Saroo Brierley

The latest edition of Saroo Brierley's "A Long Way Home" has been renamed "Lion," the title of the feature film based on Saroo's amazing but true story. Brierley relates his odyssey from India to Hobart, Tasmania—from abject poverty, hunger, and illiteracy to a comfortable house, nourishing meals, and educational opportunities—but he also describes his longing to locate the birth family he had not seen in twenty-five years. In simple but eloquent prose (kudos to Brierley and his co-author Larry Buttrose), Saroo recalls how he survived as an impoverished youngster in a small town in central India. He, along with his single mother, Kamla, and his three siblings had to scrounge daily for food. Kamla hauled rocks for a living, while her four children begged, stole, and scavenged to keep starvation at bay. They were close-knit, but living on the edge took its toll.

One evening in 1986, fourteen-year-old Guddu, Saroo's brother, reluctantly agreed to allow Saroo to accompany him on his nocturnal wanderings. Unfortunately, the five-year-old Saroo, who spoke only Hindi, inadvertently ended up on a train that took him to Calcutta, 930 miles away from home. Saroo was terrified and unable to communicate with the Bengali speakers he encountered in the bustling city. Brierley poignantly describes his despair, but credits resilience, resourcefulness, street smarts, the kindness of strangers, and good luck for his ability to emerge from his ordeal relatively unscathed.

A loving couple from Australia adopted six-year-old Saroo in 1987. However, he still dreamed about his past and hoped someday to visit his relatives in India. The problem was that he did not remember the name of the place from which he came. This memoir is a fitting tribute to the kindness of those who went out of their way to help a lost child. In addition, the author educates us about the huge number of homeless children in India who are vulnerable to exploitation by predatory adults. Saroo, now thirty-five, realizes that he could have easily ended up as just another sad statistic. "Lion" celebrates the unbreakable bond between a sensitive young man and his two families—both in India and Australia. The black and white photographs add texture to this engrossing account of an incredible and inspiring journey.… (more)

hock! Horror! I hate to admit this, but for once I actually enjoyed the movie to the book. The movie version of "Lion: A Long Way Home" moved me to tears but I didn't connect with Saroo in his autobiography.

While his story was remarkable, I found the book too factual and one-dimensional. The writing was dry and it lacked personality and emotion. I think it would have been more powerful had an accomplished author sat down with Saroo and written his story for him.

Five stars for the movie but only two for this book.… (more)

Living in a poor Indian neighborhood with his mother and three siblings, Saroo was often left to fend for himself, begging neighbors for food and taking care of his little sister, even though he was only five years old himself. One evening, having followed his brother by train to another city, he unwittingly boarded the wrong train back home, instead arriving many hours later in Kolkata. In a country of more than 700 million people and not knowing the name of the city where he had come from, Saroo was placed in an orphanage and ultimately adopted by an Australian couple. Despite a happy childhood there, he never forgot his family in India, and as an adult he set out on what seemed like an impossible task to locate them.

Saroo's incredible story was turned into a feature film several years ago, and so having seen the film the trajectory was familiar, but it was still touching and inspirational. The writing is not complex, but it is heartfelt and honest, and I was amazed by Saroo's ability to hold onto such important memories from so young an age. I wonder how many other readers curiously followed along in Google Earth/Maps as he was zeroing in on the discovery of his hometown — I certainly was! Now that even more time has passed, I'm curious how things are going for Saroo, his old family and his new family. I hope they have kept in touch and been able to develop meaningful and fulfilling relationships.… (more)