.A Story of Inspiration and Hope: A Long Way Home
A Long Way Home is the story of a little boy born in India. His early childhood was chaotic with a Muslim father prone to anger and a loving Hindu mother. Living in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the city, Saroo and his siblings dug through rubbage for anything that might fill their bloated stomachs.
This young child felt responsible for looking after his little sister and spent his days trying to find anything to feed her. Life fell apart for the family when the father, as his religion allowed, moved out with another wife. Saroo’s adoring mother now struggled even harder to protect her young children.
Saroo will never forget the fateful day when he couldn’t find his brother in the train station. At only five-years-old, he was unschooled and hadn’t yet developed speech clear enough to appropriately let anyone know where he was from or who he needed to find.
Fate
Fate captured him aboard a train in the station as he desperately searched for his brother. He eventually ended up on the streets of Calcutta, alone and terrified.
This beautifully written biography will take you from the poverty of his humble beginnings to the dangerous streets of Calcutta, and ultimately to Australia.
Sue and John Brierley adopted him and he grew up in a loving environment. His parents gave him the tools for success in life. Saroo’s journey as a young adult drove him to find the family he clearly remembered back in India. The adoptive parents from Tasmania, Australia supported Saroo in his effort to discover where he came from and what happened to his family.
This story will tug at your heartstrings as you awaken to why so many arrive in a new country desperate to find the home they have forever lost.
Book Description
Saroo’s story was a media sensation. Then it became the #1 international bestseller A Long Way Home. Now it’s Lion, the major motion picture starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman, and Rooney Mara—nominated for six Academy Awards!
A Long Way Home is the miraculous and triumphant story of Saroo Brierley. Saroo used Google Earth to rediscover his childhood life and home. The incredible journey took him from India to Australia and back again.
At only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta. He was ultimately transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.
Origins
Despite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home. So, he pored over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize. He looked at mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. Suddenly, one day after years of searching, he miraculously found what he searched for and set off to locate his family.
A Long Way Home is a moving, poignant, and inspirational true story of survival and triumphs against incredible odds. It celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope.
About the Author
Saroo Brierley was born in an Indian town called Khandwa. In 1986, aged only 5, he lost all contact with his family. He was at a train station waiting for his brother. That brother never returned.
He lived on the streets of Calcutta for three weeks by himself. Then, the authorities placed him into a local orphanage where an Australian family adopted Saroo. He then grew up with his newly adopted parents in Hobart, Tasmania where he spent the next 25 years.
Saroo spent years trying to track down his old town through the labyrinth of railways lines on Google Earth and an image etched into his brain as a 5-year-old. Eventually, he found his town Khandwa on the map and traveled to India to try and locate members of his family. In early 2012, after 25 years of separation, he finally reunited with his mother.
Connect With Saroo
Website
Other Biographies on Peggy’s Hope 4U:
I loved the movie called Lion. It was so inspiring.
Good to know! I’ve been wanting to see the movie but decided to read the book first. It will be interesting to see how closely the movie follows the book. I can’t believe he relied on Google Earth to search for a village a child of five wouldn’t remember that much of. It’s an amazing story.