I DID NOT WANT THIS BOOK TO END...
First I want to set the foundation on how I ran across this book. I am actually going to Nepal soon for the first time for vacation to meet someone and I decided to do a little research on Nepal. It actually wasn't until I told my Uncle I was going to Nepal that he informed me that my great grandmother was Nepali. I knew it was one of the poorest countries in the world and that I'd be in for a culture shock. When I told a friend I was going she referred me to read a similar book to Conor's regarding the trafficking of young Nepali girls to India for the sex slave trade. Reading that book infuriated me and I knew that when I got to Nepal one of my agendas would be to get some information on what is being done to stop this. I also set Google alerts for any latest news on Nepal in general. That is where I ran across an article for Conor's book. It must have been fate that this book came out just before I'm ready to go to Nepal and is about a topic that is very dear to my heart. I immediately purchased it; one of the best decisions of my life.
I literally read this book over 2 days in the course of 7-8 hours. I found myself taking my kindle into bed thinking I would read it until I fell asleep. Around 5 am I was done with the book and still wide awake wishing there were more pages to
Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
read. I was so involved in the book that I felt like I was a part of it and that it had to go on.
I had no idea that along with the sex trade there was this cruel and unusual form of trafficking where heartless men would use Nepal's civil war for profit. It blew me away that they would trick these poor people from the mountain regions to give up their children to these men who would then lie to the parents and tell them they would put the kids in a good school in the city which was safe and far away from the Maoist rebels and all the war. The parents thinking this was a great idea would sell everything they had and give it to the men to pay for their child's education and welfare in the big city of Kathmandu which from the mountain region of Humla was very far away and almost another planet. Well long story short (so I don't tell too much), the men would take the money and pretty much abandon the kids in the city to fend for themselves. These kids were as young as 3. If you read the book's review you know where Conor Grennan comes into play and what he did for these children and Nepal.
I do not think I have ever been so emotionally involved in a book, and I honestly felt like I was a part of the story. As a Hindu myself (like the children in this book) I used to always wonder what would have life been like if my parents never migrated to America, or what if my great grandparents were not taken as slaves out of India? Would I have the life I have now or could I have possibly been one of the millions of misplaced children throughout Nepal and India. I guess things happen for a reason, but this book put into perspective what could have been the worst case scenario, and it was worse than I could have ever thought.
Throughout the book I felt a close kinship to Conor as if he was MY older brother and I was always there with him to assist him and help him out as much as a younger brother could. Whenever he told a joke about the kids I found myself laughing, whenever things got emotional I had to hold back tears. I felt like I was going through the same emotional rollercoaster he went through. The difference between Conor and I is although I'd do anything I could for these kids I don't think I would have had the will power to survive those endless treks into Humla, I would have collapsed somewhere. I found myself trying to will Conor to these parents (who hadn't heard from their children in years) when his knees were buckling, or his fellow trekkers said they could turn back around if he wanted. In my mind I was yelling at Conor to "keep going, you're the only one that can help these kids" while at the same time feeling horribly guilty that I'm reading this book laying in my comfy bed on a cold winter night in Dallas (yes -3 wind chill in Dallas, go figure) with my portable heater on, while poor Conor is in parts unknown Western Nepal dodging Cliffside Buffalos and having his body fall apart with no medical resources within days of walking if something went wrong. Not to mention the potential of Maoist rebels popping up out of nowhere wondering what they could possibly do.
Conor touched so many nerves in me just by the simplest things he said such as to what lengths a father would go for his son. That reminded me of my late father who was tragically taken from me in 2009, and I just started recounting all the things my father did for me and I had a mental breakdown and had to stop reading to collect myself for a few minutes. And I totally understand what these poor fathers were doing by selling everything they had to give their kids a better life in the city, only to be hoodwinked by these cruel men and have their kids stolen and abandoned and their life savings evaporated. I find myself punching the keys as I type this; it's really getting under my skin the evil that exists in this world.
The bottom line here is Conor is a true inspiration and he represents what is good in the world. Actually he goes beyond that, he is what is great in this world. He took so many risks, and sacrificed so much of his time and life for this sole purpose: to reunite trafficked kids back to their parents in a country where the laws are such that it happens so easily.
He has given my upcoming trip to Nepal so much more purpose. I am definitely going to limit my tourist activities and spend more time with the kids. After all there are only so many temples and mountains you can see before they all start looking the same ' I want to help this cause as much as I can, from both in Nepal and back here in Texas. From what I'm told (and what I will soon experience) Nepal is a beautiful country with so much to offer, but we have to look beyond that and help the people within this war torn country and really think outside the box like Conor did. The children are the future of this amazing country.
Conor Grennan, you are my hero (the only other person would be my father), and for the last 2 days you were the surrogate older brother I never had (as you were to all the nepali children) and a true inspiration. You have not only told a beautiful story but you have made me reconsider many things in my life and what my purpose might be. You go beyond the American dream, you are the worldwide dream, and I hope to meet you and work with you one day.
Nick in Dallas
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Nanny Lin
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Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 23, 2016
