Comment

Mar 19, 2018bibliosara rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Saroo Brierley's unusual journey - from one family to another and back again - is one that deserves to be memorialized in book form. I enjoyed the story and found it to be interesting, enlightening, and heartwarming. The most emotional part of the story, for me, was reading about his childhood in India. Even before finding himself lost in Calcutta, almost a thousand miles from home, Saroo and his birth family dealt with unimaginable conditions and odds (at least for us in first world countries/conditions: for many others, his descriptions are of daily life). I liked hearing about how he became a part of his new family, but my frustration began when he began to discuss his life as an adult. For me, it quickly became irritating how self-absorbed he was. I can never claim to fully understand the uncertainty an adopted child might feel of his place in life and home as he grows up. However, becoming obsessed with a search and making no attempts to compromise your goals with the people in your life you supposedly care about is, quite simply, self absorbed. I got tired of his complaints throughout the explanation of this 6 year tine period. His adoptive parents seem like great folks, but I found that by the end he sounded like a spoiled brat. Complaining about the media attention (because he is getting forced into those talk show interviews ya know), complaining about the toll it took on him (really? did you forget about all the children who die everyday on the streets you were saved from?), etc. He has done little to use his fame and fortune to support organizations that make a difference in poverty stricken areas throughout India. So, although the story itself was fascinating and hopeful, I wouldn't quite call it inspiring simply because I don't care for the character of the man Saroo has become.