Theater Mu been calling Lauren Yee’s Cambodian Rock Band “part historical play, part rock concert” for months now, and it is that. However, it is also so much richer than the pithy tagline may suggest. As Chum returns to Cambodia for the first time since fleeing the Khmer Rouge, both he and his daughter must confront the past he so insistently hid. In Yee’s story, she explores family bonds, second-generation experiences, intergenerational trauma, Cambodian history, the unique sound of Khmer music, survival, hope, and more.

To dive into these themes further, the Jungle and Theater Mu have teamed up with Magers & Quinn to curate a book collection. So make sure to stop by Magers & Quinn before or after the show, or go for the instant gratification by going to Magers & Quinn’s online Cambodian Rock Band book shelf.

Dragon Chica and Tiger Girl by May-Lee Chai

In these two young adult books, readers follow Nea as she and her family flee the Khmer Rouge and land in Texas. Against all odds, they are able to connect with Nea's wealthy aunt and uncle, but even with that seemingly stroke of good luck, life is hard. Being a teenager in general is hard, but with now, Nea has to deal with assimilation, both family secrets and fights, and trying to start over again. 

Music of the Ghosts by Vaddey Ratner

In Vaddey Ratner's first novel, the Khmer Rouge survivor became a Pen Humphrey finalist for her tale of a seven-year-old struggling to survive under the Khmer Rouge's reign. Now in her most recent novel, Vaddey tells the story of Teera, who is returning to Cambodia for the first time since fleeing as a child. Teera is there to meet with a man who only calls himself "the Old Musician" and claims to know what happened to her father, but is she ready to hear the truth?

Ma & Me by Putsata Reang

Fresh off the press in May, Putsata Reang's memoir asks how much she owes her mother for saving her life. When Put was just a baby, her family escaped the Khmer Rouge and spent 23 days on a navy vessel before landing in the Philippines. Throughout it all, Put appeared lifeless, and the captain had ordered her mom to throw her overboard. She didn't. Fast forward 40 years, and Put is all grown up. Overachieving, hard working, and loyal to everything Ma is and wants for her, except for one little thing. She wants to marry a woman.

Planting SEADs: Southeast Asian Diaspora Stories

These two books originated from the Twin Cities-based SEAD Project, a nonprofit focused on creating connections in the Hmong, Khmer, Lao, and Viet communities through classes, art, and more. Planting SEADs is Minnesota's first anthology of Southeast Asian-authored stories, poetry, and artwork. Each chapter gives voice to our state's Hmong, Khmer, Lao, and Viet community members, enveloping readers in memories of childhood sweethearts, secret CIA armies, first Minnesota winters, the never-ending shadows of grief, and of course, the hope and resilience that lies beneath it all.

Make sure to check out the other SEAD offering at Magers & Quinn, The SEA Alphabet of Social Justice: Khmer Version, which is a resource to engage in conversations around social justice with others.

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung

In this memoir, Loung Ung lives a privileged life in Phnom Penh until the Khmer Rouge takeover forces her family to scatter. Her siblings are sent to labor camps. She herself becomes a child soldier in an orphan work camp. Somehow, through the war crimes and the desperation around them, she makes it through with love and hope in her heart. 

If the title sounds familiar, it could be because Angelina Jolie adapted the memoir into a movie. The story has two companions, Lucky Child: A Daughter of Cambodia Reunites with the Sister She Left Behind and Lulu in the Sky: A Daughter of Cambodia Finds Love, Healing, and Double Happiness, which are also available online at Magers & Quinn.

Afterparties: Stories by Anthony Veasna So

This collection of short stories was Anthony Veasna So's highly anticipated but posthumous debut. His stories explore the messiness of everyday life, generation gaps, ethnic identities, and more, following two sisters discussing their father, who started another family without them; an embittered grocery store owner who sets out to beat a rising high school tennis star; a child who learns the ugliness of his mother's reality. As Monica Sok, another Cambodian American author and one of Anthony's friends, told NPR in 2021, "He doesn't give us an easy answer, but he does ask the questions which reflect some kind of truth. … Afterparties is probably our first celebrated queer Khmer American fiction that goes beyond survival literature."

Cambodian Rock Band by Lauren Yee

Of course we had to include this! As Cambodian Rock Band actor Christopher T. Pow says, "A lot of stuff gets thrown up in the first act that lands in the second act. There's a lot of resonances that you can choose to play or not choose to play depending on what you think the audience can understand. But it's there; everything's there." Don't miss any part of it by checking out the script.