Cambodian-American author Chanrithy Him—whose childhood was shaped by the brutal Khmer Rouge regime that was responsible for nearly 2 million deaths due to murder, disease, starvation and overwork—will share her experiences with UB audiences on Oct. 19 and 20.

Only 9 years old when the Khmer Rouge came into power in 1975, Him spent the next four years—until the Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia led to the overthrow of the Khmer Rouge in 1979—struggling to endure the terrorist reign of leader Pol Pot. At the age of 16, Him emigrated to the United States.

"When Broken Glass Floats," Him's memoir, "is the ultimate history lesson told from the perspective of a survivor who is true to her promise to be worthy of the suffering that she endured as a child," said Mark A. Ashwill, director of the World Languages Institute.

Him will give two lectures based on her memoir. The first, scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 19 in the Screening Room of the Center for the Arts on the North Campus, will be a formal talk, followed by a book signing. The second lecture, part of the "Asia at Noon" series sponsored by the Asian Studies Program, is scheduled for noon on Oct. 20 in 280 Park Hall on the North Campus.

Him also will perform the native "Blessing Dance" at 10:30 a.m. on Oct. 19 in the Katharine Cornell Theatre in the Ellicott Complex on the North Campus. A question-and-answer session will follow the dance, which will be presented by the International Artistic & Cultural Exchange.

All events are free and open to the public.

Him's visit to UB is co-sponsored by the Center for the Americas, the Asian Studies Program, the College of Arts and Sciences, the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, the World Languages Institute, the Department of Theatre and Dance and the U.S.-Indochina Educational Foundation, Inc., a Buffalo-based non-profit foundation that brings students from Southeast Asia to study in the United States.

Him's story, said Ashwill, who also serves as director of the U.S.-Indochina Educational Foundation, is one of "lost innocence, shattered lives, and the destruction of culture, as well as a harrowing tale of survival and redemption."