Little Princes: One Man鈥檚 Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
Two warnings: 1. Don鈥檛 read Little Princes: One Man鈥檚 Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal in public unless you enjoy making a spectacle of yourself, wiping your eyes and blowing your nose every few pages; 2. Skip the middle photo insert until you鈥檝e read the final page. My sole quibble with this book would be that the pictures 鈥� thoroughly appreciated! 鈥� need to appear at story鈥檚 end so as not to reveal too much too soon. Other than that, get ready to be mesmerized by a wildly emotional thrill ride.
At age 29, Conor Grennan quit his international public policy job with peripatetic intentions, ready to invest his 鈥渆ntire net worth on a trip around the world.鈥� His first stop was a three-month volunteer stint in an orphanage in Nepal. He readily confesses that his lofty decision originated in earning bragging rights, as well as combating any forthcoming criticism about the 鈥渦nrepentantly self-indulgent鈥� nature of such a trip. He even formulated the perfect 鈥渟elfless鈥� response: 鈥淲ell frankly, Mom, I didn鈥檛 peg you for somebody who hates orphans.鈥�
Although Grennan learns that Nepal is in the middle of an endless civil war, he reasons that that鈥檚 just an exaggeration: 鈥淣o organization was going to send volunteers into a conflict zone.鈥� He knows next to nothing about the Nepalese language, history, customs, food. And, ironically, he lacks even 鈥渁 single skill that ... would be applicable to working with kids鈥� when he arrives in November 2004 at Little Princes Children鈥檚 Home (named after Saint-Exup茅ry鈥檚 鈥淟e Petit Prince鈥� by its French founder) in Godavari, a bus ride 鈥� and a world 鈥� outside Nepal鈥檚 capital of Katmandu.
For three months, Grennan lives with, takes care of, teaches, and comes to deeply admire and love the 18 Little Princes 鈥� 16 boys and two girls. Eventually, he makes a shocking discovery: The children are not orphans. They are from the isolated northwest province of Humla 鈥� a stronghold of the Maoists, Nepal鈥檚 most extreme rebel army 鈥� and were taken from their parents by a human trafficker.
With a never-end颅ing civil war, Maoist insur颅gents resorted to abducting even the youngest children to repopulate their depleted forces. Desperate parents sold whatever they could to pay virtual strangers who promised to protect and educate their children away from war. Too often these strangers were child traffickers, selling the boys as domestic slaves, shipping the girls to brothels; Little Princes鈥檚 founder had rescued the 18 children from a powerful trafficker virtually above the law.
Grennan can鈥檛 imagine the horrors and tragedies these children 鈥� who are so quick to laugh and smile 鈥� must have survived. Soon they become 鈥渕y鈥� and 鈥渙ur鈥� children. Their resilience, determination, and boundless love change the direction of Grennan鈥檚 life.
When he leaves for the rest of his world tour in January 2005 he promises to return. One year later, he eagerly lands back with his Little Princes for another three months. The joy of witnessing two of his Princes reunite with their mother is dampened by the discovery of seven additional trafficked, starving children in need of rescuing. But by now it鈥檚 April 2007 and Nepal is exploding in political turmoil. The country is not safe for foreigners and Grennan must leave. But before he goes he makes arrangements for the seven children to be moved to safety.
Three weeks later, while job hunting from his mother鈥檚 New Jersey home, Grennan receives 鈥渢he e-mail 鈥� that changed everything鈥�: 鈥淭he seven children were gone.鈥�
If you鈥檝e never believed in miracles, this book could convince you otherwise. By September 2006 鈥� with the matched determination of a fellow Little Princes volunteer, Farid Anit-Mansour 鈥� Grennan establishes his own nonprofit, Next Generation Nepal, named for 鈥渢he lost generation of kids.鈥� He raises enough funds to get back to Nepal and support his own children鈥檚 home. Not only will he search for his 鈥渟even needles in a haystack,鈥� he will eventually risk life and limb to reunite his trafficked children with their faraway families. He鈥檒l also somehow manage to find his soul mate, whom he woos, 21st-century e-style, from thousands of miles away.
Like the children he writes about, Grennan has boundless resilience and determination, in addition to self-effacing humor and tunnel-vision devotion. He鈥檚 also a good writer 鈥� considerably better than Greg Mortenson鈥檚 co-writer David Oliver Relin who penned runaway bestseller 鈥�Three Cups of Tea.鈥� That鈥檚 promising news for Grennan鈥檚 beloved children, because a portion of the proceeds from the book鈥檚 hopefully spectacular sales will be donated to Next Generation Nepal.
Go buy multiple copies... invest in a miracle or two or more.
Terry Hong is the Smithsonian Institution鈥檚 BookDragon book blogger at .
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