My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Humanoids Inc. for an advance copy of this graphic biography detailing the life of one of Cambodia's most gifted singers, along with a listing and playlist for many of her most important songs.

The human voice has a power that really can't be matched. A mother can halt a troublesome tyke, a teen can make a grown man cry in embarrassment, a loved one could break a heart with a simple word. And a singer could make an entire nation feel better, and united, with a song. Those in power and the people they hire as oppressors hate voices, voices of dissent, voices of resistance, voices with a dream, and do everything to make people voiceless, including violence. For sometimes the most beautiful of voices can be the biggest enemy a state can have. Ros Serey Sothea was the sound of Cambodia, called the Queen with the Golden Voice, Sothea could sing classic songs, ballads, and rocks songs that make people feel better, and stronger. This graphic biography, The Golden Voice: The Ballad of Cambodian Rock's Lost Queen written by Gregory Cahill and illustrated by Kat Baumann, tells the story of this unique singer, her songs, her loves, and her mysterious disappearance.

Ros Serey Sothea was born in the countryside of Cambodia and grew up as a rice farmer, with no real plans for the future. Sothea, had a gift, a voice for music that brought the world to a stop, and won her various prizes at local events. Sothea was approached to perform for the National Radio, taking her to capital and far from her home, something that was looked at with derision. After some missteps Sothea made it to the radio and a career was born. Teaming with Sinn Sisemouth, a almost Cambodian Frank Sinatra, Sothea was soon selling albums and making a life for herself. However,American intervention in Southeast Asia was causing lots of destabilization, and Cambodia was not immune. Soon the brewing Civil War was getting hotter and hotter, and as Sothea's career in music continued, she became the first female paratrooper in Cambodia. The Khmer Rouge soon seized power, leading to the death of millions of people, rich, poor, intelligent, artistic, even people with glasses, and into this chaos the artist and the music soon disappeared. But not the memory people had of Ros Serey Sothea.

A fascinating story about an artist I knew nothing about, but have playing now as I type. Even without understanding the lyrics, the power, the depth, the feeling behind Sothea's music is amazing. What a story, what a life, and what a loss. The story is very well told, nicely laid out and plotted. Americans probably now little about the situation in Cambodia, nor the troubles the people had for so long, but this graphic novel does a very good job of showing and telling, without lecturing or being difficult to follow. The story is wonderful, the characters seem real, and though one has an idea the outcome, readers still feel for the character and still feel hurt at the end. The art is very good, a mix of realism and European color and style, with the characters clear and consistent, with excellent backgrounds. A work that really uses the aspect of graphic storytelling to its full advantage.

There is also a music list that is available on line, and works as a soundtrack to the reading, one that I listened to while reading. A very good graphic novel, one that I hope does well, and brings this singer back into the spotlight Sothea so rightfully deserves.

This non-fiction graphic novel would be a great curriculum connection for history and music.

The story of Ros Serey Sothea was completely unfamiliar to me, and after reading her story, I feel far more enriched. This is exactly why story is so important. This book fully communicated to me her troubles, her joys, her pain, her challenges, her HUMANITY. And it also gave a fully rounded picture of the world around her, the war, how it affected music, her family... it was just a fully engaging book and I am thrilled to know it exists, and greatly affected by her life.

The book uses three different colors in speech bubbles to indicate three different languages, which is an effective way of communicating to the reader how those people and languages interact through the story. The art is more realistic and less cartoony, adding to the feeling of immediacy and truth.

The book also has a wonderful selection of music that you can listen to, with indications on page where the music should play adding an amazing interactive element.

Additionally, the end notes of Fact vs Fiction would lead to some wonderful discoveries and discussions in a class setting.

There is some light swearing, non-gory on page violence, depictions of spousal abuse and adultery, so I'd place this in Middle Grade collections.

Highly recommended. Grade 7+.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a digital advance copy of this book.

<blockquote>You didn't choose music, Music chose you.
Music surges through your veins, it fills your heart.
And when you sing, you gift music to the world.</blockquote>
I have received this Graphic Novel ARC in exchange for an honest review, Thanks to Gregory, Kat, And Humanoids for the opportunity.
Humanoids Life drawn imprint, After this Graphic novel, i feel way more appreciation for Life drawn Graphic novels, but at the same time, i can't call it my favorite, i love Legends of the Pierced Veil way too much.

This is A graphic novel that's all explained in the title, The Epic story of The Queen of Cambodia's Music, Ros Serey Sothea, Heartbreaking story, Wanna get introduced to another country's music?
Wanna read about a life full of success and turbulent misfortunes? The strength of one woman to change her life, And the corruption of the world of men and their wars that eventually ruins her life dying at the age of 30? Want to get an insight into the civil war in Cambodia, Vietnam's war with USA, and USA's part in Cambodia's politics? If yes then this is for you, But this was super depressing i am not sure i was making a good case to read this really, But there is people who love that, Also the Music will calm your soul each few pages, So be ready for a rollercoaster of emotions.
This will come out October 10, 2023, Tune in, and as usual i ll share on the promised day, for those who forget like me, my calendar reminds me "most" of the time, From here on out, This review will be spoiler city!

<blockquote>When you were a baby we called you little cricket, because you always sang.</blockquote>
Man her voice is so beautiful, I didn't like all songs, I didn't like her voice in all songs, But most of the songs really showed her voice great, and she was by far the best singer in the included 47 songs, that we listen to during this Graphic novel.
That playlist is an amazing idea, but at the same time i felt it was overkill, 47 songs is probably more than 2 hours, But you know i am a sucker for new experiences, and i hope others can enjoy this as much as me if not more, You won't understand shit if you don't speak Khmer or whatever the language was, but that never stopped me from enjoying different language music.

<blockquote>He looks like a snake, and talks like a snake.</blockquote>
Dramatization, Gregory did an amazing job in that regard, this was like a drama movie of the best quality, you got so invested emotionally in everything that was happening.
After becoming a singer, Ros ends up marrying another singer, who was portrayed as being so jealous of her and her success, The Artist really doesn't hide the emotions though, we can see his jealousy through every panel, except the panels where she sees him, Snake is out, Dude was a charmer, fucking hated his guts.

<blockquote>Let him be the white cloth, and I'll be the gold.</blockquote>
Man she was awesome, i fucking love her, she really showed incredible strength throughout, only issue is, in the midst of all this corruption you can't just force your way out of problems all the time, and she then fell with an army general, who was portrayed as having had coerced her to be his lover, it's fucking nasty, I felt the despair and oppression through the pages, i hated that someone had to go through this, i hated that nothing could be done to stop things like this from happening.

<blockquote>What if there's more to life than cooking snails?</blockquote>
Fuck, What if she remained a girl who farmed rice and sold cooked snails? Would she have lived a fuller life? longer? sang more but without the fame the money? (Also speaking of money, she was eerily not showing wealth throughout this Graphic novel, i truly hope she was getting paid what she deserved, Because Sin Sisamouth, and the rest of her friend singers were living the fucking life, she wasn't though)
Could she have been with her sisters to this day? Would it have saved her mother and brother and son who were executed with her?
Should we try to reach our full potential even though it might lead to our doom?
I got no answers i bring questions only today.

<blockquote>They want us to insult Prince Sihanouki, That's bad Karma.</blockquote>
<blockquote>What do you have in common with these phonies?</blockquote>
Nothing she had nothing in common with them...
She was super sweet throughout, she was simple, but she was good, she played ball to survive, but she didn't harm others, being forced to sing for the Coup government, and then being forced to sing for the Khmer Rouge, Imagine to have that much Coercion in your life, Her life wasn't her own after she started her singing career, and this truly sucked so bad, Pulling Artists by force into politics, that's a glaring sign of every Dictatorship regime, and it actually happened in Egypt recently with the current Dictator regime, They either drove every artist against them into immigration by threats of imprisoning them, Or forced Guys like Mo Salah into doing advertises for them, or they revoke his membership and harasse his family.

<blockquote>With friends like uncle Sam, Who needs enemies?</blockquote>
USA intervention in Cambodian policy to use them to fight Vietnam from a different front, proved like this guy said in the end, to be putting fuel on fire, The Cambodian army was so corrupt they were glad that guys went AWOL, to pocket their salaries, they weren't good at fighting at all it seems, USA provided them with all the weapons, and Cambodia's army lost them to the Khmer Rouge who were fighting them, so they were basically supplying weapons to their enemies, a complete and utter shit show, I really don't know how that war started or why, but i saw so many movies, that USA shouldn't have been there, and Vietnam was a graveyard for their soldiers, Fucking politics man, People sitting in Cushy chairs, and sending our Children, Our brothers, Our friends to die in wars they shouldn't be at in the first place.

<blockquote>Singing always singing, So long as I'm not too old, and so long as my voice doesn't betray me.</blockquote>
My favorite part in all this? The singing was good, But my favorite was This Cutie!
<img src="https://imgur.com/FmJvYa4.jpg"/>

This was a fascinating look into a figure I had previously never heard of. The use of musical cues in the text was a good way of carrying the story along. I also appreciated the Fact vs Fiction at the end of the book.

I do think this is an interesting stor. I have never heard of this person and I don't read about Cambodian history. I like how the singer's personal life and poverty-stricken circumstances were revealed to show readers her motivations. The political intrigue was too much for me. I was not interested in it but I understand it is essential to the story but it was the least interesting part of the story. The man who gave her a shot, had ulterior motives that made me want to continue reading on. Overall, there was not a lot here that kept me turning the pages.

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.

Thanks to NetGalley and Humanoids Inc for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. ✨

"The Golden Voice" is an exceptional graphic novel that beautifully portrays the life of Cambodian singer Ros Serey Sothea. The art is stunning, conveying profound emotion throughout the story. The book's interactive soundtrack, featuring several songs, adds an immersive and deeper understanding of Sothea's musical contributions.

From a humble rice farmer to a nationally recognized singer, Sothea's success captured the hearts of the Khmer people with her angelic voice spanning various genres. Despite facing the harsh realities of the Cambodian civil war and the Khmer Rouge regime, her courage and resilience shine.

For readers unfamiliar with Cambodian history and culture, this book serves as an enlightening journey. Sothea's story embodies the strength and resilience of womanhood, as she fearlessly confronted adversity, abuse, and the challenges of single motherhood.

"The Golden Voice" is a powerful narrative that intertwines history, music, and the strength of a talented woman. With its captivating art and thought-provoking themes, it is a must-read, leaving a lasting impact on anyone who delves into its pages.

A big thank-you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for giving me a copy of this book for an unbiased review.

3.5/5 - Really liked it.

This was a story that I normally would never have been exposed to - the shooting star narrative of Cambodia’s beloved national treasure, Ros Serey Sothea, the “Golden Voice” of Cambodia’s Golden Age of music. This is an era I know little about - I’ve read a few narratives around the Khmer Rouge, but nothing about Cambodia outside of those tragic years. This book was fascinating and enlightening, and gave a full and thought-provoking sense of context around the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge genocide.

I especially loved the fact that the book came with several songs which were meant to be played throughout the narrative, which not only gave me a deeper understanding of Sothea’s musical contributions but also allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story.

My only two complaints are: 1) It was often difficult for me as an outsider to this historical narrative to follow along. I had to look up individuals constantly and read their biographies in Wiki pages to understand their relevance to the story and I struggled to keep a sense of the events as they occurred, especially due to several flashback and dream scenes. 2) Some of the music did not link up well with the scenes (although when it did, it was absolutely magical). However, some songs were much longer than the frames they were meant to occupy, which was a bit awkward - maybe it would have been better to include snippets of the songs and have the full song available for those who wanted to listen in a separate playlist. I’d often stop to listen to the songs, which broke up my reading.

However, the book overall was beautifully illustrated, extremely interesting, and thought provoking. Towards the end, I was deeply attached to the characters. I am very appreciative of the fact that I’ve been exposed to a culture and a musical heritage that otherwise would have been entirely foreign to me, and to get another piece of context into Cambodian history.

This story talks about the Cambodian singer Ros Serey Sothea. It talks about her life and journey, struggling in love but also a society that is rapidly changing as political tides change. I found myself crying as I read her story, as she was faced with abuse and misogyny, as well as single motherhood.

I'm afraid without this book, I never would have learned who this woman was. I have grown up in a small town in Texas. Knowing her story has brought me comfort but also pride in womanhood. She was so extremely brave.

The art in this book is gorgeous, it conveys so much emotion. The story is so beautiful.

I received this book for free as an electronic copy for my honest review.