Back in late October when I first read Little Princes by Conor Grennan, I raved about it here briefly. Now that it is finally available (tomorrow is the official release day!), I want to add that this inspiring book should be in every school and public library. I do not say that often or lightly.
I recently had a chance to meet Conor at ALA Midwinter, and to interview him for an upcoming issue of the SLJ Teen newsletter (look out for it on February 16th). I urge anyone who has the opportunity to bring an author into a school, public, or academic library to consider pursuing Conor as a speaker.
Not only is Conor personable, well-spoken, and funny, his message is the importance of getting involved, of “just showing up.” He encourages young people to volunteer their time even if they worry that they lack the necessary skills for the project at hand.
Take a look at the wonderful website devoted to the non-profit that Conor created, Next Generation Nepal. I especially enjoy the page where he explains why he wrote the book.
GRENNAN, Conor. Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal. 304p. HarperCollins/Morrow. 2011. Tr $0. ISBN 978-0-06-193005-8. LC number unavailable.
Adult/High School–Twenty-nine-year-old Conor Grennan began a year long trip around the world with three months of volunteer work in a Nepalese orphanage to justify the extravagance. As his friends had mentioned and he himself realized as he stood on the doorstep, he had absolutely no skills for the job, but he became deeply committed to reconnecting trafficked children with their families of origin. His account of no comforts, dull food, and a tangle of children are both hilarious and poignant. This is an action packed, breath-holding adventure of the heart and soul as Grennan negotiated steep mountain trails and bureaucracy while founding a non-profit organization and falling in love with an equally committed and passionate woman. His intelligence and humility shine through, and insights into the culture and the difference one person can make are evident. Grennan is able to poke fun at himself while his uncanny inner drive to see and act clearly is obvious. While comparisons to Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea (Penguin, 2007) are inevitable, this book is more accessible and possesses more immediate teen appeal.–Amy Cheney, Alameda County Library, Juvenile Hall, CA
Although The Price of Stones was released last summer, I did not want to miss posting a review. Twesigye Jackson Kaguri continues to speak around the country about the founding of the Nyaka AIDS Orphans School, as his website attests. He emphasizes the difference that one person can make, a powerful message for active, aware teens.
KAGURI, Twesigye Jackson & Susan Urbanek Linville. The Price of Stones: Building a School for My Village. 288p. Viking. 2010. Tr $25.95. ISBN 978-0670021840. LC 2010011769.
Adult/High School–The devastating plague of AIDS in Africa, a distant reality for most Americans, is made heartbreakingly personal in this title. When his brother succumbs to the epidemic in Uganda, Kaguri resolves to do something for the children in his village who, like his nephew and niece, have not only been orphaned by the disease but stigmatized by it as well. With little more than faith that his god will provide a way, the penniless Kaguri, who spent a year of post-graduate study at Columbia, patiently and relentlessly navigates the obstacles of African bureaucracy and corruption as well as tribal traditions and superstitions to build and fund the two-room Nyaka Aids Orphan School. Like Greg Mortenson’s Three Cups of Tea (Penguin 2007), The Price of Stones offers teens an insight into a different culture and provides them with an inspiring model of a single person making a significant difference in a world of daunting problems. Though Kaguri’s determination is grounded in his personal faith and shaped by lessons from gospel stories, he never proselytizes.–John Sexton, formerly of the Westchester Library System, NY
How better to ring in 2011 than with a book focused on changing our world for the better?
TISCH, Jonathan M. & Karl Weber. Citizen You: Doing Your Part to Change the World. 273p. Crown. May 2010. Tr $24. ISBN 978-0-307-58848-7. LC 2009053438.
Adult/High School–Tisch brings readers up to date on the many challenges and expanding opportunities of the 21st century’s most promising antidote to pessimism: the so-called “active-citizenship” movement. With help from business and current-affairs author Karl Weber, he presents his extensive knowledge of and enthusiasm for active citizen engagement. Citizen You, like social activism itself, is for young and old, rich and poor, post-graduate and high-school dropout, and everyone in between. The authors keep business school and other academic jargon and concepts to a necessary minimum and include fascinating, even at times gripping, stories of human achievement. By combining these accounts of active citizenship from a wide range of causes and world-wide locations with a brief, but thorough, explanation of the principles behind social activism, the authors enhance readers’ interest in and concern for the global effort to make the world a better place, one person, one neighborhood, one project at a time. It is all about moving past the handing over of fish to the hungry, as important as that often is, and teaching those same people to catch their own fish, and in turn to teach others. The book concludes with a list of 52 suggestions, with contact information, on how one might do one’s part to change the world. The list, like the book itself, is recommended for all readers and all collections.–Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA
Last Wednesday I attended the “Librarians’ Sneak Peek Book Preview 2011″ sponsored by the Association of American Publishers (AAP). It is always a pleasure to hear about upcoming titles from the publishers themselves, and there are several with teen potential to look forward to. Of course, it is impossible to be sure of appeal until reading the book itself, but here are some titles I am keeping an eye on:
The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok (Free Press/Simon & Schuster, January) Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (Knopf, February) The Wise Man’s Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (DAW/Penguin, April) Silver Girl by Tayari Jones (Algonquin, May) Upon a River by Bonnie Jo Campbell (Norton, July) 7th Sigma by Steven Gould (Tor/Macmillan, July)
Swamplandia! is the first novel by Karen Russell, author of the terrific short story collection, St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves. 7th Sigma was described as a future Wild West with bugs. Hard to resist! My students have been asking about the sequel to The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss since 2007. And I mean the same students, every 3 months or so.
One of the ARCs I received on Wednesday was Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan (William Morrow, 978-0-06-193005-8). I took it out on my commute home and fell in love by page 9, solidified on page 12 when I laughed out loud on the subway (embarrassing, but always a good sign). I don’t want to say too much because I will be publishing a review on the blog closer to the book’s January release. But you know that feeling when you are in love with a book — you have to talk about it! Three Cups of Tea comparisons are inevitable, but Conor has a wonderful voice all his own: self-deprecating sense of humor, and a real affection for his young charges, combined with a story of survival and rescue in a civil-war torn country. Perfect for summer reading, all-school reading, and One Book, One Community Reads.
There are already marketing materials available on the publisher’s website, including a video of the author talking about the book, and Conor will appear at ALA Midwinter in San Diego.
In keeping with the spirit of volunteerism, our review of the day:
KELSEY, Nora Lee. 700 Places to Volunteer Before You Die: A Traveler’s Guide. 536p. Dog’s Eye View Media. 2010. Tr $24. ISBN 978-0-9825494-8-3. LC 2010921227.
Adult/High School–This impressive collection of more than 750 volunteer opportunities should prove an excellent starting point for anyone contemplating the adventure, challenge, and rewards of voluntourism. The range of projects is vast, both geographically, and in subject matter. Every entry is sufficiently detailed and current, and the presentation is logical, attractive, and, with cross-indexing, accessible from multiple aspects. The listings are arranged geographically, first by continent (and Oceania), and then alphabetically by nation. The extensive index by project type will help readers focus on particular sets of opportunities. The projects range from teaching and tutoring to animal care and habitat conservation, from archeology to sports programs, from health care to tree planting. There is also considerable range in costs, from free to several thousands of dollars, and in duration, from one day to several months. Most projects have an age requirement of 18, but there are also many that welcome younger teens, some with an accompanying adult and some without. A particular strength of this book is the introductory material, which gets the potential volunteer thinking about all the important questions: Why volunteer? How to select a project? What are they going to expect from me? Where does the money go, and why does it cost money to volunteer? Another strength is the multiple avenues the book presents to finding further information. The author is to be commended for an honest focus on the practical issues facing volunteers as well as the loftier rewards of work devoted to a better world for all.–Robert Saunderson, formerly at Berkeley Public Library, CA
Angela Carstensen is Head Librarian and an Upper School Librarian at Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York City. Angela served on the Alex Awards committee for four years, chairing the 2008 committee, and chaired the first YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction for Young Adult committee in 2009. Recently, she edited Outstanding Books for the College Bound: Titles and Programs for a New Generation (ALA Editions, 2011). Contact her via Twitter @AngeReads.
