Facing death in Cambodia /

There is little in this account that has not been touched on elsewhere, but since justice has yet to be served on those Khmer Rouge responsible for the deaths of as many as two million Cambodians in the late 1970s, almost any recounting of the story carries its own justification. Maguire spent the past 10 years visiting Cambodia, seeking to understand how the tragedy evolved and why those responsible have not been punished. He visits the notorious Tuol Sleng prison, emblematic of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror, and he revisits the history of American involvement in Cambodia, arguing that American expansion of the Vietnam War helped precipitate the genocide. Maguire offers two primary explanations for judicial inaction: many Cambodians, as Buddhists, only wish to break the terrible cycle of violence and move on, and even today, many will not stand up to the Khmer Rouge for fear of their lives. Although the book seems oddly aimless, it nevertheless places in context the UN's efforts this year to establish an international tribunal on the Cambodian tragedy. --Alan Moores Copyright 2005 Booklist

Since 1994, Maguire (Law and War) has studied the Khmer Rouge and the 1975-79 history of Cambodia's killing fields in light of potential war crimes trials. What emerges here is a combination of narrative history and first-person journalistic description of Cambodia today as represented by its survivors, both Khmer Rouge and Cambodian civilians. This story springs from individual photographs taken of Cambodians incarcerated in S-21 Prison just prior to their execution. Maguire's interviews with the few prison survivors and the prison's staff are fascinating in their treatment of death and accountability. Though at times the narrative loses focus, this is a gripping and well-written account, despite what the author admits is an inconclusive end in the absence of any war crimes trials. The 25 photographs included in the work add immensely to the impact of the story. Recommended for public libraries.-John F. Riddick, formerly with Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.