Soon to be a major motion picture starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, this #1 international best-seller tells the miraculous and triumphant story of a young man who rediscovers not only his childhood life and home…but an identity long-since left behind.“Amazing stuff.” –The New York Post“So incredible that sometimes it reads like a work of fiction.” –Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)… of fiction.” –Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)
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.
Lion is a moving, poignant, and inspirational true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds. It celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope.
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This is such a remarkable story! I watched the movie a few weeks ago, not realizing it was based on a memoir, and was utterly moved by Saroo’s experiences, as well as completely fascinated with the ways that something that is now as commonplace and easily-accessed as Google Maps could fundamentally alter someone’s life. Even after watching the movie, I couldn’t believe that Saroo’s story was real – and I suppose I still feel that way after reading the book. It is as unlikely and as grand as fiction, which makes it all that more incredible to read. Saroo’s writing is rich in detail and the warmth and joy with which he tells his own story is just amazing. The movie is also a wonderful complement to the book – since I’ve never been to India, the movie allowed me to flesh out many of the places and experiences Saroo describes, and the emotional impact of his story is so much more acute when you’re watching it happen on screen.
This is a resonating, effective, and moving story of one little boy’s journey across an ocean and finally back again to find the place where he was born.
Brierley recognizes that his story is one that should be told, and one that could give hope to the countless families in India who have experienced something similar to his own. He describes his family and the people who helped him along his journey fondly, and his descriptions of returning to the places in India he traveled as a child were especially moving.
Although he isn’t the most eloquent writer whose words I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading, Brierley’s story and his determination to tell it render this irrelevant.
A quick, memorable read with a happy ending. Definitely recommend.
This is a amazing story, and I’m so glad the author shared it! I’m not sure what amazed me most – his survival alone as a small child or his remembering details for 25years to lead him back home. The descriptions of how children were left alone and the living conditions of the poor in India were heart-wrenching at times and made me realize how blessed we truly are. I am so glad he found people during his journeys that showed him that love, care, and concern for others does exist even in the worst of situations. His story also encourages readers to look beyond your immediate circumstances, learn from them, and let them shape you in positive ways. I didn’t give it five stars because I felt the writing was a little simplistic, but it is a truly inspirational story!
In the mid 1980s, Saroo was a five year old boy living in poverty in an Indian village with his mother and siblings. On a railway station, some way from the village, he became separated from his older brother, boarded an empty, stationary train and fell asleep. When he woke up, he was miles away, and unable to get out of the train. He ended up travelling 1600 kilometres, to the other side of the country and Calcutta, in just the clothes he stood up in, hungry and unable to speak the language.
Saroo’s story is incredible, and made me think about the survival instinct in every human, even a five year old child, much more so than the film did. The account of how he stayed alive, and the instinct he developed for danger, is far more detailed than in the film. Eventually (and I won’t tell you the whole story because you should read it for yourself), he was adopted by a couple from Hobart, Tasmania, who have given him a wonderful life.
As he grew up, he thought more and more about his Indian family. Alas, he remembered the name of his village wrongly, knew his mother only as ‘Mum’, and had no idea of the places through which he’d travelled to get to Calcutta. Although searches were made, no one could ever trace his family. As a young adult, Saroo became increasingly obsessed with the idea of finding them. Using the new site Google Earth, he started to investigate rural India, sure that he could find the village he came from. It was a mammoth task that took over his life.
After years of searching without success, mostly because he hadn’t realised how far he had travelled, he at last found the village in which he’d spent those first years of his life. Of course, he went back ~ the reunion between him and his family had me in floods when I watched the film, and it’s very touching in the book, too. His mother had never moved away from the area, because she felt sure he would return one day.
It’s a beautifully and simply written book, and taught me much I didn’t know about how the poor in India live. What struck me most, though, was how happy Saroo’s childhood was, despite being constantly hungry and living, day to day, with the sort of deprivation we can’t imagine. The story of his adoptive parents is one that would give anyone faith in humankind; Saroo talks about his good fortune in finding people who helped him, and how easily he could have disappeared into the dangerous underworld of the Calcutta streets, forever.
Highly recommended.
I saw the movie first and was blow away by this powerful story. I then read the book and it was no less powerful.
This is the story of five-year-old Saroo, who accidentally becomes trapped on a train which travels half way across India. When the train eventually stops, he finds himself in Calcutta lost and alone. He dodges disaster and with luck on his side ends up in an orphanage where he is adopted by a caring Australian family. Growing up in Tasmania, he wonders about where he has come from and his memories prompt him into action to find out. It takes years of dogged patience and with encouragement from friends he uses technology to methodically trace his footsteps back to his family.
It’s an engrossing story despite the fact I’d seen the movie which by the way, does a remarkable job with the adaption. The vulnerability you feel for this five-year-old keeps you on edge and it is heartbreakingly brave of the author to reveal it all on the written page. It’s well written enough although with a matter of fact approach. Although we’re not privy to every one of Saroo’s emotions, we nevertheless feel his every agonising step of what was a difficult journey.
Saroo Brierley wisely tells his story in simple language. The story is rich and emotional enough; literary flourish would only be distracting.
I saw the movie and loved it but reading the book is a more personal and intimate experience and consequently more compelling – or perhaps it is the combination of both that makes it so.
I came away from this story with the deepest respect for Saroo’s Australian parents Sue and John Brierley and his biological mother Fatima Munshi. His biological mother had four children she’d been forced to raise on her own in abject poverty. She could barely afford to feed them and only managed to do so by doing back-breaking poorly paid work. Yet, when her little boy disappeared, she searched and searched for him and lived every day in the hope that he would come home.
A memoir of a childhood that defies logic with an ending that any reader will find inspirational. Almost hard to believe this is real, but a page-turner that is well worth it!
I recently picked this up to read for a book club and was nervous that it’d be slow-going because I rarely read non-fiction — but I haven’t flown through a book so quickly in ages!
Saroo’s narrative is simply told, but his story is extraordinary. The combination made for lightning-fast intake. There were times when Saroo glossed over details of his life that I yearned to know more about, but I deeply respected his leaving out some of the more intimately personal aspects of his feelings and relationships.
The book was clearly written not for fame and fortune, but to deliver a message meant to inspire hope in those who are lost and action in those who can help. I think it did both those things in a beautifully humble and unassuming fashion. I’d highly recommend it to anyone for an eye-opening experience.
A true story that seems impossible, Saroo Brierley’s story is one of sadness, resilience, redemption, joy and, finally, peace. Read about this amazingly tough and wise child, who grew into a young man determined to find his childhood home and birth family. Saroo never gave up trying to find the family from whom he was separated. With the help of Google Earth, he found his way home. It is hard to not believe a higher power helped guide Saroo, and his story will stay with you a very long time. It’s a great book for young adults (very inspirational and nothing inappropriate),as well as more mature readers. (Note: When I read this book, it was entitled A Long Way Home. The movie “Lion” is based on this book, so I am guessing they renamed the book at the time the movie was released. The movie is good, but read the book first; it’s even better.)
I loved the movie & couldn’t wait to read the book. It was more in depth, making it more heart-wrenching & real. I bought the young reader’s version for my grandson, & he would recommend that, too!
I saw the movie first and was interested to see it was based on a true story. The book was even better than the excellent movie.
Interesting story, but became tedious at times with his inner “mulling”.
Great story about never giving up!
Really enjoyed this book. It is remarkable that a child only 5 years old could
survive in India and then go on to lead such a successful life. Truly Inspiring!!
A Long Way Home is Saroo Brierley’s personal account of finding himself tragically lost from his family at the young age of 5 years old. His journey back to his birth mother 25 years later is a truly amazing story. The fact that he survived before (and after) being discovered as homeless is a miracle in itself. Despite my thoughts about the astonishing facts, I have mixed feelings about this reading experience. In my perspective, this memoir was very to-the-point and caused it to feel disappointingly one-dimensional. A little help with the writing and overall storytelling could have added personality and allowed this piece of nonfiction to pull at the heartstrings and keep the reader on the edge of suspense, because when you think about Saroo’s experiences, those emotions are within reach. I plan to watch the film adaptation: Lion and have no doubt it will more than make up for my lack of connection to the book. Regardless, A Long Way Home is a story to be heard and I don’t regret reading it.
My favorite quote:
“Today there are perhaps a hundred thousand homeless kids in Kolkata, and a good many of them die before they reach adulthood … No one knows how many Indian children have been trafficked into the sex trade, or slavery, or even for organs, but all these trades are thriving, with too few officials and too many kids.”
This is the book the movie “Lion” is based on and some editions are retitled to match the movie name. The author discovered his Indian name, Sheru, means Lion. Saroo is born in India to a poor family and, at 5, through a simple mistake ends up on a train to Kolkata with no idea how to get back home. He eventually ends up in the hands of a kind woman who runs an orphanage as without knowing his surname, the name of the station he traveled from, or the town he lived in, he becomes one of the millions of lost children of India. He is one of the lucky ones as he is adopted by a caring family in Australia. He never forgets his family in India. His adoptive family and an Indian neighbor help him record any memories he has so he won’t forget the few details he knows. This is the story of his time on the streets of Kolkata, his journey through the system in India, and his upbringing in Australia, as well as his “long journey home” with the help of technology – Google Earth and social media. It’s a moving story and a fascinating one. The statistics of the numbers of lost children in India are staggering.
This was a gripping true story well told.
Awesome book!
Heart broken
Amazing true story of a family lost and found.