She Should Have Died a Thousand Times - But Didn’t

A raw, unforgettable memoir of survival, love, and resilience - from the killing fields of Cambodia to a life rebuilt against all odds.

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She Survived What History Tried To Erase

Born in a small Cambodian village, Solpaul’s childhood was shaped by love, loss, and relentless hardship - long before war would tear her country apart.

In this powerful and deeply personal memoir, Solpaul recounts her early life growing up poor in rural Cambodia, losing siblings one by one, caring for dying parents as a child, and learning resilience long before she had the words for it. Her story moves from innocence to responsibility, from girlhood to marriage, and ultimately toward the unimaginable terror that would force millions of Cambodians to flee for their lives.

When the Khmer Rouge seized control, survival was no longer a hope - it was a daily decision.
Through vivid, unfiltered storytelling, this memoir offers an intimate look at:

Life in Cambodia before the genocide
The emotional cost of poverty, loss, and forced adulthood
Love, marriage, and family under constant uncertainty
Cultural traditions, faith, and resilience in the face of fear
The human reality behind one of history’s darkest chapters

More than a historical account, this is a human story - told through the eyes of a woman who lived it. Solpaul writes not as a historian, but as a daughter, a wife, and a survivor, preserving memories that might otherwise be lost to time.
This book is for readers who:

Are drawn to true survival stories
Want to understand the Cambodian genocide on a personal level
Appreciate memoirs of resilience, courage, and endurance
Believe history matters most when it’s told by those who lived it

Raw, honest, and unforgettable, this memoir stands as a testimony to the strength of the human spirit - and a reminder of what must never be forgotten.

Some stories are meant to be remembered. This is one of them.

Author Bio

Solpaul, also known as Pong, is a Cambodian survivor and memoirist whose life story bears witness to one of history’s darkest chapters. Born in a rural village in Cambodia, she grew up in poverty and hardship long before war reshaped her country. As a young girl, she experienced profound loss, responsibility beyond her years, and the realities of survival that would later define her resilience.

During the Khmer Rouge era, Solpaul lived through the fear, displacement, and uncertainty that devastated millions of Cambodian families. Her memoir is drawn directly from lived experience, preserving memories of life before the genocide, the struggle to endure it, and the strength required to rebuild afterward.

Today, Solpaul still lives in Grinnell, Iowa. She is the proud mother of five healthy grown children and a loving grandmother to seven grandchildren. Family is the most important part of her life.

She continues to enjoy staying active, helping others succeed, and finding joy in seeing people smile, support one another, and live

with love.