Review: A Long Way Home

A Long Way Home
Saroo Brierley
Memoir 

This is the miraculous and triumphant story of Saroo Brierley, a young man who used Google Earth to rediscover his childhood life and home in an incredible journey 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 own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.
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, and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family.

When my aunt first recommended this book to me, I didn't expect much. I mean, it's a cool news story, but what more can there be to it than what's in the blurb? 

So first off, I'll say- there isn't. Don't expect any crazy plot twists or surprises. However, I found A Long Way Home a sweet, fast, and easy read. It was intriguing to hear of his overseas adoption, of integrating into Western society as a child. I also moved halfway across the world at the age of seven, so for me personally it was interesting to compare the ability to remember. 

The issues of loving two families, of memory, of reconnecting to people you've lived a lifetime without - were unique and emotional. In general, I found this memoir one worthy of publication and thought-provoking for us the public. Recommended! (I've heard the movie has some scenes not for children- the book is completely PG.) 

Have a wonderful week!

Esty