Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal in 100+ Books in 2025

Jul 07, 2011 Dolly rated it it was amazing

Shelves: biography-autobiography-memoir, india, education-school, france-french, nonfiction, sri-lanka, thailand, nepal, favorites, washington-dc

Wow! What a story. I had heard of this book, but it wasn't until it was selected as the 2011 All Fairfax Reads book for the Fairfax County Public Library that I decided to read it. I have read several books about trying to save children in remote regions (ala Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time) and I must admit that it's a guilty pleasure when I read about good works that are going on in remote regions of the world. After reading these tales, I briefly Wow! What a story. I had heard of this book, but it wasn't until it was selected as the 2011 All Fairfax Reads book for the Fairfax County Public Library that I decided to read it. I have read several books about trying to save children in remote regions (ala Three Cups of Tea One Man's Mission to Promote Peace ... One School at a Time) and I must admit that it's a guilty pleasure when I read about good works that are going on in remote regions of the world. After reading these tales, I briefly consider what it would be like to do something similar, but then I find myself caught up in the daily routine of my own life. Perhaps someday when our girls are grown...

This story is so engaging...the hope for the children's future, the dangerous journey into the Humla region, the suffering and poverty of the Nepalese people, and the relief of finding the children...the emotions are so palpable, I found myself completely immersed in the story. Conor Grennan writes with such humor, humility and sincerity that I felt myself cheering for him with every small victory, laughing at his ineptitude with the language and culture of Nepal and crying for joy at the end of the book. The book drew me in so completely that I just really wanted to learn more about the children and I was intrigued enough to check out the website for the nonprofit that he created - Next Generation Nepal (NGN) to help these children. There, I learned more about the great things that are going on with the organization, almost four years since the end of the book. It's inspiring and I love that the mission continues.

interesting quotes:
"My mother must have had the patience of...well, of a mom, I guess."
(p. 35)

"They needed me not to tell them, right before they went to sleep, that my favorite food was their God on a bun. They needed me, for three months, to just make sure they were okay, fed, clothed, and bandaged up when need be. I was just a caretaker, but I needed to do that well. That would be a high enough bar for me without trying to change the world." (p. 43)

"Despite myself, I had become a parent to these kids - not because I was qualified, but because I had showed up." (p. 55)

"I could not imagine an American outside of the Marines talking about being duty-bound and honored in the service of his country." (p. 165)

[from an email by Liz Grennan] "This morning, on the crowded train to New York, a man in the row in front of me sneezed. The woman in the row behind me said "God bless you." He could not have heard her, since I barely heard her, and the train was packed. But the fact that she said it gave me a sense of the innate goodness of man." (p. 191) ...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Doris rated it liked it · review of another edition

I had great expectations for this book, as it was recommended to me based on my interests.

However, it didn't have the excitement it promised, seeming more like a travelogue than a story of one man's attempts to expand his horizons and improve the world. I was interested in finding out more about the way the orphanges are run, how they are established, and how they are staffed. I did enjoy the interplay between Conor and the children, but would like to know more of the individual stories of thos ...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Jennifer rated it it was amazing

From my book review blog Rundpinne...."Little Princes is an astonishingly brilliant, straightforward, and brutally honest account of what occurred beginning in November of 2004 and how 18 children, volunteers, and events more dreadful than one could imagine, lead to the building of a foundation which is still going to this day (I will include links and hope everyone at least takes a look). I applaud Grennan for his honesty, his detailed and vivid descriptions of life in Godawari, Nepal, and for ...more

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Apr 13, 2011 Bonnie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: world-lit-asia, 2011-books, auto-biographies-and-memoirs

I had recently nearly given up on modern memoirs. Maybe that's because I'd read one too many Whiny Middle Class Woman memoirs (I'm looking at you, Elizabeth Gilbert, Julie Powell and Ree Drummond).

But this? I liked this. Grennan's self-deprecating humor works. He was amusing, not aggravating. Maybe because I feel like he did, in fact, grow from privileged middle class white guy to a more caring, mature human being.

He also perfectly captured the wonderfully exasperating experience of taking car ...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Kari rated it it was amazing

Everybody should read this book. It is a (amazing) true story of a guy who went to Nepal to volunteer before he spent a year traveling around the world. While there he fell in love with the children at the orphanage and returned to them a year later... Eventually opening up his own home for children and helped children who were part of the child trafficking during the civil war be reunited with their parents. A very quick read, I read it in only 2 days!

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Jun 30, 2011 Dianna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: true-stories

Since I work with many Nepali students at the university this book had great interest to me. It's a wonderful read. I hope others will read it to become aware of the difficulties in Nepal, similar to the plight of Afghan and Pakistan parents. Heartbreaking and Heartwarming at the same time. ...more

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