A Long Way Home

A Memoir

By: Saroo Brierley

Narrated by: Vidish Athavale

Now an Academy Award-nominated major motion picture starring Dev Patel, Nicole Kidman and Rooney Mara, this New York Times bestseller and #1 international best-seller tells the miraculous and triumphant story of a young man who rediscovers not only his childhood life and home...but an identity long-since left behind.

“Amazing stuff.” –The New York Post

“So incredible that sometimes it reads like a work of fiction.” –Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)


At only five years old, Saroo Brierley got lost on a train in India. Unable to read or write or recall the name of his hometown or even his own last name, he survived alone for weeks on the rough streets of Calcutta before ultimately being transferred to an agency and adopted by a couple in Australia.

Despite his gratitude, Brierley always wondered about his origins. Eventually, with the advent of Google Earth, he had the opportunity to look for the needle in a haystack he once called home, and pore over satellite images for landmarks he might recognize or mathematical equations that might further narrow down the labyrinthine map of India. One day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for and set off to find his family.

A Long Way Home is a moving, poignant, and inspirational true story of survival and triumph against incredible odds. It celebrates the importance of never letting go of what drives the human spirit: hope.

Critic reviews

“Amazing stuff.”—The New York Post

“So incredible that sometimes it reads like a work of fiction.”—Winnipeg Free Press (Canada)

“A remarkable story.”—Sydney Morning Herald Review

“I literally could not put this book down...[Saroo's] return journey will leave you weeping with joy and the strength of the human spirit.”—Manly Daily (Australia)

“We urge you to step behind the headlines and have a read of this absorbing account...With clear recollections and good old-fashioned storytelling, Saroo...recalls the fear of being lost and the anguish of separation.”—Weekly Review (Australia)