Spirit of Survival

In 1980 Sheehy found herself in one of life's passages which she had explored so thoroughly in her book Passages (Bantam, 1977). Providentially, while on assignment in Cambodia, she met Phat Mohm, a child refugee. Sheehy circumvented the bureaucracy and brought Mohm to New York to be a part of her busy life there. The book serves as a cathartic record of Mohm's struggle to deal with the memories of the past, as well as her difficult adjustment to a new culture. Along with Mohm's testimony, the book offers a well documented description of the Khmer Rouge regime and insights into Cambodian mythology and culture. Sheehy also explores the larger issue of human evil and the ability of personality to transcend it. This is a well written biography of a heroic teenager who has survived the most brutish physical and emotional abuse through the healing power of love. --School Library Journal