, eleven year old, Arn Chorn is taken from his home, separated from his family and has to witness, and some times be involved in, tragedies that no child should have to endure. Yet, despite everything Arn manages to keep his compassion, humanity and survival skills alive. Narrated in Arn's own distinctive voice, broken English, grammatical mistakes and all (a brilliant move by the author), this is an inspirational book and one that will remain with the reader long after the last page has been read.
    • 4/5
      This powerful book is based on the true story of a young Cambodian boy, Arn Chorn-Pond, whose life changed in a flash as the reign of the Khmer Rouge overtook his family and life. Arn survived the genocide, but in doing so, witnessed and committed some heinous acts against humanity. This is the story of how an innocent child can become a child soldier... and then make the journey back to bringing peace to one's homeland. (In that way, it reminded me of "A Long Way Gone" by Ishmael Beah.) The way this book is written captures the broken and accented English of Arn, which pulls the reader in to his harsh reality. After reading this book, I was inspired to learn more about the real Arn by watching a documentary featuring him and his efforts to revive musical heritage of Cambodia that was nearly destroyed by the Khmer Rouge.
    • 4/5
      In Never Fall Down, Patricia McCormick tells the real life story of Arn Chorn-Pond, a child survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide that took place in Cambodia during the 1970’s. Taking his words and turning them into a work of fiction is an amazing feat, and the reader is awarded with a informative and harrowing account of one young boy’s struggle to stay alive during years of horror and uncertainty. One of the first things Arn learned was to never fall down as when one did, the chances that that person would be able or would be allowed to get back up were very slim.Even though this book is classed as YA, it was very difficult to read. Every page is laced with the violence and cruelty that that was inflicted upon the population of this country, from the very young to the very old. Arn was separated from his family, housed in a prison camp, and forced to work in the rice fields for hours at a time. Food was scarce and many children starved. Arn was able to survive by learning to play a musical instrument and become part of a band that had to play loudly to cover up the sounds up people being murdered. Eventually even being forced to participate in the killing, Arn survived by closing his mind and simply not thinking about what he was having to do. When Viet Nam invaded he was conscripted as a soldier and finally was able to escape to a refugee camp in Thailand and was adopted into an American family. All this and he was barely fifteen when he was rescued. Arn Chorn-Pond has dedicated his life to humanitarian causes, especially to young people. He founded Children of War, an organization that aids children in war-torn countries. Unfortunately there is too much of this type of work to do in today’s world. Patricia McCormick thoroughly researched her story and often was able to trace people that Arn has no idea actually survived to get first hand collaboration on his experiences. This inspiring and powerful story is helped by the author’s use of the exact syntax of Arn’s speaking voice. Never Fall Down is a moving and haunting tale that paints a vivid picture of one young boy’s ability to survive and rise above the inhumanity he’s been forced to endure.
    • 4/5
      A pretty good book from the genre of developing world refugee books, but has many of the elements you see in all books from this genre (not a bad thing, just predictable). Story felt really authentic and the flashback to 70s and 80s Cambodia was a needed reflection.
    • 4/5
      This book, written in broken English, was very hard to get through. It is based on the real-life experiences of Arn Chorn-Pond and is very depressing to read. It does give a good depiction of what war can and will do to the development of children. The choice in writing in broken English helps to set the reader apart from the actual events, but it still allows for developing compassion for Arn and the other children.
    • 5/5
      A vivid, harrowing, and profoundly moving story based on the real-life experience of Arn Charn, whose family is forced to relocate to the infamous "Killing Fields" when the Khmer Rouge comes to power in Cambodia. A superbly written, memorable novel.
    • 4/5
      Arn's story is a hard one to read, but enormously powerful and an important one to know. What's interesting is that I felt like McCormick's choice to have the voice use broken English worked to remove me from the story somewhat. I can't decide if that's a good thing or not - did I need the distance in order to be able to read the story at all? Or would I have been more involved and even more moved if the language was fluent? I did think it was an excellent choice to extend Arn's story into his time in the US in order to make it clear his ordeal was far from over.
    • 4/5
      McCormick did an amazing job bringing Arn's voice to the page... I wonder how much this book is influenced by the talks he gives, as well as all the interviews they had together. I'd love to hear him speak. Arn survived the genocide in Cambodia and lived as a prisoner in the farming camps of the Khmer Rouge from when he was 11 till he was 15 (I think that's right) - in the last while he was forced to be a soldier and fight on the side of his captors against the Vietnamese. Most of this book is a nauseating, haunting account of his ordeals as he was forced to do anything he could to survive, and saw other kids and adults doing the same. His worries through the last half of becoming like the enemy are a powerful reflection of the damage war can do - especially to kids who are still trying to just grow up.
    • 5/5
      When this novel opens, Arn is a young man in Cambodia in 1975. The Khmer Rouge are just beginning to take over the Asian country, and we see the impact the new regime has on the country through Arn's eyes and thoughts. Soldiers march everyone from Arn's village into the countryside, separating families, killing randomly, and forcing those who survive to work gruelling hours with almost nothing to eat or drink. Arn is a survivor, and quickly learns that to fall down at while working the rice fields in these camps means death. Patricia McCormick writes in a broken English, with no plurals and missing articles, much like Arn himself speaks. Arn is a very real person, as are most of the people in the novel. McCormick interviewed many of the people for the book, and travelled with Arn Chorn Pond to Cambodia where many of the events occurred. The book is classified as fiction, but most of it is very real. It is based on Arn's story, with some of the events open to McCormick's artistic license. Bottom line: this is a fantastic and heart-wrenching book about a topic most teens have likely heard little about. Arn Chorn Pond has been speaking about the atrocities of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia through Amnesty International and other groups for nearly thirty years, and through McCormick will reach a wider audience of teens who can envision the horrible drama of what he went through at roughly the same age he went through it. Like Sold, Never Fall Down is another powerful book that uncovers the horrors of a world unknown to many in America.
    • 5/5
      Over and over I tell myself one thing: never fall down.Based on the true story of Arn Chorn-Pond, who was 11 years old when the Khmer Rouge violently overthrew the Cambodian government. Arn's entire town is marched off to a set of labor camps, where families are separated, and all are forced to work in the rice fields, many until they die of exhaustion, malnutrition or untreated disease. Arn sees children his own age dying, and quickly learns to become quiet and unnoticeable... it is the only way to avoid cruelty from the Khmer Rouge guards. When the soldiers ask if there are any musicians, Arn steps out and says he can -- though he has never played an instrument. This lie gets him out of the fields and into a hut where he knows if he doesn't learn to play the revolutionary songs perfectly, he will be taken into the mango grove and shot. While he is learning to play, he is also secretly stealing food for other children to help them survive. Before the Khmer Rouge is overthrown, he will be forced to also pick up a gun and become a child soldier. Told in Arn's voice and dialect, this is a powerful and unforgettable tale of what a culture of fear and constant threat of violence will do to the spirit of a people. Throughout this story, even at the darkest time, Arn manages to keep hope alive, and it is that which leads him to an adult life advocating for peace. Strong 7th grade readers and up.
    • 5/5
      Patricia McCormick tackles the tragic stories of young people everywhere and tells their stories honestly. Other books tell us of cutting, child prostitution, dealing with a drug addicted family member, and now, a survivor of the horrors of the Killing Fields. Told in a voice that sounds like an English learner, we follow the story of Arn, an orphan raised by his aunt, who is rounded up like everyone else, and forced to work in the rice fields from one in the morning until seven at night and then forced to listen to speeches before being allowed any rest. Only the least amount of rice diluted by a lot of water, racked by diarrhea, malaria, malnutrition, and the constant specter of black clad soldiers of the Khmer Rouge who killed people for the slightest of reasons, Arn learns early on to keep his mouth shut and "never fall down". The descriptions of the deaths of his fellow workers and the horrors he experienced are gut wrenching.Arnchorn-Pond survived and dedicated his life to other children caught in the middle of conflicts and also the conservation of the music of his native country. An amazing fictionalization of a true life story. The violence aimed at children may be disturbing to younger children and it might be advisable to share the reading with kids younger than fifteen.
    • 5/5
      Arn's story (based on Arn Chorn-Pond's life story) of enduring the Cambodia Killing Fields, the Khmer Rouge, and the invasion of the Vietnamese as a young teen. McCormick uses a syntax for her narrator which is clearly someone who has English as a second language. A heart-wrenching read where the violence and brutality overwhelmed me as the reader at times. I had to take the book slow and in small doses. A really powerful, well constructed story that made me think about war, survival, healing, and the nature of humanity. For the older segment of the population at the school I serve.
    • 3/5
      Based on a true story, a young boy tells how at the age of 11 his family and village were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge and of the terrible things he had to do in order to survive.