Book Review: Little Princes

'Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal'
Author: Conor Grennan


Format: Paperback
Published: William Morrow Paperbacks; Dec. 2011
Pages: 320
Genre: Memoir
Grade: B
Source: TLC Book Tours


Synopsis: Grennan, who once worked at the East West Institute in Prague, embarked on a round-the-world trip in 2006, starting with a stint volunteering for an orphanage six miles south of Kathmandu. The orphanage, called the Little Princes Children's Home, housed 18 children from the remote province of Humla, rescued from a notorious child trafficker who had bought the children from poor villagers terrified of the Maoist insurgents eager for new recruits; the parents hoped to keep their children safe, but the children often ended up as slaves. Grennan was stunned by the trauma endured by these children, who he grew to love over two months, and after completing his world tour, returned to the orphanage and vowed not only to locate seven Humla orphans who had vanished from a foster home, but also to find the parents of the children in the orphanage. This required starting up a nonprofit organization in America, Next Generation Nepal, raising funds, buying a house in Kathmandu for the children's home, and trekking into the mountains of Humla to locate the parents. Grennan's work is by turns self-pokingly humorous, exciting, and inspiring. (Feb.) 


My Take: Let me just say that this was such an inspiring read to start off the New Year with! I must say that of all the books off my shelf, I couldn't have had a better one placed in my hands to make me feel like I should really be doing the right things with my life and not just living it for me, me, me all of the time which is always good to be knocked on the head with every now and again!


I have been seeing this book around the blogosphere and it was being given some seriously high praise so I knew I wanted to read it at some point. I mean, I like travel memoirs too, but this one has a twist. Conor Grennan starts off on an around the world journey for one year when he turns 29 as a way to shrug off a boring job and kind of get out of a quarter life crisis. So when people were starting to tease him for being so frivolous when he should be starting to save for retirement instead, he decided to show them what for by starting his trip with some volunteer work. Little did he know just how life changing this volunteer work would be!


Grennan's volunteer work took him to an orphanage in Nepal at the Little Princes Children's Home that housed 18 of the sweetest little kids I've ever had brought to life via a book. Originally Grennan had no idea how to interact with the kids or what to do to help them but that didn't matter since all of the kids really wanted was love and his friendship. When his stint with them was up, they asked him when he would return and at first he hesitated. Very few volunteers ever came back. Grennan on the other hand promised to come back in one year. And he did!

After the year and upon his return to the Little Princes Children's Home he realized just how much he had missed the children and how integral they were to his life. They had become a part of who he was and he wanted to help them. Especially since Nepal was faced with a civil war that was tearing the children's homeland apart. When Grennan learns some news that reshapes how the children came to the home in the first place, he realizes he can offer a lot more help then he originally thought and a captivating and heart warming story is born.

Please know that a portion of each purchased copy of Little Princes will go to Grennan's Foundation Next Generation Nepal to get these orphans back home!


For other opinions on this book, please check out the full TLC Tour here!


Cover Lust: Seriously, how can that sweet little boy on that sitting on that bright blue stoop not make  you smile?!