Kampung Boy Impressions

I really enjoyed Lat's Kampung Boy. The illustrations were endearing and I found the storyline relatable even though it takes place in quite a different environment than I'm used to.

This story describes the childhood of a boy growing up in rural Malaysia in the 1950s. Before reading the text, I had vague ideas of what rural life in the area might be like (for example, the river bathing didn't surprise me) but I knew nothing of the area's economy or forms of education. It was interesting to read about the tin dredge and rubber, as well as the Muslim teachings at school. I was cringing at the circumcision scene because they waited until he was ten years old to do it. But he described it like such a normal thing to do that I realized this is just a part of how his culture does things. I also found the rituals around birth fascinating because they're so different from ours. I'd be curious to find out how these things differ around the country. In an urban area, for instance, I wonder if there would be less of a religious influence in daily life.

Overall, I found that I was finding commonalities with the main character instead of finding differences, because more than anything, this is a story about childhood. I related to how he would run off and spend all day outside with his friends (I used to do this a lot), I related to his tendency to sit alone, I related to his curiosity and wonder about the world around him. These were all aspects of childhood that I had directly felt and was able to see anew through his eyes. At the end, when he leaves his village, he is leaving behind that childhood. It brought me back to the day I left for college. I too am the oldest child in my family, so I was the first to move out. I moved to a new city on my own and felt this yearning in my heart for home once I realized things would never be the same again. I would never be living under one roof with my family the way I used to. It's a realization that we must experience to move and to grow into adulthood. That last picture of him waving goodbye to his family was quite moving for me, because I was the first child in my family to do the same thing.

This book brought back many fond memories of my own childhood, even though I come from a very different background. I love the illustrations and the insights into a culture I knew so little about.