Little Princes

Little Princes by Conor Grennan is an inspiring story of love, compassion, and self- sacrifice. The book is a true story of the man Grennan who left his day job to volunteer in a children’s home in the war stricken Nepal. Grennan was planning to make a trip to see the world but felt inclined to begin his adventure by volunteering in an orphanage. However, shocking revelations changed his life as he discovered that the children were not really orphans, instead they were trafficked. Children traffickers were conning parents in the war zone of Nepal promising to take care of their children from the chaos in exchange for a large sum of money. Most of these parents were poor and sacrificed a lot to get the money to save their children. The children traffickers took the money and abandoned the children in streets where many were put up in the orphanage (Grennan 26).

This was a disturbing realization for Grennan, and this began his mission to protect these children and even reunite them with their families. He suffered and risked his life trekking through the mountains in Nepal, dealing with the threats of the bloody civil war. He suffered injuries but he pushed on searching for the children families and bringing them together in a fulfilling mission. The processing of searching for the families was painstaking, chaotic, and full of danger while he had to deal with the language barrier. However, witnessing the joy of the children after seeing their parents who believed they were dead was rewarding (Grennan 273).

Grennan tells his story in honestly stating that he had initially only volunteered to the orphanage as an excuse to begin his yearlong trip. He was even reluctant to work there since he believed he did not have the skills required. The first pages of the book are discouraging, as Grennan appears immature, obnoxious, and arrogant and while working to please the women. However, as the book proceeds he writes with a lot of humility and compassion of the connection he developed with the children. The story is written in a pleasant manner as we realize that Grennan was ready to sacrifice everything for the children he had come to love. It is an enjoyable book to read in a smooth flow of dramatic adventures to get across the village in search of families. Grennan narrates a genuine story that captures emotions while sharing credits with friends and acquaintances that assisted him along the way (Grennan 15).

Grennan has included pictures in the book, which make the book more real and appealing to the reader. He has put up pictures of the children and the moments they shared together. There are even pictures of the children family members and his friends who helped him in the painstaking search. It is an amazing story of how love and compassion for children can drive a man to greater heights and then to the creation of the Next Generation Nepal (NGN). NGN is the organization that Grennan formed and still exists to connect children with their families when they are separated. This is a book I would recommend to anyone with the desire to read about love, compassion, and hope in dire situations. It is truly an inspiring story that lightens up with joyous moments shared with the children (Grennan 17).