Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Penguin Canada (2016), 288 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Nonfiction. HTML: At only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia. Despite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family. A Long Way Home is a moving, poignant, and inspirational true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds. It celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope..… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Canadian_Down_Under
About a year ago I heard a news story of a child who had become lost in his homeland of India and was adopted by an Australian couple. Years later he found his home in India, largely using the Internet.
This book tells Saroo's story. He describes his life in India and his terrifying journey when he
The story is fascinating, both what happened to Saroo as a child but also how he found his home in India and how he never gave up his goal against all odds.
Fascinating book. Recommended.
This book tells Saroo's story. He describes his life in India and his terrifying journey when he
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became lost and his new life in Australia then finally his journey back to the country of his birth.The story is fascinating, both what happened to Saroo as a child but also how he found his home in India and how he never gave up his goal against all odds.
Fascinating book. Recommended.
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LibraryThing member catarina1
Previous reviewers have given a synopsis of the memoir so I will just say that I enjoyed the book. It is a "heart-warming" story and he is to be commended for his maturity and understanding. I am a little skeptical that a 5 yr old could survive on the streets of Calcutta for 6 months but I am more
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than amazed that he was able to find his mother, in a small town in India, not knowing the name of the town, just recognizing landmarks - by using Google Earth and Facebook! Show Less
LibraryThing member IsolaBlue
A quick and absorbing read, A LONG WAY HOME tells the true story of a five-year-old Indian boy who gets lost while visiting another town with his older brother. Sleeping in a train station, he awakes and sees a train. With his brother missing, the little boy assumes that if he gets on the train, it
Saroo Brierley, the young Indian adoptee, writes his memoir in a frank, straightforward, and seemingly honest way. The story is fascinating, but one cannot help but wonder at the extensive memory of a five-year-old boy. Much of the book concentrates on Saroo's early years up until he was five and took the fateful trip to a nearby town with his eldest brother. After that, he was alone, riding trains all over the greater Calcutta area, sleeping in abandoned buildings or on benches, and stealing food or eating from the garbage. He writes convincingly of this period, but one wonders: can a five-year-old boy have such an excellent memory? One has to assume that the trauma of being lost took a strong hold on Saroo and that he remembered more than an average child of his age might. Or perhaps Saroo is a true writer at heart and used a bit of poetic license to fill in his memory blanks. It does seem, at least, that much of his story rings true, and he should probably be granted a little slack if he had to imagine or elaborate a bit in order to make his readers feel his story.
Throughout the book, Saroo honors his adoptive parents. It is clear that he appreciated the way they raised him and the opportunities he had. The parents later adopted another child from India, and when writing about his adoptive brother, Saroo shows great respect once again, despite the fact that there were obviously a few problems and the second child was harder for the adoptive parents to raise. Because it is Saroo's story, we see only a brave little boy, a respectful young man, and - later on when he works his way back to India and finds his birth family - a perfect son to his Indian mother. If Saroo was ever a handful for his adoptive family, moody around his girlfriend, or a tough personality for his friends to deal with, the reader will never know. In A LONG WAY HOME, Saroo is a determined, fearless hero who sets out as a five-year-old boy trying to find his way home and ends up a thirty-year-old man who has found his way back to his roots.
This book will appeal to those interested in adoption, in India and Indian culture, in true-life tales, and in the plight of homeless street children around the world.
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will take him home. Instead, he ends up homeless on the streets of Calcutta until he is rescued and placed in an orphanage. Not long after, he is adopted by an Australian couple and moves to Hobart, Tasmania where he is raised in a comfortable adoptive home. Twenty-five years later, the boy is a man plagued by memories of his original family, home village in India, the train lines, and different evocative images from his childhood. He proceeds to try to figure out his origins using not a genealogist or a private detective or social media: he discovers his family again by using Google Earth.Saroo Brierley, the young Indian adoptee, writes his memoir in a frank, straightforward, and seemingly honest way. The story is fascinating, but one cannot help but wonder at the extensive memory of a five-year-old boy. Much of the book concentrates on Saroo's early years up until he was five and took the fateful trip to a nearby town with his eldest brother. After that, he was alone, riding trains all over the greater Calcutta area, sleeping in abandoned buildings or on benches, and stealing food or eating from the garbage. He writes convincingly of this period, but one wonders: can a five-year-old boy have such an excellent memory? One has to assume that the trauma of being lost took a strong hold on Saroo and that he remembered more than an average child of his age might. Or perhaps Saroo is a true writer at heart and used a bit of poetic license to fill in his memory blanks. It does seem, at least, that much of his story rings true, and he should probably be granted a little slack if he had to imagine or elaborate a bit in order to make his readers feel his story.
Throughout the book, Saroo honors his adoptive parents. It is clear that he appreciated the way they raised him and the opportunities he had. The parents later adopted another child from India, and when writing about his adoptive brother, Saroo shows great respect once again, despite the fact that there were obviously a few problems and the second child was harder for the adoptive parents to raise. Because it is Saroo's story, we see only a brave little boy, a respectful young man, and - later on when he works his way back to India and finds his birth family - a perfect son to his Indian mother. If Saroo was ever a handful for his adoptive family, moody around his girlfriend, or a tough personality for his friends to deal with, the reader will never know. In A LONG WAY HOME, Saroo is a determined, fearless hero who sets out as a five-year-old boy trying to find his way home and ends up a thirty-year-old man who has found his way back to his roots.
This book will appeal to those interested in adoption, in India and Indian culture, in true-life tales, and in the plight of homeless street children around the world.
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LibraryThing member LynnGW
I was excited to receive this book through Librarything. The description intrigued me. I was not disappointed.
A 5-year-old boy, Saroo, became lost in India. After taking a train trip with his older brother, they became separated after Saroo got on another train. He fell asleep, and became trapped
He spent time in a large facility for children who were separated from their families for many different reasons including criminal behavior. He was naturally frightened there. He later went to an orphanage. When they were certain that a reunion with his family was impossible, he became adopted.
His new family lived in Australia. Coming from an impoverished and uneducated background he was in for a culture shock. Things like a refrigerator and toys of his own were a new experience for him. He thrived in his new environment. However, thoughts of his biological family were never far from his thoughts. Through GoogleEarth he found his way home. Spending hour upon hour of his free time, he searched for familiar landmarks. He located his village. He located his home.
His reunion with his mother and family is nothing short of a miracle. As a mother, I can imagine the suffering and joy these events gave Saroo's mother.
When you read this, be prepared. Get your tissues. You're going to need them.
One comment, though. Photographs would have been great. The places he lived and the people he know would have enhanced the book.
A 5-year-old boy, Saroo, became lost in India. After taking a train trip with his older brother, they became separated after Saroo got on another train. He fell asleep, and became trapped
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on that train. Alone, he survived on the streets of Calcutta-far from home. Unable to relate more than the first names of his mother and siblings and a vague name for his village, officials were unable to locate his family.He spent time in a large facility for children who were separated from their families for many different reasons including criminal behavior. He was naturally frightened there. He later went to an orphanage. When they were certain that a reunion with his family was impossible, he became adopted.
His new family lived in Australia. Coming from an impoverished and uneducated background he was in for a culture shock. Things like a refrigerator and toys of his own were a new experience for him. He thrived in his new environment. However, thoughts of his biological family were never far from his thoughts. Through GoogleEarth he found his way home. Spending hour upon hour of his free time, he searched for familiar landmarks. He located his village. He located his home.
His reunion with his mother and family is nothing short of a miracle. As a mother, I can imagine the suffering and joy these events gave Saroo's mother.
When you read this, be prepared. Get your tissues. You're going to need them.
One comment, though. Photographs would have been great. The places he lived and the people he know would have enhanced the book.
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LibraryThing member Mamalesliedean
This is my first review for the Early Reviews on Librarything. I received the book late on a Thursday and picked it up that Friday evening and read the whole book. It is a fast read. The story, by western standards, is unimaginable. A small child around 5 years old and younger basically surviving
There is some repetitiveness about the story, which I always find irritating, since I don't feel I need to be told over and over the same thing. But generally the story moves along. The beginning when he is recalling his life with his family and mother in their village I felt the voice was that of a young child, but when he got to his later life it took on a more mature voice.
The letter from the editor said it was a book about " what drives the human spirit: hope. I saw something else in this story.....the incredible connection we as humans have for our roots....not just our place of origin, but our actual orgin....our mother. The author mentioned several times that he felt he was Australian....but he went to incredible lengths to find his home. That bond and our desire to know and have that bond is imprinted on us. That to me is the really story.
I decided to,add this after some thought. This would be a great book for people who are considering adoption to read. The yearning to find ones "true family" even if they have loving adoptive parents can't be denied. This book details that very well.
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on his own instincts. He becomes separated from his older brother one night after jumping on a train and going to a neighboring village....this is where the story really begins. He ends up on a train, and after an indeterminable amount of time lands in Calcutta. That he can survive at such a young age in the city of Calcutta tells you a lot about this persons forttitude. He eventually ends up adopted and living in Australia. I don't want to retell the whole here, it is worth reading.There is some repetitiveness about the story, which I always find irritating, since I don't feel I need to be told over and over the same thing. But generally the story moves along. The beginning when he is recalling his life with his family and mother in their village I felt the voice was that of a young child, but when he got to his later life it took on a more mature voice.
The letter from the editor said it was a book about " what drives the human spirit: hope. I saw something else in this story.....the incredible connection we as humans have for our roots....not just our place of origin, but our actual orgin....our mother. The author mentioned several times that he felt he was Australian....but he went to incredible lengths to find his home. That bond and our desire to know and have that bond is imprinted on us. That to me is the really story.
I decided to,add this after some thought. This would be a great book for people who are considering adoption to read. The yearning to find ones "true family" even if they have loving adoptive parents can't be denied. This book details that very well.
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LibraryThing member Cynthia357
This was a fasinating story of a very poor five year old Indian boy who ends up on a train that takes him far far from home. Much further than he ever imagined.
After spending time on the streets of Calcutta he is eventually taken to an orphanage and adoped by an Australian couple.
As an adult he
I read that this is being made into a movie and he just signed a multi-million dollar contract.
I am happy for him and his famalies.
After spending time on the streets of Calcutta he is eventually taken to an orphanage and adoped by an Australian couple.
As an adult he
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uses Google Earth to search for the town and train station he remembers from his childhood.I read that this is being made into a movie and he just signed a multi-million dollar contract.
I am happy for him and his famalies.
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LibraryThing member Kimaoverstreet
Had this book been touted as fiction, I might have felt the plot line was a bit far fetched. Knowing is an autobiographical account of the author's own experiences makes it truly amazing!
Living with a single mother in India, Saroo Brierley spent the first five years of his life in poverty in a
Saroo's remarkable story is nicely written and hard to put down. Highly recommended!
Living with a single mother in India, Saroo Brierley spent the first five years of his life in poverty in a
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rural Indian village. One fateful day, he accompanied his older brother to a train station. The two became separated. Saroo boarded a train searching for his brother and ended up alone on the streets of Calcutta, far from his home. After surviving homelessness , young Saroo was placed in an orphanage and adopted by an affluent Australian couple. He thrives in his new home but continues to wonder about his birth family. Decades later, with the help of Google Earth, Saroo is able to find and visit his childhood village. Saroo's remarkable story is nicely written and hard to put down. Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member _Zoe_
You may remember a news story from a couple of years ago, about a poor young boy in India who lost his family when he was five years old by getting on the wrong train. When efforts to find his family failed, he was put up for adoption and ended up being raised in Australia. Then, almost
The first part, about his early life in India, is the most shocking. Saroo came from a poor family, and faced a daily, unsuccessful struggle to find enough food to eat. After getting lost, he spent several weeks living on the streets of Calcutta (as Kolkata was known then), relying on instinct to stay alive. The nightmares that he endured were made tolerable to read about by knowing all along that everything would have a happy ending, but it was still disturbing to see what sort of life can be considered normal by a five-year-old who has never known anything else. Saroo adapted fairly easily to life on the streets, because begging and scavenging for food were what he was used to at home anyway. His resilience is striking, and makes what could be a bleak and depressing tale seem almost optimistic.
I enjoyed reading about his transition to life in Australia, and his amazement at the luxuries that were suddenly available to him. I actually would have liked more detail in this section, which moves quickly from his initial impressions to his life as a teenager and young adult, without spending much time on his childhood. But I guess that's largely peripheral to the main story, and the book does have the advantage of moving along quickly. I think this is my fastest read of the year so far.
There's not much to say about Saroo's hours and months spent scouring Google Earth; it was laborious work, but it finally paid the ultimate dividends, and we get to enjoy the heartwarming story of his reunion with his birth family. This book as a whole manages to be both eye-opening and informative and also almost a comfort read; you know all along that the happy ending is coming. I enjoyed it, and I suspect that many other readers will too.
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miraculously, he managed to find his birth family again more than 20 years later by using Google Earth to identify his old neighbourhood. This is his story, and I found it a fascinating one.The first part, about his early life in India, is the most shocking. Saroo came from a poor family, and faced a daily, unsuccessful struggle to find enough food to eat. After getting lost, he spent several weeks living on the streets of Calcutta (as Kolkata was known then), relying on instinct to stay alive. The nightmares that he endured were made tolerable to read about by knowing all along that everything would have a happy ending, but it was still disturbing to see what sort of life can be considered normal by a five-year-old who has never known anything else. Saroo adapted fairly easily to life on the streets, because begging and scavenging for food were what he was used to at home anyway. His resilience is striking, and makes what could be a bleak and depressing tale seem almost optimistic.
I enjoyed reading about his transition to life in Australia, and his amazement at the luxuries that were suddenly available to him. I actually would have liked more detail in this section, which moves quickly from his initial impressions to his life as a teenager and young adult, without spending much time on his childhood. But I guess that's largely peripheral to the main story, and the book does have the advantage of moving along quickly. I think this is my fastest read of the year so far.
There's not much to say about Saroo's hours and months spent scouring Google Earth; it was laborious work, but it finally paid the ultimate dividends, and we get to enjoy the heartwarming story of his reunion with his birth family. This book as a whole manages to be both eye-opening and informative and also almost a comfort read; you know all along that the happy ending is coming. I enjoyed it, and I suspect that many other readers will too.
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LibraryThing member Amusedbythis
This is the heart-warming true story of a poor five-year old Indian boy who becomes lost and travels across his country by train. He narrowly escapes death multiple times in Calcutta. When he winds up in an orphanage, he is adopted and raised by Australians.
His journey to become a man and then his
His journey to become a man and then his
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quest to reunite with his birth family are amazing. Show Less
LibraryThing member patsaintsfan
I am very fortunate to have won this book as an ARC from LibraryThing.
I am always impressed with people who have the courage to write memoirs. Sharing a personal story is hard enough with those one knows, let alone an entire world of strangers. Saroo has an amazing story. It is full of courage,
I am always impressed with people who have the courage to write memoirs. Sharing a personal story is hard enough with those one knows, let alone an entire world of strangers. Saroo has an amazing story. It is full of courage,
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sadness, hope, love, and so much more. I really enjoyed reading and learning about his life as a child in India, as it is so different than life in most of America. I hope stories like his will help people remember that there are always others who have life worse than them. After reading this book, I may try to find the 60 minute episode featuring Saroo's story. Show Less
LibraryThing member cultivateandread
I usually read fiction but I was drawn to the description of this story. I couldn't imagine the journey of the young boy, from India to Australia and back again. This story is inspirational to say the least. Saroo's voice allows the reader a glimpse into his past thoughts, fears and longing to
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reconnect with his past. I found myself so in tune with the movement of the story. Interestingly, I read in anticipation of him finding his home although I knew from the book's cover that he was ultimately successful. My anxious feeling is a testament to the strength of the writing and the raw emotion evoked by the story. I suggest that you (meaning everyone) read this book. It is a reminder of the power of love, memory and hope. Show Less
LibraryThing member jessibud2
I listened to this book in audiobook format. First and foremost, I have to say I was riveted by Brierley's story. As a young child born into a very poor family in India, he follows his older brother one evening on some adventure. When he tires, his brother tells him to sit on the bench at the train
A really excellent read.
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station and not move, that he will return for him soon. Saroo falls asleep, and when he awakens, his brother still has not returned. Saroo enters a seemingly abandoned train car, seeking a more comfortable bench and falls asleep again. The train begins to move and he is trapped, unable to get out or contact anyone. He arrives, many hours later, in Calcutta, very far from home and completely lost. He does not know his last name, or the name of his town. He survives somehow on the streets, scavenging for food, avoiding the perils that surely claim many in such dire conditions until, finally, he is taken to an agency for lost or orphaned children. Did I mention that he is all of 5 years old, at this time?! It is mind-boggling to imagine that such a young child would have wits enough to make it through. Through sheer luck and good fortune (karma?), he is adopted by an loving Australian family, grows up in Hobart, Tasmania, and has a good life. However, he has always had the *map* in his head of his home town and in his mid-20s, with the help of Google Earth, he begins to search for that original home and family. It takes some years but he succeeds and this book chronicles that journey.A really excellent read.
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LibraryThing member bookcrazed
At age 5, Saroo took a train ride to a neighboring town in India with an older brother. His brother told him to wait at the station while he went into the town to get food. It would be 25 years before Saroo learned the reason his brother never returned was that he had been hit by a train. In
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attempting to get back home on his own, he got on the wrong train and ended up on the other side of the country in a big city. When authorities couldn't find his parents from the description he gave, they offered him the option of being adopted, and he accepted. Thus a small Indian boy born into terrible poverty grew up in a privileged white Australian family, where he was loved, educated, and supported, both physically and emotionally. His memories of his early childhood in India were not unhappy. He remembered being hungry, but he also remembered a sense of love and security from his mother, two brothers, and the baby sister that had been his responsibility when his mother and brothers were out working. This nicely written autobiography does not read like a novel, though it is certainly the stuff of adventure. Even though the reader knows in advance that he finds his family in India after living for 24 years as an adopted child in Australia, there is such a feeling of anticipation building half way through the book, that it is difficult to put it down until the moment he looks into the face of his birth mother. What a feel-good read! Show Less
LibraryThing member nawnie
This was a great book that I will be recommending to all my friends. Saroo Brierley's story is one of hope, courage, and the strength of the human spirit.
It is hard to believe that Saroo is a first time author, and that he survived so much at such a young age is even more unbelievable.
This is a
It is hard to believe that Saroo is a first time author, and that he survived so much at such a young age is even more unbelievable.
This is a
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well written and honest account of the way that Saroo Brierley went from an orphan surviving alone in a dangerous city, to a man who with a little luck and persistance finds his way home. Show Less
LibraryThing member nancynova
ARC from Putnam; a 5 yo boy, from a small, poverty stricken town in Western India, follow his brother to the trains, clambers aboard one to find his brother….and it leaves the station…and travels all the way across India to Calcutta. Illiterate, not speaking the local dialect, he thankfully has
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enough street smarts to survive a few weeks. A teen takes him to the police, and eventually he winds up in an Orphanage. He doesn't speak well enough, nor did he memorize any information about his village to help the police figure out where he came from. After a short few months, he's adopted by an Aussie couple. And his memories at this stage (and over the next few years) are written down by his adoptive parents, giving him clues now that's he's grown, about where to search for his birth family. Thanks to Google Earth, a chance posting on facebook, and an enormous amount of luck, he's able to figure out what town he might be from. He flies to India, to track down his illiterate family. His mother never moved away from the village, always hoping that he'd return home and find her. What were the chances, based on the teensy scraps of information in his memory (and that were written down) that he really found his family. The author was featured on 60 minutes & in some publications, before writing this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member thornton37814
Saroo Brierley managed to get lost from his home in India by jumping aboard a train at the age of five. He traveled all the way to Calcutta with no identification, landing in an orphanage in that city. A couple from Australia adopted him. This is the story of his life and of his search for his
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family in India using the Internet, especially Google Earth and Facebook, to locate his home town. I don't want to provide spoilers so I'll simply say that the search illustrates how limited a five year old's vocabulary can sometimes be. Many memoirs can be rather boring and sometimes suffer from being poorly written but this one was a quick well-written read and managed to maintain my interest. Persons interested in intercountry adoption or in locating birth parents will likely find it interesting. This review is based on an "Uncorrected Manuscript for Limited Distribution" received through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer program with the expectation that a review would be written. Show Less
LibraryThing member woodsathome
When he was five and, he claims, old enough to be left alone, Saroo Brierly got on the wrong train. Instead of making his way home, he made his way to Calcutta - several thousand miles in the wrong direction.
Unable to tell authorities where he was from or even his last name, he was eventually
Later as an adult he uses his (incredibly detailed) memory and Google Earth to find his way home.
I really enjoyed this. It was wonderfully detailed and highly readable. But where I think it was intended to be uplifting, I found it a bit heartbreaking.
Unable to tell authorities where he was from or even his last name, he was eventually
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adopted by an Australian couple.Later as an adult he uses his (incredibly detailed) memory and Google Earth to find his way home.
I really enjoyed this. It was wonderfully detailed and highly readable. But where I think it was intended to be uplifting, I found it a bit heartbreaking.
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LibraryThing member ddirmeyer
Saroo Brierly's autobiography detailing his separation from his family in India at the age of 5 and subsequent upbringing in Australia. His story is engrossing and it appears inevitable that someone snapped it up to be a movie.
The book is a very fast read and I believe almost anyone would find
My only regret with his story is that he didn't tell it to a gifted writer and allow them to pen his biography. I believe someone with more writing experience and talent could have turned his life into an even more spell-binding novel. Having said that, I'm glad that someone didn't look up his birth family and embellish the story with facts about them during Saroo's absence. I believe it is a much better story for those years of their lives to be missing from us - just as they are to Saroo.
I have already recommended this book to several people and will continue to do so.
The book is a very fast read and I believe almost anyone would find
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themselves caught up in the story. The fact that he lived to tell his tale is fascinating. My only regret with his story is that he didn't tell it to a gifted writer and allow them to pen his biography. I believe someone with more writing experience and talent could have turned his life into an even more spell-binding novel. Having said that, I'm glad that someone didn't look up his birth family and embellish the story with facts about them during Saroo's absence. I believe it is a much better story for those years of their lives to be missing from us - just as they are to Saroo.
I have already recommended this book to several people and will continue to do so.
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LibraryThing member mcelhra
Saroo's story is amazing in so many ways. First, that he was able to survive on the streets of Calcutta (Kolkata) for weeks at only five-years old. Then, that he was adopted by a wonderful Australian couple within four months of arriving at an Indian orphanage - a process that would take years
I really enjoyed learning Saroo's story. I was once again fascinated by the culture in India - this time learning about the very poorest slums where Saroo's Indian family lived. Saroo tells his story in a conversational, easy style that was a pleasure to read.
I watched Saroo's interview on the Australian version of 60 minutes, which can be found on his website. It's long but worth watching. In the last part of it, Saroo's Australian mom meets his Indian mom for the first time. The emotion that his Australian mom has in that moment is astounding. Saroo talks about her being supportive in the book and it is evident at the meeting. She expresses nothing but gratitude and love to Saroo's Indian mother. Not a hint of jealousy.
Saroo's story is also being made into a motion picture which I hope turns out to be as good as his book. His is an incredible story worth reading.
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today. And finally, that he was able to find the town in India he was originally from with Google Earth when he didn't even know the town's name!I really enjoyed learning Saroo's story. I was once again fascinated by the culture in India - this time learning about the very poorest slums where Saroo's Indian family lived. Saroo tells his story in a conversational, easy style that was a pleasure to read.
I watched Saroo's interview on the Australian version of 60 minutes, which can be found on his website. It's long but worth watching. In the last part of it, Saroo's Australian mom meets his Indian mom for the first time. The emotion that his Australian mom has in that moment is astounding. Saroo talks about her being supportive in the book and it is evident at the meeting. She expresses nothing but gratitude and love to Saroo's Indian mother. Not a hint of jealousy.
Saroo's story is also being made into a motion picture which I hope turns out to be as good as his book. His is an incredible story worth reading.
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LibraryThing member Sovranty
The story of a 5-year-old Indian-born boy who was "lost", adopted by an Australian couple and later uses Google Earth technology to relocate the residency of his childhood memory would be unbelievable if it were not true. The tragedy, terror and sadness that the author experienced after
This book is so much of everything: tragedy, sadness, hope and happiness that you are sure to be overwhelmed with some emotion during the reading.
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accidentally taking a wrong train may have been the very things that allowed him to recall, as an adult, the details of his childhood home. The adoptive parents were very indulgent in ensuring their child maintained a hold on his original culture, which may have also assisted in his detailed memories.This book is so much of everything: tragedy, sadness, hope and happiness that you are sure to be overwhelmed with some emotion during the reading.
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LibraryThing member berthashaver
My heart broke as Saroo related his story of how he as a 5-year old found himself coming from poverty and begging in a single-parent home and how became lost, confused and scared thousands of miles away traveling by train to Calcutta. The efforts to find his parents were futile and he was put up
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for adoption. His story of survival and his will to remember his past life in India even though he had been adopted by a loving mother and father in Australia. He searched endless hours on a slow computer through google earth trying to find his home and finally did. Although the book could have used a "professional writer's" touch, I was completely captivated by his journey. I can't wait until the movie comes out. Show Less
LibraryThing member techeditor
This is a nice story. You could call it heartwarming. "60 Minutes Australia" even did a segment on it, and it was written up in newspapers first in Australia, later all over.
Little 5-year-old Saroo lived with his family in a poor neighborhood in India. One day he accompanied his big brother to a
Yes, I like this story. Who wouldn't? Many paragraphs, though, go on and on about Saroo's search in unnecessary and boring detail. Skip those. Probably, the segment on "60 Minutes Australia" was long enough.
I won an ARC of this book from librarything.com.
Little 5-year-old Saroo lived with his family in a poor neighborhood in India. One day he accompanied his big brother to a
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job at a railroad station, became separated and lost, and ended up living for weeks on the streets. He survived to be adopted by Australians but never forgot his other mother in India. This is Saroo's account of his search for her and the rest of his family in India. If not for the Internet (Google Earth and Facebook), it couldn't have happened.Yes, I like this story. Who wouldn't? Many paragraphs, though, go on and on about Saroo's search in unnecessary and boring detail. Skip those. Probably, the segment on "60 Minutes Australia" was long enough.
I won an ARC of this book from librarything.com.
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LibraryThing member Britt1075
This was a faves paced and extremely interesting book. It is the story of the authors life as a child before he gets lost in India and then is subsequently adopted in Australia and then his journey back to India to find his birth mother and family. Years after his adoption with the advent of Google
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earth he is able to figure out where it was he came from and travel back there to find his lost family. It is a story of finding home and discovering who you are and yet he still very much loves and appreciates the family that adopted him all those years ago. It was an excellent, fast paced read. Show Less
LibraryThing member kiwifortyniner
This is a true story of an Indian boy who got lost at age five and lived for a time on the streets of a big city before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by a family in Australia. As an adult he engaged in a methodical search of google maps to trace his home town from what he remembered and
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be reunited with his family. Amazing what google maps can do! Show Less
LibraryThing member GinaFava
It's a captivating true story that delights the reader in that it has a positive, inspiring ending. There's not much to the story other than it elaborates on a near-tragedy turned fairy tale. A young child is lost on a train and unable to find his family, survives alone for many weeks, escapes the
The author is now grown and blessed with two families by the process of adoption. The book sheds light on the atrocities that exist in the world, and it's an excellent vehicle for the promotion of adoption, and for helping children in need all over the word. It's also a reminder that there is always a chance to overcome one's adversity, and to soldier forward even in the most dire of circumstances.
My favorites passages:
~Instinct – that subconscious calculator of risk
~She said she was proud of me—which is all anyone can wish to hear from his mother.
~The hard luck of life did not have to rule you, it can inspire you.
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horrors that befall many of India's lost children, and is raised by a family who encourage him to find his way home. It's short, not much dialogue, simply written, and at times tedious in Google-Earth search detail. But it's written by one who might have expressed a jaded, contemptuous tale. Instead, it is positive and generous in spirit and leaves the reader wanting to do more for children in similar circumstances.The author is now grown and blessed with two families by the process of adoption. The book sheds light on the atrocities that exist in the world, and it's an excellent vehicle for the promotion of adoption, and for helping children in need all over the word. It's also a reminder that there is always a chance to overcome one's adversity, and to soldier forward even in the most dire of circumstances.
My favorites passages:
~Instinct – that subconscious calculator of risk
~She said she was proud of me—which is all anyone can wish to hear from his mother.
~The hard luck of life did not have to rule you, it can inspire you.
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Awards
Australian Book Industry Awards (Shortlist — Biography — 2014)
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
Teacher Favorites Award (2018)
Language
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
288 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
0735233691 / 9780735233690
Local notes
NF 306.874 BRI
Previously published as "A Long Way Home: A Memoir"
Previously published as "A Long Way Home: A Memoir"
Other editions
Lion (Movie tie-in edition) by Saroo Brierley (Paperback)