{"aiVersion":"1","content":{"id":"cmsv3pat10004f46d41qqj2g8","slug":"bou-meng-an-artist-who-lived-through-s-21-20260816","title":"Bou Meng: An Artist Who Lived Through S-21","level":"EASY","publishedAt":"2026-08-16T01:03:06.041Z"},"topic":{"slug":"bou-meng-an-artist-who-lived-through-s-21-20260816","category":"world"},"article":{"paragraphs":["Bou Meng is a Cambodian artist who survived imprisonment at Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh. He was arrested and tortured by the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s. He lost his wife and children during that time.","His painting saved his life. He painted portraits of leaders and prison officers, so guards kept him alive. After the fall of the Khmer Rouge he returned to Tuol Sleng to work at the museum and to show visitors the prison rooms. He is one of only a few people who walked out of S-21 alive. He has painted scenes that show what happened. Many people now visit the museum to learn."],"wordCount":109,"readTime":2},"vocabulary":[{"word":"artist","example":"He is an artist who paints scenes.","phonetic":"/ˈɑːr.tɪst/","definition":"a person who makes art like paintings"},{"word":"prison","example":"He was held in a prison.","phonetic":"/ˈprɪz.ən/","definition":"a place where people are kept as punishment"},{"word":"survive","example":"His painting helped him survive.","phonetic":"/səˈvaɪv/","definition":"to stay alive after a dangerous event"}],"quiz":[{"answer":"His painting saved his life.","question":"Who saved Bou Meng's life?"},{"answer":"Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh.","question":"Where was Bou Meng imprisoned?"},{"answer":"to work at the museum and to show visitors the prison rooms.","question":"What did he do at the museum after the fall of the Khmer Rouge?"}],"discussion":[{"question":"Do you think art can help people tell hard stories? Why or why not?"},{"question":"Have you ever seen a museum that taught a difficult history? What did you feel?"},{"question":"What do you think it is like to show visitors a place where bad things happened?"}]}