Following a year-long journey around the world, Conor Brennan dedicated three months volunteering at an orphanage in Nepal. During these three months, he not only fell in love with the children but learnt a disturbing truth about the true origin of the children. The children were not orphans, rather they were victims of child trafficking. During civil unrest in Nepal, Maoist extremists falsely promised parents in remote villages that they would educate their children in the city in exchange for money. Instead of fulfilling their promise, the children were taken to the city and placed in impoverished conditions or forced into child labor situations. Some of the children were more fortunate and rescued to be placed in orphanages such as the Little Princes orphange, founded by a French woman. Through the assistance of government and nonprofit organizations, she pressured the Maoist child trafficker to release eighteen children into her custody. Conor Brennan found his way into the Little Princes and at the end of his volunteer assignment wanted to aid the children even further- he embarked on a search for their parents.
Conor began a physically demanding journey into the mountainous region, Humla. The region was void of any roads, requiring Conor and his team of local guides, to trek by foot through the rugged terrain. Often it took several days to reach the different villiages. Suffering with a knee injury and obvious fatigue, Conor was determined to achieve his mission- reuniting parents with their children. Upon seeing their children's photographs, parents were filled with astonishment and overwhelming joy to discover the children they thought were lost to them forever, were actually alive and safe. The joy was reciprocated when Conor returned to children with photos and letters from their parents. While most of the parents could not afford to support their children, they were provided with an opportunity to spend time with them again when the children visited Humla during school vacation. Conor established a not for profit organization whose mission was to raise money to develop a home for additional children in Katmandu. At the time of the book's publication, the organization was raising money to build a home in the Humla region, to enable the children and parents to have more frequent contact with each other.
While Conor's journey and mission obviously moved me, it was the honesty and sensitivity in which he describes his story that made this book a superior read. Conor candidly shares his initial trepidations about interacting with children, an area in which he has little experience, and progresses to describe his unbreakable bond with the children. He strikes a perfect balance in describing each child, allowing readers to become acquainted with their unique traits and endearing qualities, without straying from the plot progression. Although he is involved in a risky mission, on account of the physically demanding trek into the mountains and the dangerous Maoist extremists he is fighting against, his humility resonates throughout the book.
While Conor's mission is obviously a life changing experience, specifically the Nepalese culture and the children provide Conor with several life lessons.
"I had learned a kind of patience in Nepal that did not come naturally to me. There is less stimulation, fewer pressures to get things done and the people in Nepal have a peaceful way about them that allows them to sit quietly for long periods of time..."
The children's inner strength and resilience despite their hardships are inspiring.
" I felt a surge of joy in seeing these twenty little Nepali tornados...I felt something else, too; respect. For the children. Because after all the rage and revolution that clawed at Nepal for years, after being forcibly marched through the mountains, after being taken from their parents, and watching volunteers leave them just when their country was imploding, these kids were still laughing, still studying and still showing off. They were survivors."
I felt the same awe and respect for the impoverished children I have seen in India. Despite the poverty, the still wear smiles and carry the playful spirit of children.
A secondary, but an incredibly vital sub-plot, is the blossoming romance between Conor and his future wife, Liz. An unconventional love story, the couple first meet online when Liz contacts Conor after learning about his not-for-profit organization. Like Conor, Liz shared an interest for volunteering with impoverished children abroad. Following her initial request for a recommendation of a global volunteer organization, they rapidly discovered a common ground for a friendship and soon began regular correspondence. Despite no previous meeting, Liz's words encouraged and motivated Conor during various trials. After seven months of email correspondence, Liz was scheduled to begin her volunteer program in India which served as the perfect opportunity for Conor to extend his invitation for a visit to Nepal. During her visit, their chemistry was almost instantaneous and their friendship soon became romantic. They are clearly kindred spirits. Conor and Liz are my favorite "characters" within my recently read books; their real-life romance, humanitarian spirit and sincerity charmed me more than any contrived, fictional characters.
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