Angka
- In fact is not a person. Angka is simply an idea, like a religion, made up by Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot. It's symbolized as a god, and is believed to be someone who intends for Cambodia to change its ways. It relates with the book because all the Khmer Rouge's actions were a result of Angka's influence and every person in those fields were forced to believe in Angka.
- Battambang is where the story takes place and is located in the north west of Cambodia. Battambang is the leading rice-producing province of the country and it relates with the book on how Arn and a lot of people worked in different fields of rice and other productions.
Killing fields
- Children were taken from their parents and placed in separate forced labour camps. Factories, schools and universities were shut down; so were hospitals. Lawyers, doctors, teachers, engineers, scientists and professional people in any field were murdered, together with their extended families. People who were in the killing fields worked 12 hours a day on very small amounts of food and this relates with the book on how Arn was one of those kids who were forced to work day and night without sleeping and with small amounts of food.
- In 1975, the Khmer Rouge overthrew the Cambodian government. Pol Pot was the leader of the Khmer Rouge, who started to gain followers when the U.S. bombed places in Cambodia during the Vietnam war. The regime hated immigrants and people who lived in big cities. They started killing these people in places in the countryside that are called the killing fields. They eventually killed 30% of Cambodia’s population. The book talks about the Khmer Rouge and how they were in charge of making the people work hard, kill the ones who didn't want to do the work and the ones who didn't want to follow the rules.
