Long Way Home, A
Brierley, SarooSaroo had become lost on a train in India at the age of five. Not knowing the name of his family or where he was from, he survived for weeks on the streets of Kolkata, before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by a couple in Australia.
Despite being happy in his new family, Saroo always wondered about his origins. He spent hours staring at the map of India on his bedroom wall. When he was a young man the advent of Google Earth led him to pour over satellite images of the country for landmarks he recognised. And one day, after years of searching, he miraculoulsy found what he was looking for.
Then he set off on a journey to find his mother. [Taken from book cover.]
Comments from Groups
Most of our group enjoyed the book. Those who have travelled in India were fascinated by the descriptions of the busy cities, and the incredible poverty. A thoughtful story with plenty of thoughts on the value of families. Wellington 007 One of those rare books that everyone in the group enjoyed reading. A true story of courage and determination. An amazing young man. An easy read that once started, you just had to finish. Auckland 116 The book was very well received. An amazing and moving story which gave rise to plenty of discussion, particularly around the issue of international adoptions. Dunedin 029 Our group found this an amazing story - written simply by a very special young man who had experienced so much in his life. We hope to hear more of him and his families. Good discussion had regarding adoption and the value of Google for Saroo. Wellington 134 What an amazing true story! Although we were all fascinated by the author's experiences, we felt the book was not well written and was, at times. quite frustrating to read. Tauranga 038 We all enjoyed this book - it was nice to hear/read a story about adoption that's positive, and where the person realises how lucky they've been... Katikati 002
Pages
256
256
Year
2013
2013
Reviews
21-05-2019
Good book about an interesting story without a lot of emotional depth. People felt they would like to know more of the emotions and that you didn't see the full impact on the events on the people around Saroo. Together with the movie you feel like you get a fuller picture of Saroo's life and journey.
24-11-2018
"A book worth reading" - the first time all members of our group have agreed. For those who have watched the movie, the book was preferred but the movie still worth watching. An inspiring true story full of hope and miracles, big and small.
09-11-2018
We all agreed that this was 'better than the movie' - which is usually the case! An inspirational read - Saroo had real emotional intelligence, along with great luck!
09-11-2018
We all enjoyed this book immensely - an amazing story.
09-11-2018
The book was really enjoyed by all members. All but one had seen the movie, so much of the discussion was on comparisons between the two. It was written in a matter of fact factual way by someone who wasn't accustomed to writing, but despite the writing style, we found his true story absolutely amazing. It led to a great discussion on adoption in general, and on children we knew of personally who had been adopted from Romania, Russia etc.
09-11-2018
An easy read and a 5 tissue read! Prompted a lot of discussion about Saroo's Indian mother and her faith in his return, and the skills he had to learn to survive as a 5 year old alone. Definitely recommended.
09-11-2018
We all enjoyed this book. Some had seen the film 'Lion' and commented about how faithfully the film reflected the book. We had a good discussion about adoption, including cross cultural adoption. The main positive reflection was about Saroo's sensitivity to both his mothers. We also discussed the part luck played in the story. Some described it as a real miracle.
09-11-2018
Everyone agreed that this is an incredible story. We enjoyed the fact that it's told in a non-emotive and sequential manner. It brought home the impact of the Internet, and how without it Saroo's search was unlikely to be successful. Good, easy read.
29-07-2018
Everyone enjoyed this book - many had seen the movie and found the additional information provided in the book interesting. Discussion ranged from differences to the movie, themes of family, luck, perseverance, character and inter-country adoption. We loved the happy ending and wanted to know what has happened since to the two families.