Gregory CAHILL

The Golden Voice is the story of a Cambodian singer by the name of Ros Sergey Sothea. She was popular during the Vietnam War era, otherwise known in Cambodia as the American War. She disappeared, though, in the killing fields of the Khmer Rouge. Sothea began her working career as a rice farmer but became famous as a rock and roll musician in the 1960s and 1970s. She was also a recording artist who captured the hearts of the Cambodian people. Sothea recorded over 500 songs with her signature angelic voice in several genres from bolero to romantic ballads to psychedelic rock. When Cambodia exploded into a brutal civil war, Sothea's singing career remained prolific, even when she joined the army as one of the country's first female paratroopers. After years of bloody conflict, the communist Khmer Rouge seized control, bringing Cambodia's golden age of music into a dark era of silence. Most artists, including Ros Serey Sothea, were murdered. Her legacy, however, continues to inspire Cambodians today.

This is an eye opening biography. I did not know anything about Cambodia during the Vietnam War era because I was just a kid while it was going on. It was sad to read about the conditions that people had to live with.

The author's added links to songs Sothea recorded in the front of the book. This was ingenious! I have read biographies of other musicians that did not have this feature and the musicians meant nothing to me. Being able to hear Sothea's singing made her seem more real and complemented my reading experience. The authors also added links throughout the story to Sothea's playlist so the reader can listen to them. I loved this feature.

The characters spoke three different languages: French, English and Khmer. It wasn't always apparent which side some of the characters were on. By using different colored dialogue boxes the authors made it easy for the reader. Pink boxes were used for Khmer, blue boxes for French speakers and yellow boxes for English. Again, another ingenious feature.

The Golden Voice is the best graphic biography I have ever read.… (meer)

This was a fascinating look into the life of an artist who wanted only to practice her craft, along with all the personal and political events that got in her way. I don’t want to say too much about the storyline (which was told with respect and genuine care), but I was deeply impressed with the formatting of this particular biographical graphic novel.

I’d never heard of Ros Serey Sothea before stumbling across this graphic novel, and as intrigued as I was I had also resigned myself to hunting down some potential-obscure music. But lo!

It. Has. A. PLAYLIST.

As someone who compulsively researches things alongside whatever I’m reading, this is a huge boon because it let me dive right in. Also, there are cue throughout the book to show you when to play certain songs. They aren’t disruptive to the overall flow (I did not actually notice them until the flag for song #8), and you can certainly read the book and enjoy the narrative without listening alone.

I also appreciate the backmatter included. There’s photos of the major players beside their image from the book, and I particularly like that Cahill has a few pages to explain where he deviated or simplified historical fact for the sake of the narrative.… (meer)