Saroo Brierley, born Sheru Munshi Khan, was the youngest of three brothers raised by a struggling single mother in central India. At age 5, Saroo joined one of his brothers on a train ride to the nearby city of Burhanpur, about 40 miles away. Saroo ended up on a train to Calcutta, 930 miles away, unable to remember his hometown or even his last name. Saroo survived on food scraps for several weeks, and was eventually adopted by the Brierley family of Hobart, Australia. As an adult, Saroo spent many hours scouring Google Earth hoping to find his lost family. Though half-forgotten childhood memories and satellite images, Saroo managed to find his family after 25 years of separation.
Saroo's story, and his emotional reunion, became an international media sensation. Saroo chronicles his improbable journey in A Long Way Home: A Memoir, first published in 2014, which is the basis for the film Lion, opening November 25. Dev Patel stars as Saroo, alongside Nicole Kidman as his adoptive mother and Rooney Mara as Saroo's girlfriend. The film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival garnered good reviews. On November 1, NAL published a movie tie-in edition of Saroo's book with the same title as the film ($16, 9780399584695). --Tobias Mutter
