Little Princes

My goal is to read 100 books by the end of 2013.  I just finished book 25.

Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan

Summary (copied from the book jacket):
In search of adventure, Conor Grennan embarked on a yearlong journey around the globe, beginning with a three-month stint volunteering at an orphanage in civil war-torn Nepal.  But a shocking truth would forever change his life: these rambunctious, resilient children were not orphans at all but had been taken from their families by child traffickers who falsely promised to keep them safe from war before abandoning them in the teeming chaos of Kathmandu.  For Conor, what started as a footloose ramble became a dangerous, dedicated mission to unite youngsters he had grown to love with the parents they had been stolen from - a breathtaking adventure, as Conor risked everything in the treacherous Nepalese mountains to bring the children home.

My opinion:
Hopeful.  Inspiring.  I know those aren't the first words that come to mind after reading the description, but it's how I felt after reading this book.  This was a book club selection that I probably wouldn't have picked for myself, but I'm glad I read it.
There are beautiful photos in the middle of the book and I looked at them first as I always do; I like to put faces with the names as I'm reading.  The captions on the photos were spoilers since they revealed which missions were successful - I didn't mind at all but I mention it as something to be aware of.
Some may say the bleak moments and challenges were glossed over or downplayed, or that the success rate of the missions seem too good to be true, and I would agree (the experience of a volunteer being held captive by Maoists for three days was summed up in 6 paragraphs).  However, I think the author wrote honestly, especially about himself (it was nice that he didn't paint himself as a saint), and I was able to feel the desperation and frustration he felt at times, even though he didn't dwell on it.

Quote of the Blog:
"It's a place where one person, if it's the right person, changes us all." ~ High School Musical 3 (yes, really...I know it's trite but this quote kept popping into my mind as I was reading this book, so I'm going with it).