With Much Anticipation ....Review-The Little Princes by Conor Grennan

LITTLE PRINCES
One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal
Conor Grennan
William Morrow
Memoir
February 2011
978-0-06-193005-8
$25.99, 304pages

The Little Princes should be on everyone's wishlist for 2011!

When Conor Grennan left his full-time job and decided to travel for a year, little did he know his journey would end up consuming his life, heart and soul, with an incessant need to locate children of Nepal who he had made a vow to. Conor Grennan was 29 when he decided to volunteer to help orphans in Nepal, more as a means to impress than for any noble endeavor. Whatever his original intent, he ended up with a deep passion to save the children of Little Princes Orphanage who he believed he left behind in good care.

After three months of volunteering, Conor sets off to travel the world on a bicycle for a year. When he learns that the children he left behind, those he promised would be taken care of by nice people, were actually recaptured by the same child trafficker who took them initially, Conor becomes instantly sickened. He knows the children who came to trust him, now look at him with betrayal.

With an indomitable drive and no idea where to start, he researches how to start a non-profit organization. He knows he needs to raise money, because he is broke, he has spent his life savings traveling the world. He ultimately forms Next Generation Nepal (NGN) and freely admits, his purpose was to find the seven children he left behind. As he lectured and met people he raised money, and was able to return to Nepal to begin his arduous task of searching for his seven kids. Through his efforts, he and his associate in Nepal, Farid, were able to open Dhaulagiri House. Jointly, they set up the home that would accommodate twenty children. They were assisted by Gyan Bahadur from the Child Welfare Board in Kathmandu. They literally had to walk hundreds of miles to try and locate the children and families. During the early stages of their mission, they were caught up in the political unrest in Kathmandu between Maoist rebels and the king’s government, often life threatening.

In reading Little Princes, you will become aware of the child trafficking and the systemic issues in Nepal that create such terrible family separations. You read how easily children become slaves and families loose total contact with them. They believe they have handed them over to be educated, fed and a better life. This book has broadened my schema in so many ways. Nepal is so much more real to me now: the climate, the politics, the culture and the families. His stories of the children, their horrible plight and difficult rescue is just so special, a beautiful book. His organization can be found at nextgenerationnepal.org.

Book Source: I received this book from William Morrow Publisher. This review reflects my candid and truthful opinion.


© [Wisteria Leigh] and [Bookworm's Dinner], [2011].

Jantsen's Gift, by Pam Cope

JANTSEN’S GIFT
A True Story of Grief, Rescue and Grace
by Pam Cope, with Aimee Molloy
Grand Central Publishing
Hachette Book Group
April 2009
978-0-446-19969-8

If you have ever wondered if one person can really make a difference, then you have not read Jantsen’s Gift by Pam Cope. After the tragic death of her son, Pam, a self described hairdresser, wife and soccer mom was unsure how she was going to live through each day. She was desperate, full of self-loathing, her grief was so enormous, she had no idea how she would ever get out of bed to carry on life without him.

One day, desperate, unable to cope, desolate with grief she has a chat with God,

“I cannot do this anymore. I cannot live this life....I cannot forge a life of meaning from this sorrow. Please, just take me. Or at least tell me: What do you want from me.”

Having learned from her husband Randy that the memorial fund established in her son’s name had grown to twenty five thousand, Pam decides to take a trip to Vietnam with a friend in order to visit orphanages. This initial leap of courage to take a trip that required traveling across the globe away from the comfort zone of Neosho, Missouri was the impetuous that Pam needed to begin her healing.

On her visit she met Vinh Thien a small infant boy, who had been abandoned by his mother. Despite all the many children Pam and Randy had met during their visit, Vinh stood out and without any explanation, she just knew she wanted to take him home. He would ultimately become Van Alan Cope. It was a long arduous process complete with red tape and bureaucratic double talk, but one that would help to show Pam what her path in life was to be. She was never, or seemingly never daunted by the insurmountable odds against everything she tried to implement. Her tenacious will seemed to be driven by a purpose unseen until her son’s death. Through Jantsen’s spirit she learned to live differently, perhaps that was his gift.

Throwing all her energy into saving children, Pam took on nascent roles of speaker, fund-raiser, administrator, Mom Pam (adopted mother), politician, and social worker and director to defend, protect and rescue neglected and abandoned children. She saved hundreds of children from the streets of Vietnam by providing shelter, basic needs and an education.

Pam founded the Touch A Life organization, it’s mission to help save at-risk youths globally. After reading an article in The New York Times in 2006, Pam headed to Northern Ghana to help save children forced into hard labor as slaves. Even though laws against child trafficking are in place, the practice continues without interference from authorities.
Brutally honest, inspirational without preaching, you feel the author’s pain and anguish, you feel her surrender and release, you feel her acceptance and grace.

In her words,

“I never thought that Jantsen’s death would lead me to grace, and it is my hope that nobody ever has to go through what I went through to arrive there. Even writing this book feels like another step away from Jantsen. I do take comfort in the idea that even one more person will get to know a little about him, but the fact that I can write about his death without crawling to my bed and staying there, curled up in my grief for weeks, shows how far I’ve come.”

Highly moving and emotional story of one woman’s struggle to endure loss. Pam Cope’s story is gut wrenching and sad yet offers hope for all of us who look for life’s purpose and what truly matters. Jantsen’s Gift should be on everyone’s wish list.

Disclosure: Thanks to Anna Balasi at Hachette Book Group for this review copy.