Book review: Cambodian Grrrl: Self-publishing in Phnom Penh by Anne Elizabeth Moore

Cambodian Grrrl: Self-publishing in Phnom Penh
by Anne Elizabeth Moore
Cantankerous Titles (To be released 9/3/2011)

This little book was quite enjoyable. Anne Elizabeth Moore writes about her experience traveling to Phnom Penh (the capital of Cambodia) to teach and live with college women about self-publishing (ie zine-making).

Moore travels to Cambodia to live in a small dormitory for college women in a country where women have little economic, social, and political opportunity. Her purpose is to teach these women about self-publishing through making zines. For those who aren’t familiar, making zines is similar to blogging, except I would say it’s more accessible because you can distribute a zine yourself. Zines are self-published mini-magazines (hence the name) with a purpose and a message.

Cambodia’s most recent history (read more about Khmer Rouge and the Killing Fields) is briefly described as Moore discovers that these young women she lives with know little of their country’s recent history. She also finds that many Cambodians neglect to talk about that part of their history. Rightfully so, Moore explains, as this is a normal reaction in dealing with something so tragic. I loved learning about the developments of the girls telling their country’s history in their zines; the zine became an outlet where they could express their opinions and tell their stories.

The nuances of living in a foreign country in Cambodian Grrrl made me laugh, though I was reluctant at first. Sometimes I am wary of travel books written by an outsider because the author can offend or make fun of that country’s culture. Cambodian Grrrl was not so. Moore did not make fun of these incidents (there was a chapter where she mentions she spends about five hours doing her laundry by hand—this is an arduous task and you don’t appreciate laundry machines until you’ve done this) but rather explains why things are different in Cambodia. In fact, I loved these parts of the book because I could relate to them well having lived abroad while trying to overcome those cultural differences.

Moore amplifies these young Cambodian women’s voices through the power of self-publishing while adding anecdotes about the country’s history and the wonders of travel. I would highly recommend Cambodian Grrrl for anyone whose interested in self-publishing, gender, Cambodian history, and/or traveling.

Are you new to Gender Across Borders? Please read this first. We may update the site, and you can stay in contact with us through our Twitter feed and our newsletter. Like Gender Across Borders on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter and Tumblr. Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.