A Long Way Home Episode

[00:00:01] Speaker A: Which member left a demanding corporate career and moved to another continent to spend more time with family? Find out by going to www.bookinterrupted.com members and get to know us a little more. Parental guidance is recommended because this episode has mature topics and strong language. Here are some moments you can look forward to during this episode of book interrupted. [00:00:30] Speaker B: It's my implicit bias, not the vibe. [00:00:32] Speaker C: Hey. [00:00:33] Speaker B: Makes me sick. [00:00:35] Speaker D: Wow, that's really interesting, though. [00:00:37] Speaker C: Hey. [00:00:37] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, I have a distaste reaction. [00:00:40] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:00:40] Speaker E: What a mom. [00:00:41] Speaker A: 25 years later, she's just like, I'm gonna wait and see. [00:00:44] Speaker B: That's insane, right? [00:00:45] Speaker C: Totally. It's such a motherly. [00:00:46] Speaker A: I loved it. I loved it so much. [00:00:48] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:00:49] Speaker D: It feels. [00:00:49] Speaker B: It feels like vibes, right? [00:00:51] Speaker C: Like she knew from being lost and taken versus given up is such a different in your psyche. [00:00:58] Speaker F: Yeah. And there's lots of good orphanages. I'm not like, totally. [00:01:01] Speaker E: So when he went back and was like, I have to do it by myself. I have to do this on my own. With Larry. [00:01:08] Speaker B: With Larry, yeah, with Larry. Yeah, exactly. Without my body is home information is trying to learn something without being disrupted. Mind, body and soul inspiration is with us, and we're going to talk on book interrupted. [00:01:46] Speaker A: Welcome to Book Interrupted, a book club for busy people to connect and one that celebrates life's interruptions. During this book cycle, we're reading Sarah's book a long way home by Saroo Brierly. This book was made into a movie in 2016 called lion and stars Dev Patel, Sonny Padua, and Nicole Kidman. Saroo became lost on a train in India at the age of five, not knowing the name of his family or where he was from. From. He survived for weeks on the streets of Calcutta before being taken into an orphanage and adopted by a couple in Australia. Despite being happy with his new family, Chevrou always wondered about his origins. When he was a young man, the advent of Google Earth led him to pour over satellite images of the country for landmarks he recognized. And one day, after years of searching, he miraculously found what he was looking for. He then set off on a journey to find his mother. Let's listen in to this episode's group discussion. [00:02:48] Speaker C: I just realized in Meredith's background, you have the book. [00:02:53] Speaker E: This is the Henrietta book, but we're talking about a different one. But I already set it up and I was like, I'm gonna leave it there. [00:03:00] Speaker B: Who's got this book? Lindsay, do you have this book? I think I see this book in your background. [00:03:05] Speaker A: I have this one. [00:03:06] Speaker F: Well, I have this version. Same thing. [00:03:08] Speaker B: There you go. That's nice, though. [00:03:11] Speaker F: Yeah. Because I'll tell you what, that is. [00:03:15] Speaker B: What made me enjoy this. That. [00:03:17] Speaker A: Yes, Lindsey's right. [00:03:18] Speaker C: Him. [00:03:19] Speaker B: Truly him. Yeah. [00:03:21] Speaker A: Yes. [00:03:22] Speaker B: Totally. [00:03:22] Speaker F: And the little kid. Oh, the little kid. [00:03:24] Speaker B: Oh, my God. The little kid was very heartbreakingly cute and, like, innocent and vulnerable. I couldn't find the movie. [00:03:30] Speaker A: Where did you go find this movie? [00:03:32] Speaker F: It's called lion. The movie is called this. [00:03:35] Speaker B: I know. [00:03:35] Speaker E: It's called lion. [00:03:37] Speaker B: For me, it was on prime. [00:03:39] Speaker A: Prime. Prime Video. [00:03:40] Speaker F: Okay, should we do an intro? Should you do an intro? [00:03:43] Speaker A: Yeah, I'll do one. [00:03:44] Speaker B: Yeah, let's get organized. Yep. [00:03:46] Speaker E: Yeah, let's get organized. [00:03:47] Speaker B: Seeing as we're almost done. Yeah, totally easy for editing. Okay. [00:03:55] Speaker A: Welcome to our group discussion on my book choice, a long way home by Shirou. Rare is it rarely. [00:04:03] Speaker B: Let me see the name and I'll remember it. [00:04:04] Speaker F: Briarly. [00:04:05] Speaker B: But that's how I would pronounce it. [00:04:08] Speaker A: Okay, brierly. I tried to listen to him saying his name, but he has such a thick Aussie accent. [00:04:13] Speaker E: I was like, that didn't help. [00:04:15] Speaker A: It didn't help at all. Maybe you could try it with an Aussie. And the movie is called lion. [00:04:20] Speaker C: Also, is it ghost written or it has a co writer? [00:04:24] Speaker F: It is ghost written. I did some research. [00:04:27] Speaker B: So tell me more about what ghost writing means. [00:04:29] Speaker F: Lindsey did the research. So ghost writing means when someone. Somebody will write the book in the style of the person who's telling the story. So they do a lot of interviews. They often record a lot of interviews. They go with them. So in this case, the ghost writer's name is Larry Butros. And he. [00:04:49] Speaker B: Pardon? [00:04:49] Speaker F: Larry Buttrose. Buttrose. [00:04:52] Speaker B: Butrose. [00:04:53] Speaker F: That's really. Kim just needed to make sure there's butt Rose. And he was hired by Penguin books. And he only had four months to research the whole thing, do any personal interviews and write the whole book. So he did it in four months. That's so easy. He has a PhD in creative writing from Adelaide University. Sorry. A three month deadline to do everything. [00:05:17] Speaker B: It's like university bullshit. [00:05:19] Speaker F: Yeah. So he was told to write in Saru's voice. So he had to study his idioms and manner of speech over lots of meetings. And he went with him to India. He met his family. He met his family in Hobart. He did the train trip with him to relive everything. So he was there through the whole thing when Saroo was going back to see his family. So. And then he took all of those words in all of the interviews and then wrote the book. So it's all the voice of Saru, but the actual writing of it and putting it together was by Larry Butrose. [00:05:52] Speaker B: Okay. Wow. [00:05:53] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:05:53] Speaker A: I love that. [00:05:55] Speaker E: So when he went back and was like, I have to do it by myself. I have to do this on my own. With Larry. [00:06:01] Speaker B: With Larry, yeah. Oh, yeah, with Larry. Yeah, exactly. But did he do it by himself first and then with Larry? Or is that all a big story? I don't know. [00:06:12] Speaker F: I don't think so. But maybe. [00:06:14] Speaker B: But maybe. Does Larry get like a pass because he's the ghost writer? You know what I mean? [00:06:19] Speaker F: There is a photo somewhere of him with the family, but he's not in anything else. [00:06:23] Speaker E: That's enough. You believe in ghosts? [00:06:24] Speaker B: Yes. [00:06:27] Speaker A: That's why the end of the book where he's retracing, going back on the train, was really long and drawn out for me. But maybe that's because the ghost writer was actually there. So he's like, I can write a. [00:06:40] Speaker E: Lot about this trip. [00:06:42] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:06:42] Speaker A: Because I dared witness it. Because I felt like that area could have been cut down. Way down. [00:06:48] Speaker B: I'm telling you. Like, from where he began looking for the station, could have been cut down. I did not need a play by play of his everyday, 8 hours a. [00:06:56] Speaker C: Day Google search, every step he took. [00:06:59] Speaker B: I agree with that. Yeah. [00:07:01] Speaker C: I feel like when books and authors do that, they take away so much from the main point. Because then all you're thinking is like, move on. You know? Like, I get the point. Let's move on. For me, anyways, that's kind of what's in my head. I'm like, it was good, except for, you know, you're still looking. [00:07:18] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, we get it for eight chapters looking. Or if the looking was different somehow. [00:07:25] Speaker E: Right. [00:07:26] Speaker B: Nothing changed somehow. Yeah. Part of that is probably this three month deadline. [00:07:30] Speaker E: And they probably said, we also want x number of words. [00:07:33] Speaker B: Still. Those things make me angry. [00:07:35] Speaker E: I blame penguin, right. [00:07:36] Speaker B: Because they create this shitty book then, right? Like, it has to have this many words and in this amount of time. [00:07:42] Speaker C: On an incredible story. [00:07:44] Speaker B: That's the thing. [00:07:44] Speaker E: They already knew the story was gonna be good. So they're like, it can be rushed. [00:07:47] Speaker C: It's fine. [00:07:47] Speaker B: Like, yes, exactly. That's my point. I feel bad because it's a memoir. So I don't ever want to really cast judgment on someone's actual experience. And I don't even know how to say it. Like a delicate memoir. Right? Like, it's a kind of a traumatic story. Like, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Right. But the book itself was terrible. Did not like it at all because of the way. And I'll tell you this, too, I listened to it on tape. Was this one of my audiobooks? And so the australian indian combo was also hard for me to listen to, but I think that I might be biased against Australians. You don't like the australian accent? I don't like an australian accent. Any time info's coming at me australian, I'm automatically like, less, please. Really? [00:08:37] Speaker C: Really? [00:08:38] Speaker F: I love the australian accent. [00:08:39] Speaker B: Yes, I do, Kim. [00:08:41] Speaker E: It's very english of you. [00:08:42] Speaker B: Is it? Because. Yeah, maybe it's in my DNA, because I love british accents. My heritage is british. [00:08:47] Speaker A: Your mom's writing my dad and everything. Yeah. [00:08:49] Speaker B: Right? [00:08:49] Speaker C: Oh, yep. [00:08:50] Speaker B: But, yeah, australian. Like, it's like something that was put. [00:08:53] Speaker E: Into you and you didn't even know, like, subtle things growing up, maybe from your life. [00:08:57] Speaker B: It's my implicit bias, not the vibe. [00:08:59] Speaker C: Hey. [00:09:00] Speaker B: Makes me sick. [00:09:02] Speaker D: Wow, that's really interesting, though. [00:09:04] Speaker C: Hey, yeah. [00:09:05] Speaker B: Like, I have a distaste reaction. [00:09:07] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah, yeah. No fair. And I know, obviously, he grew up in Australia majority of his life. Right? Tell me why I was surprised he had an australian accent. Like, so, just dumb. Like, I was like, when I watched the movie, I was like, oh, well, obviously. [00:09:25] Speaker E: But you know your own voice. [00:09:27] Speaker C: Totally. Well, yeah. And I was also, oh, you know, he's from India. [00:09:33] Speaker B: It's a different accent. [00:09:35] Speaker C: Exactly. And I was like, no, it's your surroundings. It's not typically where you're born unless you stay there. Right? [00:09:41] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Because it's like, if you see, I don't know, an asian person, and then all of a sudden they have an australian accent. Right? It's just like, totally a code shift in your head, because you're like, this is what these people sound like. This is what those people sound like. It's hugely stereotypical, right. But there's some that are more rare crossovers, so they come off as more. [00:10:01] Speaker E: Anybody with a canadian accent, no matter what they're like. You're like, yeah, whatever. [00:10:05] Speaker B: Right? [00:10:05] Speaker C: Yes. [00:10:06] Speaker E: Just because it's Australia. [00:10:08] Speaker F: My friend who I went to university with, who's German, learned English in Australia. So when she speaks English, it's with an australian accent, which, to me, of course, I think, well, if you learn English, it's gonna sound like me in my head. But it was great. Like, she had a lovely act like that. That's how, you know if you learn English and England, you're going to sound british. If you learn English in Canada, you're going to sound even if you go. [00:10:34] Speaker B: To England for six weeks, you start to sound a little bit british. And I'm sure the same thing would happen if you go to Australia. Like, you start to sound like the people you're surrounded by, even though it's not your base, and it goes away when you come back to where you're from. [00:10:49] Speaker C: Yeah, when I went to Asia, not that I can speak South Korean or Japanese very well, but I noticed when I came back, a lot of people will trail. So, like, say they're saying da da. It'll be da da, you know, so they'll trail, and I'll be like, hey, you know, like, I would come back and just say stuff like that, and I was like, oh, you know, it's the Asian in me, but it's the Asian in me. I'm so cultured, you know? It is so true how quickly you start picking up and you don't really even realize it. Maybe until you go back and you're like, wait, this is not. This is not how I normally speak. [00:11:25] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:11:26] Speaker A: Even mannerisms. Like, I know when I was in China, people go. Instead of, you know, when you go in Canada, when people talk, you're, like, kind of encouraging them to keep on talking. In China, they go, huh, huh. And when I came back, I noticed I did it to people, and I only noticed it when I came back. [00:11:43] Speaker B: Because it was different. [00:11:45] Speaker A: It's like, oh, yeah, I didn't know I had adopted those little mannerisms. And I have obviously have them from here, too. Like, you don't realize until you go back to where you're from and you kind of slide back into your normal self that you're like, oh, it's like programming. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:12:03] Speaker C: Interesting how easily it happens and we don't even notice. We can adapt just so quickly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:12:09] Speaker F: When I moved back from England, I had a British. Kind of a weird british. [00:12:13] Speaker B: You did? [00:12:14] Speaker F: A long time. [00:12:15] Speaker B: Yeah. Because it depends on, like, how long you're there. [00:12:17] Speaker F: I was there two years. [00:12:19] Speaker B: Exactly. So you became a little wiffy briffy. [00:12:22] Speaker F: Yeah, yeah. [00:12:23] Speaker C: Did Kim just love hearing you talk when you got back? I would have. [00:12:26] Speaker B: I would have, like, speak to me more. Lindsay. [00:12:27] Speaker C: Yeah? [00:12:29] Speaker F: You weren't here. You were already moved out. Yeah. [00:12:32] Speaker B: I don't think we were in each other's lives. Yeah, yeah. Oh. [00:12:35] Speaker C: Oh, okay. Okay. Yep. [00:12:37] Speaker F: Because that was when Sarah moved to Toronto, because we lived together, so she moved in, and I moved back from. Oh, no, that was when I moved back from Australia, so. [00:12:45] Speaker A: Oh, yes. [00:12:46] Speaker C: So. Well, traveled. [00:12:48] Speaker B: I've lived lots of places. [00:12:50] Speaker C: Oh, I love that. Yeah, that's cool. [00:12:53] Speaker F: Fun. Now I'm in Toronto forever. No, eventually we'll move again forever. [00:12:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:12:59] Speaker F: Anyway. Sorry, mayor. [00:13:00] Speaker B: Yes. [00:13:00] Speaker F: What were you gonna say? [00:13:01] Speaker B: Probably about the book. [00:13:02] Speaker E: I agree with the writing. I didn't enjoy the writing a lot. [00:13:05] Speaker B: It was okay. [00:13:05] Speaker E: It wasn't like it didn't grade on me or anything, but I felt like it could have moved along in spots. But what do you guys think about the story? [00:13:12] Speaker B: Because I thought the story was, I mean, insane. [00:13:15] Speaker A: First of all, the kid who needed. [00:13:17] Speaker E: To remember a five year old just repeating everything he can remember to himself, like that he retained this memory, and he's like, I have to hold on to this. That alone is amazing. How determined he was to hold on to his family, even though he was. [00:13:33] Speaker B: In a different country. [00:13:34] Speaker E: Like, he held on to it. [00:13:35] Speaker B: It's amazing. [00:13:36] Speaker C: And his memory change because I find sometimes I'll remember back onto some things and slowly, over time, they change. Right, because you're just remembering the last time you remembered. And it totally could have been a case because what, he found them 25 years later, I believe it was. He could have totally forgot. [00:13:56] Speaker E: Your brain changes a lot in 25 years. [00:13:58] Speaker C: Exactly. [00:13:58] Speaker B: Right. [00:13:59] Speaker C: And just even. [00:13:59] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:14:00] Speaker C: Even the landmarks you're thinking of, they could have been gone. They could have been different. And it was just like the universe was telling him to go find his home again. [00:14:09] Speaker B: That's like an interesting parallel, right? Because the landscape of your brain can change in that amount of time as well as the physical landscape could actually change. And luckily for him, he was able to maintain his landscape. And the landscape that he came from didn't change very much, so he was able to find it on Google Earth or whatever. When he finally finished his research, I. [00:14:31] Speaker F: Guess, eight chapters later. [00:14:35] Speaker A: But also the fact that his mom didn't move. She still had this hope. Her other children moved. And she just was like, I'm staying here just in case one day he comes back. Still. [00:14:47] Speaker E: What a mom. [00:14:48] Speaker A: 25 years later, she's just like, I'm gonna wait and see. [00:14:50] Speaker B: That's insane, right? Totally. [00:14:52] Speaker C: It's such a mother. [00:14:53] Speaker A: I loved it. I loved it so much. [00:14:54] Speaker C: Yeah, it feels. [00:14:56] Speaker B: It feels like vibes, right? Like she knew, you know? [00:14:58] Speaker C: Yeah, she knew. So many people say they have that motherly instinct when something bad happens to them. They know, you know, they're like, no, I can tell that something bad happened or they've moved on. Yeah. For her to stay. Incredible. [00:15:12] Speaker B: That's just incredible. [00:15:13] Speaker C: Oh, yeah. [00:15:14] Speaker E: Probably incredibly painful. [00:15:15] Speaker B: Too. [00:15:16] Speaker E: Living in hope all those years when the guy was like, come with me. I'm gonna take you to your mother. [00:15:22] Speaker B: I was like, oh, my God. Yay. [00:15:24] Speaker E: Like, you're, like, cheering for him, but it's. [00:15:25] Speaker B: Oh, my God. [00:15:26] Speaker C: That's what I couldn't even imagine. The emotions. [00:15:28] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. [00:15:30] Speaker A: And that she knew. Cause she went to the mosque that day and prayed to God to see her son. And then he came that day. [00:15:36] Speaker B: I was, like, bawling my eyes. [00:15:40] Speaker C: It is an emotional story. Like, it's absolutely incredible. And we hear so many, oh, the Internet's bad. Technology is bad. Especially as a kid, you're told that, right? For it to be how he got home is. I just love those stories. It's really cool. And just, again, to be a kid and remember all of that, there's no chance I would have found my way home. [00:16:04] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, when was this book written? [00:16:07] Speaker F: I thought it was 2014, but I could be wrong. [00:16:11] Speaker B: I got it. [00:16:11] Speaker A: Here, hold on. [00:16:12] Speaker E: It's like when he was looking for his home in this book, a lot has changed, technology wise, between now and then. His search would have been so much different now, I think. Well, he could have just asked AI, get AI to do it. Here's the information. [00:16:30] Speaker B: Or had he been born in a different time when the Internet didn't even. [00:16:33] Speaker F: Exist, it was 2013. [00:16:35] Speaker C: If he was born even, like, ten years earlier, he would have been done. Yeah, exactly. [00:16:41] Speaker B: Or it would have been 35 years. Yeah. [00:16:43] Speaker C: And his mom could have passed in that time. [00:16:45] Speaker B: Right. [00:16:45] Speaker C: Like, so many different things could have happened. And it was just so obvious that they were meant to be reunited at some point in their life. [00:16:53] Speaker E: It's also interesting that he, as a five year old, mispronounced his name. Right? He's like, but now this is my name. Even though it was Shru, not Saru. [00:17:03] Speaker F: And that's why the movie is called lion. [00:17:05] Speaker B: Right? [00:17:05] Speaker F: Because that's. [00:17:06] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:06] Speaker B: What it stands for. [00:17:07] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:17:08] Speaker B: Or what it translates to. I can see that, though, mispronouncing his own name. Like, you know how kids, they call whoever, whatever, because they can't say whatever, right? So maybe he just couldn't do yet. So he's like, oh, I'm so. And then every, like, who knows? [00:17:23] Speaker C: Cute. [00:17:23] Speaker B: Five years old. [00:17:24] Speaker A: Like, it's amazing. I liked also the end. They said that it's shocking that he survived for a few weeks in Calcutta at five. Five year old, all by himself. [00:17:35] Speaker C: I wonder if that's partly due to how his life was when he lived with his mom, that they were already living in such square that he had. [00:17:45] Speaker E: A lot of responsibility as a five year old. He had to take care of his little sister, so he was resourceful already. [00:17:50] Speaker A: That's true. [00:17:51] Speaker C: Totally. [00:17:52] Speaker B: Right. I think that too. [00:17:53] Speaker G: He was already looking and, like, survivor skill. [00:17:56] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:56] Speaker C: He was begging people for food. He was, you know, like, so I. [00:17:59] Speaker D: Wonder if that's a really big part of how he was able to survive for that long. [00:18:05] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, if he had more privilege, he would have been less. [00:18:07] Speaker E: And how about the guy that saved his life twice? Saved him from drowning twice. [00:18:11] Speaker B: Why didn't they put that. [00:18:12] Speaker A: Oh, hey, there's balloons. [00:18:18] Speaker B: Saved in my balloons. [00:18:19] Speaker C: Oh, I love that. [00:18:24] Speaker B: Why did that happen? I don't even saved his life, and it's a celebration. Wow. [00:18:31] Speaker E: Sorry for people listening on the zoom video. All of a sudden, balloons just started rising up on my screen. When I said, go about that guy that saved his life twice, we can't. [00:18:41] Speaker B: Get it to happen again. [00:18:43] Speaker C: That was magical, just like the story. [00:18:46] Speaker B: Why wouldn't they put that in the movie? The balloons? No, the guy saved his life twice. Yeah. [00:18:53] Speaker C: I don't know why. Sometimes when movies, they cut out, I feel such important things. [00:18:58] Speaker B: I like the movie better than the book. They added in some storylines ish, I guess. But I also thought that the movie was a little bit focusing on weird things. I don't know. Did you guys like the movie from focus? [00:19:10] Speaker A: I thought the movie was really good. [00:19:12] Speaker B: Okay. [00:19:13] Speaker A: I enjoyed the movie a lot. I watched it first. [00:19:16] Speaker B: You saw the movie first? That's what I was gonna ask, too. Yeah. [00:19:18] Speaker C: Yeah. I watched the movie afterwards. I think I kind of went in and set myself up for failure because I was expecting it to be like, I don't know if you guys have watched this movie, the impossible. [00:19:30] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:19:31] Speaker C: And I was expecting it to be just catching my attention at every scene and just really, really heartfelt, and I didn't get that same feeling with the movie. I think that's why I didn't super love the movie myself. And it may have been different if I went into it without kind of expecting that. [00:19:49] Speaker E: Mm hmm. [00:19:50] Speaker B: Yeah. Usually when I watch a movie after reading a book, it's because the book was so good that you're now excited to be able to see it as a movie. I didn't think that the book was so great, so I didn't. I watched the movie out of duty for this podcast. You know what I mean? Rather than a desire to really watch it, I was just kind of like, well, I mean, it was okay, but I don't know. If there was something about the relationship, like his relationship with his girlfriend, or they just. They did some focusing in other areas that wasn't really part of the book. Did it really enhance the movie? And I was just kind of like, hey, well, okay. [00:20:22] Speaker F: Weren't they fighting in the movie? I saw the movie a while ago, too. [00:20:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:20:25] Speaker E: Didn't they fight from the book? [00:20:27] Speaker B: A little bit. [00:20:28] Speaker E: Sounded like she was very supportive. [00:20:29] Speaker B: He told his mom sooner, I think, in the book, too, and he was, like, not telling his mom. Like, there was these other kind of themes playing out in the movie that weren't really true to the book and didn't really help the movie either. So I was kind of like, why is it like this? [00:20:43] Speaker A: And then also in the movie, they made it that a woman brought him to her apartment to take care of him. And then this guy almost tried to traffic him. But in the book, it was these men that were trying to do it. What was the point of making it a woman? It doesn't change the fact that a group of adults were trying to traffic him. [00:21:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:03] Speaker A: Why did they make it like that? Like, that was a sweet part of the movie, but it was horrible being like, oh, he can't trust anyone. [00:21:09] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:21:10] Speaker A: Even a woman was unnecessary. Yeah, it was unnecessary to make it a woman. [00:21:15] Speaker B: Well, I think that, for me, that definitely compelled, like, an up and down of emotions. Cause you're like, oh, he's found a woman. She'll take care of him. She'll nurture him. Oh, she seems so nice. And then she had him, and it was kind of cool. And then the man came, and you're. [00:21:29] Speaker C: Like, oh, a man. [00:21:32] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness. The woman was not what she seemed. [00:21:35] Speaker E: The audience is less likely to trust the man anywhere because our unconscious biases. Yeah, man is going to hurt the child. [00:21:42] Speaker B: The woman is going to protect the child, but it's safe. Right. And then the safe was not safe. Like, so the good little twist, I guess, right? In an otherwise non twisty tale. [00:21:55] Speaker A: Yeah, that's true. [00:21:55] Speaker E: Manipulation by the movie makers. [00:21:58] Speaker F: I liked the concept of what it's like if you are adopted in any kind of scenario, and the idea of feeling like you love your family so much that raised you, but you also feel like you're missing something from your. Your biological family, I guess. And so I thought that was an interesting idea of what it would be like to feel so much love for two different things and to try have them both in your heart at the same time. [00:22:27] Speaker E: Be loyal to both loves. [00:22:29] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:22:29] Speaker B: And I think that's what helped him to maintain that memory, that Mary was kind of impressed that he did since he was five, because it would be a constant reminder, like, this isn't actually my family. I can't forget my family. His circumstances were so unique, too. It's not like he was given up for adoption. He was actually just lost. And that he's like, I guess I'll go with this other family. This is the best thing I got going for me right now. [00:22:52] Speaker A: Like, yeah, in the book, now that I know it's a ghostwriter, I don't feel like it was him. But in the book, he mentions so much, like, I felt like he was struggling with wanting to make sure his family in Australia felt loved despite him having this desire to see his family that he lost. Right. They just kept on repeating that narrative so much through the book. I thought he was feeling insecure about making his family in Australia feel loved. But now that I know it's a ghostwriter, he was just making sure that. [00:23:22] Speaker E: Message was in there. People are like, make sure you put this message in. [00:23:26] Speaker B: Yeah, okay, I'll put it in over and over. [00:23:28] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:23:29] Speaker B: When I was listening to the book, I thought he wrote it himself because I didn't think it was well written. Right. So I was like, obviously, like, yeah, he's not an amateur writer, right? Let's give him a break. Exactly. I thought there was maybe. I don't know, it's going to be terrible if it's like 70,000 words or whatever, but I thought it was maybe five sentences that I was like, I get it. Like, that's a great sentence. Good job. Edit away all the information. This book is five sentences long and we're good. A couple lines where I was like, yeah, you've done it. You've conveyed exactly what I think you were trying to convey. [00:24:04] Speaker C: You know, do we know what ethnicity the ghostwriter is? [00:24:07] Speaker F: White. White guy. [00:24:09] Speaker C: Perhaps a similar ethnicity may have done better. [00:24:13] Speaker B: Oh, yeah, yeah. [00:24:15] Speaker C: Because I'm just thinking, like, it's so hard for. Okay, Larry. Okay. [00:24:21] Speaker B: Good old butt Rose. [00:24:23] Speaker C: I'm wondering if that's kind of why. Because it almost seems like a disconnect. So I read, like, the summary on Google, just kind of when we had all picked our books and then going to read the actual book, there was a little bit of a disconnect in how intense the story maybe should have been. [00:24:40] Speaker B: Totally. [00:24:41] Speaker C: Maybe there's some correlation between not having lived a life like that in any. [00:24:47] Speaker B: Way, because I thought that, too. I was like, maybe this again. I'm thinking the amateur writer is writing his story. And I felt that disconnect, too. And I thought it must have been protective. He was dissociative, because how else are you going to get through that than, you know, separating from the experience. Right. But it's really just because it was another person writing it that didn't actually have the experience, I guess. Yeah. [00:25:09] Speaker F: And it's hard to write a book in three or four months. That is extremely hard. And then to try to do it in somebody else's voice, I can't imagine deadline. [00:25:19] Speaker B: Like, do you have any info about why it had to be such a fast turnaround? [00:25:23] Speaker F: I don't know. They had heard about the story, and so they thought, we need to get this book out, probably when it's still a fresh in people's minds, is my guess, so that they could sell the book. Because if it's years later, they're gonna be like, I kind of remember that from years ago. [00:25:36] Speaker A: And that is hard. Like, they wanted to make the book. [00:25:39] Speaker E: And the movie back to back, too. [00:25:41] Speaker C: Right? [00:25:41] Speaker E: I don't know. I don't know what the movie was made, but maybe it was like, no. [00:25:45] Speaker F: I think the movie was years later, not the movie was 2017 or something. [00:25:51] Speaker C: But I can look at it. Why there's a ghost writer. Why didn't he just write? I guess maybe he didn't feel he could. [00:25:58] Speaker B: It's hard to write a book, especially in three months. [00:26:01] Speaker C: Yeah, fair enough. [00:26:02] Speaker E: Like, I can't write a book in three months. Give me three years, maybe. [00:26:05] Speaker B: Well, that's why I feel like the book was the way it was, too, because it sounds like the ghostwriter just wrote down literally what the guy was saying. That's what eight chapters was. He's like, okay, then what else did you do? Okay, and then you went back on Google. And then you went to Google again. Okay. And then you went to a train station. Right. Okay. Yep. Got it. [00:26:20] Speaker E: Got it. [00:26:21] Speaker B: Like, that's what it read. Like. Like, he literally, step by step said everything. [00:26:25] Speaker E: Writing it till midnight to get the deadline. [00:26:28] Speaker C: Yeah. And not focusing on, like, the most important parts, I feel. But I don't know. Again, I'm not a writer. I don't know. Super how to tell a good story. I can make people laugh, though, but, you know, not an intense story. So maybe there's a means to the madness. It wasn't a good means in this case. In that stretch, I also think being. [00:26:48] Speaker A: A ghostwriter for someone that's part of two cultures, he's australian and he's indian. So he represents both these cultures. I felt like sometimes when he was in India, the way he was describing India made me think, he's not from India. Like, I was like, oh, he's so disconnected from his culture now. But maybe because it was the ghost writer, because some of the things he described, I think that maybe he wouldn't have. It was just a normal thing. I know he made a comment about the hotel room or something. The way he said it was like, who cares? Yeah, hotels in India don't look like hotel rooms in Australia. Yeah, we know. [00:27:24] Speaker C: Yeah. Like, you could go to every continent and they'd be different. [00:27:27] Speaker A: Right? So I thought that maybe because he was so disconnected from his culture, but now so much has opened up for me for this book, because then it was like, ghostwriter. [00:27:37] Speaker E: Once he got to India, the story did kind of pick up, though. There were so many nice people that were helping him. He goes there and he doesn't remember how to speak the same language as his family. And there's people who are just like, we're just going to sit with you all day and be your translator. And how about the one girl where he's like, oh, I'll pay you. And she was insulted. She's like, no, I'm doing this to be friends, like, because I like you. [00:28:02] Speaker A: That that was one of the strengths. [00:28:04] Speaker E: Of the stories because a lot of it was talking about the relationships and all the people that helped him become who he is today. [00:28:12] Speaker B: Some bad things happened and some good. [00:28:14] Speaker E: Things happened, but in the end, like. [00:28:18] Speaker B: There was a lot of good in. [00:28:19] Speaker E: The world and that helped him survive. [00:28:22] Speaker B: And become who he was. [00:28:23] Speaker E: I like also that it talked about, although this tragic thing happened to him in his youth, it's hard to think, like, what would have happened if that hadn't happened. It's like, in some ways, there's some good that came of it, right? His family did better when he was gone. Like, there's these complicated feelings, like, how do I feel about this tragic event that my remaining sister and brother were able to get an education and pull themselves out of poverty a little bit? The tragic thing about his spoiler, alert his other brother that he didn't know what happened to him, and that's so tragic. Trying to, like, get his head around all these things. Something bad happened to him and his family, and some good came of it, too. I wish there was more focus on that than the, like and the laut de Google again. But when he got to India and started exploring those things that for me. [00:29:09] Speaker B: Like, I really liked that part of the book. I totally agree. I love that you just said that about the good in the world because something, like, terrible happened to him. Oh, it's what is going on? What? [00:29:22] Speaker E: With my zoom. [00:29:24] Speaker C: This is what Kim was talking about. We are being gaslit right now. [00:29:28] Speaker B: Okay. I told you. Thank you very much. [00:29:32] Speaker E: I do that a lot anyway, so good job. Zoom. [00:29:35] Speaker F: That's so weird. [00:29:36] Speaker E: Random thumbs up. [00:29:37] Speaker B: I'm sorry. If you guys want to know what. [00:29:38] Speaker E: We'Re talking about, you have to watch the YouTube video because my zoom keeps. [00:29:41] Speaker C: On adding to my video. [00:29:44] Speaker E: I wonder if it's a setting. [00:29:46] Speaker B: It must be, but it seems to be, like, remotely responding to words. But then when the same words are said again later, it does not respond. We haven't hacked out. [00:29:54] Speaker E: Why? [00:29:55] Speaker F: I want you to keep it on. [00:29:56] Speaker B: Yeah. Don't change anything. It's wonderfully surprised what will happen next. [00:30:00] Speaker C: Did you also switch your mug? [00:30:02] Speaker E: Yeah, these are not my cups. I'm recording from a remote location today. [00:30:06] Speaker B: Totally. Yeah. [00:30:07] Speaker C: Because while you were. While you were talking, I saw that and. Oh, oh, there it is. The thumbs up just came back. Guys. [00:30:17] Speaker B: That'S the computer. Good job. You found the difference. [00:30:20] Speaker C: Ashley, positive affirmations. They really just help you, because that made me feel so happy. [00:30:26] Speaker E: Yeah, right. [00:30:27] Speaker C: I got it right. [00:30:29] Speaker B: Totally. [00:30:29] Speaker C: Yeah, totally. [00:30:31] Speaker E: Wow. [00:30:31] Speaker B: Very cool. [00:30:32] Speaker A: Anyway, sorry, what were you saying, Kim, before? [00:30:35] Speaker F: Do you remember? [00:30:36] Speaker E: I do agree. [00:30:38] Speaker B: I was trying to say that I think that it's a really great message that mare's pulling out of the book, because literally, as someone who cares about other people, having them all of a sudden disappear from your life is, like, the worst thing you can think of, right? Rather than this being a story about how terrible the world is and all the bad things that could have happened or even did happen on his journey. I like that she's highlighting that there's good people in the world. Good things can happen. And I love the theme of all of the people it took to get him where he's at, from adoptive parents to orphanage workers to train station drivers to other kids on the street who gave him a piece of cardboard to sleep on. I think that's a really great. Just saying that mare makes me like this better now. I didn't like it, but you said that. Now I'm like, oh, okay, I like it a little bit. And then the other thing, I just wanted to propose to the group. What do you think about even this kind of touches on Lindsay's point about, like, that love and the adjustment or whatever of an adopted situation. The contrast created by his adoption. Adopted brother. He's an example of potentially, how the trauma and impact of the story could have played out. That boy wasn't as adjusted. He had other issues. I don't know what his story was to get to the family either, but, like. And you had what seems to be a well adjusted Saroo, and then this brother who is struggling just way harder with the exact same set of circumstances. I mean, once he gets to the family, the circumstances that brought him there obviously could have been much different. What do you think about that? Nothing. [00:32:14] Speaker C: No. [00:32:15] Speaker E: Everyone's like, it's a lot to think about as a thing because their experiences weren't the same going in. And, you know, the families they came from and the things that happened between being adopted. The one kid wasn't adopted quickly. He was there in, like, a bad situation. I think he experienced some abuse while he was waiting for the adoption to go through, and then he has to try to deal with that. But so young without the tools, I think. [00:32:44] Speaker B: And do we know, was he given up for adoption? Right. So then is he dealing with that abandonment? I don't remember details of that child's backstory. [00:32:53] Speaker A: Yeah, he was. He was given up. [00:32:54] Speaker C: And just that difference from being lost and taken versus given up is such a different in your psyche. You know, it's a difference in my family doesn't want me versus my family is probably looking and missing me. [00:33:10] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:10] Speaker C: Yeah. And just on a psychological perspective, it's so interesting that you have these two kids who have both gone through clearly not great childhoods to get to being adopted and where they were both have such different problems in so many ways. You know, like, it's abuse happening to someone and traumatic events doesn't mean you're gonna be XYZ. You know, it just. It shows up in many different ways. And I think that's neat. It's a little frustrating sometimes. Cause you're just like, why? But it is neat to see how different people act from trauma, just in general. [00:33:47] Speaker B: So, like, unique. Mm hmm. Yeah. [00:33:50] Speaker F: And I wonder, too, about genetically, obviously, Saroo's mom was a believer who, you know, stayed positive and talk about how happiness and faith and all those things are partly genetic because our capability of feeling that. So some people live on this scale, and some people live on this scale, and so people live on that scale. Like, it just depends. So being this mom that stayed there and had hope and all that, and he had hope. [00:34:18] Speaker C: I don't know. [00:34:19] Speaker F: Maybe there's a genetic component there. [00:34:20] Speaker E: Maybe his capacity for hope was different. [00:34:23] Speaker B: Is what you're saying. And maybe I get it. Love is protective, right? So regardless of what their life was when they were together, there was never any question that mother loved children and each sibling loved each other. Right? Like, they all had that love, love, love, right? So that is protective genetically, or at least in your systems, when you get set up, right. You're not set up already hyper aware of danger because you have that. Whereas the other brother may not have ever had that set up, considering that he was given. Like, it may. He may have come from much more difficult circumstances and didn't have this solid foundation of love. The other thing I thought was crazy. This is kind of off topic now, but is the fact that he could travel in his own country and be outside of his scope of language. Like, how scary is that that this child went far enough that now he doesn't even speak the language? That's another hurdle. He's not only lost, but he's, like, linguistically lost, too. It would be like if we got lost and all of a sudden ended up in China. Like, such a different language. Like, trying to find help for yourself there. And everyone's like, I don't even know what you're saying. Like, that's so brutal. [00:35:29] Speaker A: India. Like, he literally went across the whole country. And the fact that he kept on getting on trains to go back. There's so many train stations in India. That's how people travel through train. [00:35:41] Speaker B: And the fact that he tried and he tried. [00:35:43] Speaker A: Like, man, he had the hope. Yeah. [00:35:47] Speaker B: And just as a five year old, like, not understanding. Right. So he probably is, like, getting more lost, even though he's just trying to go home. Like, yeah. [00:35:54] Speaker A: What do you guys feel? I'm a bit torn with international adoption because part of me feels like, so they're indian and they went to Australia and they're adopted, and I feel like all kids deserve love. But his parents, they never went back to India, although they were worried and whatever about going back. They tried. Right? [00:36:13] Speaker B: And the kids. [00:36:14] Speaker A: Yeah, we're ready. [00:36:14] Speaker B: Right. [00:36:15] Speaker A: Part of me is, like, his australian parents will never understand the things that him and his brother have gone through, through or circumstances they've been in because they're indian. Personally, I'm not sure how I feel about adopting a child from a different culture and then bringing it to your culture. [00:36:32] Speaker B: In the book, it seemed like he was trying to describe that the parents at least tried to bring some of his culture into their home. I mean, probably in a very super light white way. Like, oh, here we have indian food on Sundays. And I can't remember what they had, but they had a couple things and he, I remember him noticing them. And the implication was that they were trying to not just be like, now you're white. You know what I mean? Even though he's totally not. Right. [00:36:58] Speaker E: They wanted to respect that, but they didn't have the knowledge to be able to do it in an immersive way that you would normally would if you were living there. Or indian. [00:37:09] Speaker A: Yeah. They've joined societies and they try to join other indian groups in their community, but that they were. [00:37:14] Speaker B: So I think that that is an important piece that would influence my opinion on international adoption. Right. Is it a token? Right. Oh, I want a cute little whatever baby, or, oh, I'm saving, you know, a whatever baby. Like, is it ego? Like, what are your motivations and what are your preparations to make sure that the child that you're bringing into your family, their needs are taken into consideration. And a huge piece of that might be cultural. Right. If those things have been adequately, like, sussed out, then I may be supportive. Because if the bottom line is someone's left in an abusive, overpopulated orphanage or they get culture ripped, I might choose culture rip, right? But if it's. I don't even know if this happens, but like this, like, when Madonna started adopting babies from Malawi or whatever, there was an uproar about it, right? And did she pay the family? Like. And there was all these ideas, right? So I don't want Richard White people to be able to all of a sudden access poor non white children because they want them, you know, like, so it's really, really complicated. So I wouldn't be able to be like, I'm totally pro, or I'm totally against. I don't think I could even come to that without knowing the exact individual case we're judging now. [00:38:31] Speaker F: I don't know fully. So I'm going to say some things about this and then more research needs to be done about it. But I do know that there's a lot of issues with orphanages in places like India, because if they look worse and they look bad and they look poor, then people are going to pay more money to adopt the children. So a lot of children, especially those where people go and do holidays, where they go and help at orphanages and stuff, parents are putting their kids in there or selling their kids because they get money for it, because the orphanage looks worse. More research needs to be done. So don't, you know, look into what. [00:39:12] Speaker E: You'Re saying is if there's something that can be exploited for money. [00:39:16] Speaker F: Yeah. [00:39:17] Speaker E: Somebody will do it and edit. [00:39:19] Speaker B: Right. [00:39:20] Speaker E: And not all places are doing that. [00:39:21] Speaker F: Yeah, not all will. Thank you. [00:39:23] Speaker E: And the ones that are trying to exploit the situation might be really good at making it look like you want to save. [00:39:30] Speaker F: That's what I'm trying to say. [00:39:32] Speaker E: May be really good at manipulating the person who's seeing what's going on. Totally. That makes sense. [00:39:39] Speaker B: This is similar to even trafficking though, right? [00:39:41] Speaker A: I shouldn't say it's a level of trafficking. Children trafficking that has to do with it too. [00:39:46] Speaker B: Right? Like, because there's, there's parents who are just in such depths of poverty, they don't even want to give their children away. But like, people come in and they're like, oh, if they come work over here as this, we'll give you this much money. And then that person is actually just ripped out and trafficked. Like, it's not even legit. Right. Like, so when you say that, it really brushes up against that whole mo. [00:40:08] Speaker E: Yeah, it's one of those situations where like, for people who are really trying to help somebody, you know, that's what you always find when there's a place where somebody is trying to help, there's maybe somebody else coming in trying to manipulate and exploit the situation. And when there's children involved, it makes it very messy. [00:40:25] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:25] Speaker F: And there's lots of good orphanages. I'm not like, but now that I'm. [00:40:29] Speaker E: Saying it's frustrating for the good orphanages because they're not going to try to make it look really bad there. They're probably trying to make it nice. Right? [00:40:36] Speaker B: Like they're, if you really care, you're. [00:40:38] Speaker E: Trying to make it. [00:40:38] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:40:39] Speaker C: I think it's all about intention, both with the orphanages and adoption agencies and the people applying to adopt. If they're, you know, like you guys were saying, do they just want a token to say, look how good I am, look what I'm doing, etc. Etc. Or do they genuinely want to help these kids have a loving home, help teach them, you know? And it is really hard with the cultural thing. I think if you're going to go the route of adoption again, and I don't know how adoption fully works, I don't know if you apply for anyone or if you can say like, oh, I want someone like me, etcetera. But I think if you're going into that, you need to at least be versed in the culture of the child that is coming to you. Like, that is your duty. Yeah, I just think you need to at least understand in some ways. So it is such a difficult and touchy subject, though, right? It's. [00:41:39] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah, that's how I feel, too. [00:41:41] Speaker A: Like, it's. [00:41:42] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:41:42] Speaker A: Just because I have biracial children. So some things that my kids go through, Mamadou understands more and some things I understand more, but because we are their parents, it's easier for us to have conversations with them about certain things because they're both part me and part him. But if you are completely separate from someone's culture, I think you need to work a lot harder if you're going to. Anyways, I toyed with that while I was reading the book. We have. We have just five minutes left, so everyone should go around and say if they recommend the book and. Or the movie, I can go first. I would recommend the movie, but I probably. Well, I. The book, just understand, is not well written, but the story is amazing. So I would read. Probably watch the movie. [00:42:29] Speaker B: That's what I was gonna say. I'm like, I recommend the story. [00:42:33] Speaker C: Yeah, the story. [00:42:35] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, the story's amazing. [00:42:37] Speaker E: I was gonna say that, like, I recommend the story. I haven't seen the movie because I don't know. I don't know how you guys. I kept on looking like, where is this thing playing? And I couldn't find it. [00:42:45] Speaker A: But now you're saying it's off now. That's why. [00:42:48] Speaker B: Oh, really? [00:42:49] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:42:50] Speaker B: I'm lucky that I got in there. [00:42:52] Speaker A: That's why I watched it first. I watched it first because it's like, this will be expired in two days. I was like, oh, shoot. So I watched it and then it went off Amazon Prime. [00:43:02] Speaker E: I even couldn't get it at my library. [00:43:04] Speaker B: I was just gonna say, you can't get at the library like it's an old Nicole Kidman movie. Like, I feel like it should be around somewhere. [00:43:10] Speaker E: No, I couldn't get it there. [00:43:11] Speaker A: Maybe I can do, like, an inter. [00:43:12] Speaker E: Library loans or something where I am. You can get a book from anywhere in the province, but you also, you. [00:43:19] Speaker B: Don'T need to go on a long way home to try to watch this movie because it's not worth. It's not like you're going to be finding your mother at the end of it. It's just another mediocre movie. So, like, if you don't see the movie, you'll probably be okay. It's kind of my. [00:43:33] Speaker E: But I'd recommend the story. The book had its slow parts, but, like, that's okay. There was some good stuff in there. So it's, it's a very interesting story. It's amazing. It's an amazing story. [00:43:42] Speaker C: Yeah, I think it's a very heartwarming story. [00:43:45] Speaker A: And the pictures in the middle are awesome. [00:43:47] Speaker F: Yeah, I love one of his pictures. [00:43:49] Speaker B: Me too. [00:43:50] Speaker E: Yeah, I like the pictures. Yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:43:53] Speaker C: I would personally recommend watching interviews versus reading the book or the watching the movie because I think you're getting more of a, a genuinely authentic maybe retelling or just how he felt really. But I do think the story is so empowering and beautiful. So I mean if you can't any other way, then I would pick the book over the movie. [00:44:18] Speaker B: Personally, I would wonder if he's done podcasts, you know what I mean? Because that'll be a good way to hear the story, hopefully directly from him, this podcast. He should do our podcast if you watch it. [00:44:32] Speaker C: Come on, reach out. [00:44:33] Speaker A: Oh look, he might. [00:44:35] Speaker F: We've got a couple people. Come on. So you never know. [00:44:39] Speaker C: Yep, yep. [00:44:40] Speaker F: So yeah, I thought it was a beautiful story. It's nice to read something that has a, I guess a happy ending in this world and something that isn't a sad story, but it has so much hope through it. I would much prefer that than something that's really bad at the end. [00:44:57] Speaker A: That's what I said to my personal journal. It had the happy ending. So that's all I even want ever. So yeah, even though slow imparts happy. [00:45:04] Speaker B: Ending, it would be great to hear from himself what he thinks about the international adoption, you know what I mean? Like what's his name? Saru Brierly. [00:45:13] Speaker F: We're reaching out to you. Come on our podcast. [00:45:18] Speaker A: All right, I'll try. [00:45:19] Speaker C: We have balloons and thumbs up. [00:45:21] Speaker B: What more do you need? Yeah, we'll give you a couple thumbs up. Maybe if I say something, you might. [00:45:27] Speaker E: Get some kind of emoji. [00:45:28] Speaker B: We don't know only from here. [00:45:33] Speaker A: This interruption is brought to you by unpublished. Do you want to know more about the members and book interrupted? Go behind the scenes, visit our website at www.bookinterrupted.com. Book interrupted. [00:45:50] Speaker G: This interruption is brought to you by border collies. I have not one, but two. And do you think there's any such thing as a lazy Sunday afternoon anymore? No, these guys are so high energy that we gotta get them to the park to play with their balls. Oh, that didn't sound very good, but you know what I mean. We got a good solid game of fetch coming up. Are you wagging your tail? They're here right now looking at me and listening. And they heard me say, park. You wanna go to the park? Oh, I think you do. Oh, yes. Here you are. Okay, well, bookies, I gotta go. Cause these little dogs need a run. [00:46:28] Speaker B: Bye. [00:46:29] Speaker A: Book interrupted. It's book report time. We're gonna find out from each member their final thoughts. And do they recommend the book. Let's listen. This is my book report for a long way home. My book pick by Shirou rarely. I think that's how you say his name. I actually watch the movie first, and normally I don't do that unless, I don't know, there's a book. And then I've happened to watch the movie and someone tells me there's a book. But I end up watching this movie first because I looked to see if it was on any of my streaming services, and it was, but it was about to. You know how they tell you, like, this one's gonna go soon. And it was. I think it was, like, in two days. So I ended up watching it before I started the book. I thought the movie was really great. I think they did an amazing job with it. Obviously, there's some things that are different, like, and I understand why, but I feel like when I say memoir, like, you don't get rid of people in the book that are meaningful to the person who wrote the book. And they got rid of one of his brothers in the movie. [00:47:33] Speaker B: He just didn't exist. [00:47:35] Speaker A: I wonder how people feel about that. Like, what does his brother think? I didn't make the cut. [00:47:40] Speaker E: What? [00:47:41] Speaker A: So I didn't like that. But I think that the movie did a really good job portraying the book. And I know that last time. What last time? When was it? One of the episodes we were talking how maybe a short story turned into a movie would be perfect because maybe it's because it's too long. And I think this movie did a really good job, but it's because I feel like the end dragged on a lot. It's hard to say when it's a memoir, but it was a lot of repetitive feelings that he was having, which I completely understand because he's now found his mother. And now the last trip, he's going back to the orphanage and reliving the journey he made when he was five, or trying to. Going to all those places he vaguely remembers during that traumatic time, that few weeks he was on the streets by himself. So it's. That part is just so upsetting. And the fact that they were like, they're surprised he survived is amazing. I think the reason the movie was so great is because the very end of the book was very drawn out. I think they're drawing it out maybe to make it a longer novel, I'm not sure. Or just he wanted to put in all his feelings, maybe. So the beginning of the book went super fast for me, but the end was very slow. So one of the things I loved in the book is that his mom prayed that she would see him the day he came back. And then he came back and she knew it was him. Like an answered prayer. I love that I cried a little bit. [00:49:10] Speaker B: I just love that so much. [00:49:13] Speaker A: I do feel, and I'm guessing a lot of people that are adopted feel this way. So he was. I guess so. His australian family didn't feel like he didn't appreciate them and still love them and stuff. I feel like that's a given. Like, clearly he loves his family, but he also has another family that he's discovered and it doesn't take away. But he repeated that often in the book, so I feel like that was an insecurity for him, that he really wanted to make sure his family in Australia knew that he still loves them. There was a lot of sad things in the book, especially what happened to his brother. And it makes you think about international adoption. Obviously, I'm a bit torn on it, especially a little boy from India being adopted by an australian couple only because it's, like, culturally different. And I feel like his culture wasn't maintained. So I have mixed feelings about that for many reasons. I have biracial children and I think some of the things that my kids go through, my husband and or myself can deal with because of their parents, their biological parents. But I don't know how I could understand things that they're going through that has to do with their african culture and vice versa with my husband. So. So I'm a little bit about that, but he's totally pro it because kids need love and care. So I agree with that as well. So it's a bit. I'm unsure about how I feel about that. But I'm glad he got adopted by a lovely family and that he found his indian family as well. I think the fact that he looked and found it on Google Earth is amazing. [00:50:51] Speaker E: Like, so amazing. [00:50:54] Speaker A: I love that his mom never moved because she never gave up hope that he was alive. This is a spoiler if you haven't read the book. I'm so sad that his brother died and died that same night. So that's difficult because you don't know if he died before or he died looking for him. So that's. I feel sad for him for always having that thought in his mind. Would it be different? Anyway, so would I recommend it? Yes, I liked it. I liked the book. I loved his story. It was a great, inspirational story. It all worked out in the end, which I always love that it's a happy ending. [00:51:29] Speaker E: That's what I always want. [00:51:31] Speaker A: So it was a super happy ending, and I was happy. He found his mother and his family, and now he has two loving families, which is amazing. So that's great. And I can't wait to talk to everyone else about it. Okay, bye. [00:51:46] Speaker B: Hello? Hello? [00:51:46] Speaker F: Hello, it is Lindsay. I'm back here again. I'm very excited to be here. With that book interrupted again. Just read Sarah's book choice, which my copy says lion on it, but we all know it's a long way home, and I have a couple of things to confess. So I think I read this book when it first came out a long time ago, and I really had meant to reread it, but I didn't. So last night I read the synopsis just to, like, remind myself about the book. And then I did also watch the movie, I think, when it first came out, or a long time ago, and I had planned to rewatch the movie, but I didn't. You know, life happens and busy at work and I don't know, I could give you a hundred excuses, but I didn't. And I'm just gonna go into the. The group discussion with the idea that I have read it recently, and I remember everything, and I'm gonna see how it goes. So that's it. If I remember, which was so long ago, I definitely think I like the movie. I think I remember liking the book. I love the story. That's about it. So we'll see how this goes. I hope that I'm believable in remembering. I've read a lot of books in my life, and I've watched a lot of movies in my life, and I can remember both of them. So that is a good sign that it was something that at least the story. I remember the story really stuck with me, so. And, yeah, I remember the cute little kid and the. I remember. Anyways, I remember the characters. [00:53:35] Speaker B: This is just. [00:53:36] Speaker F: I'm just dragging on now, so I'm just gonna stop and thanks for tuning in, and I will talk to you soon. [00:53:45] Speaker B: Bye. Okay. [00:53:46] Speaker G: Making my second recording. Just getting the camera started now. I am so over garbage technology. This is supposed to be my personal journal for a long way home. And really, maybe it should be an interruption about how much I friggin hate everything to do with computers and they're bullshit anyway. No, it's gonna be a personal journal. [00:54:14] Speaker B: Because I gotta go, so I can't. [00:54:17] Speaker G: Dive to double down. Double dip, double down. Anyway. Okay. Back on track. So I also listened to this book on Audible. I had listened to eat, pray, love on audible. Now I listen to this on Audible because I am taking advantage of the time that I have in the car. I feel great about it. So eat, pray, love had lots of descriptions. Meredith said, the book has so many words, and I think it's because Elizabeth Gilbert spends a lot of time, like, explaining herself or trying to get her message across to her reader with a lot of creativity and expressive words. And I just. It really resonates with me. I really like the way that she writes. I don't like so much the way that she reads her writing, as you may have heard in my previous personal journal, but I like the way that she writes. I say all of this. Yes, I know this is not a personal journal for eat, pray, love. I say all of this because I found the writing for a long way home. Like, the listening to the writing anyways, super boring. And, I mean, this is a crazy story. So, you know, I would say, if I hadn't already read the book, that there's no way that you could make this story boring because it's just so crazy, like, what happened, and I would be wrong because it's really boring. And again, okay, so I also mentioned that I didn't like the way that the book was read in eat, pray, love. I also don't like the way that the book was read for this book. I can't remember who reads it, but I know it's not the actual author, which I think would always be my preference, maybe. But anyway, so it's not the author. It's an actor, I guess, or whatever, who's reading, and I'm not sure why that decision was made, but whatever. And this particular actor is australian, and I don't know if I have some kind of a negative experience with someone with an australian accent or what, but that right off the bat, I don't. [00:56:12] Speaker B: Like, which I feel terrible saying, like, how can I say I don't like australian accents? But here I am. [00:56:16] Speaker G: I'm saying it. [00:56:17] Speaker B: It just. [00:56:18] Speaker G: There's something about them. It could be that there was an annoying person on Big Brother with an australian accent, and maybe that's my last experience with it. And, you know, watching that person was irritating to me. And so maybe now when I hear an accent, I just feel irritated. Like some kind of a association situation. [00:56:36] Speaker B: I've got going on. [00:56:37] Speaker G: But anyway, so that's one strike against it. And then it was just like, I don't know, maybe it's hard to describe. Describe how you diligently used Google Earth and Google Maps or whatever to find your missing home in a way that is interesting if it was literally just a tedious exercise of, you know, first I went here, like, I don't know, it was really boring, and I feel bad saying that, but I'm saying it nonetheless because it's true. I didn't enjoy listening to it. Also, the same problem with the original audiobook that I have is the tone, again was like, okay, so not only is it an australian accent, but it is, like, really unaffected. I don't know what the right describing words are for this, but it was like a robot, like robotic again. So he's reading his story, parts of it terrifying, parts of it triumphant, and yet always in this tone because blah. [00:57:33] Speaker B: Blah, blah, blah, blah. [00:57:34] Speaker G: And it's just annoying. I would think that part of the benefit to having a book on audio would be the ability to add that extra layer of communication that is volume, tone, expression. You know, the emotion that you can hear in words even as I speak right now. This is way more exciting than either of those books. I know this is kind of a combo journal. Sorry, everybody, but it's very closely related for me because I listened to them one after another. And actually, it's going to be funny because I think in our book series, this book isn't until number three. We've got a book in between each of them. [00:58:14] Speaker B: So it's going to be like, why does she keep talking about Ypres? Love. [00:58:17] Speaker G: That was so January. [00:58:19] Speaker B: Anyway, that's how I feel. [00:58:20] Speaker G: That's what I think. And that's the end of that. Good day. [00:58:24] Speaker D: Hey, everyone, this is Ashley, and I'm doing my personal journal slash book report on the book a long way home. When I first started reading the book, I did look into it on Google and it said that there is a ghost writer. And I feel like that's kind of apparent. I think there is this really big disconnect from the true emotions of a lot of the story, but at the end of the day, it's a really important story that needed to be told, and I'm glad that it was written into a book and then produced into a movie. I know not everyone are readers, so to have kind of two different ways to listen to the story is really great. I would recommend the story itself, maybe not so much the book or the movie, if there's other avenues that you can get the information. I don't know if the main character did podcasts or YouTube videos, even interviews or something I think would be a lot more genuine to the actual story and emotion. However, there are really touching moments in both the book and the movie, and I think that's what really carries both of them, is there are clearly people who are very much in despair, but they're looking for each other, and there's hope. And I think hope is not to bring it back to the Hunger Games, but hope is what keeps people going, and this story really shows that. It's also really interesting to see how we can use technology to benefit ourselves and really what determination and hope does. So I'm happy that I got to read the story. Book was slow, but I definitely recommend the story itself. So thank you, guys. [01:00:09] Speaker E: So we just finished the group discussion for a long way home, and I enjoyed this story quite a bit. The book was a little bit slower. Get through, but it all kind of makes sense if you listen to the group discussion, why that was so. And still, you know, when I read the book, I was kind of taking it as like an amateur's writing, so that didn't really bother me that there was some repetitiveness. I really was looking forward to seeing if he reconnected with his birth family. And spoiler alert, if you need that, he does. So it's really nice. And I especially appreciated how the book did a pretty good job of showing that wherever you are in life and who you are is a culmination of all the things that have happened to you, good or bad, and how you can, I don't know, maybe accept or learn how to deal with bad things when you think about how got you where you are. So Saru, the main character, I wouldn't say character. I mean, it's a true story. So the person that the story is about, he went through some really hard things. He had hard things happen to him, but he seemed like a very positive person who wanted to look on the good side and the good things that had come. And, you know, maybe we all kind of do that. We rationalize kind of the ends and that sometimes the way that we get to a place is not our favorite way, but it's still okay. So in that way, it's a little bit. You can appreciate your own life maybe when you see what this guy went through as a child. He didn't have a very easy young childhood, and yet he had a lot of love. And then of course, losing his family and the good thing in his life and then finding happiness with another family as well. So he had these, all these things happen. It really puts things into perspective, you know, what do you need? What you really need? And he had love. So that's nice. I like the story. I still haven't seen the movie and I know people say maybe it's not the best movie, but what if I read a book? I like to watch the movie. So I will try to report back on that at some point. I still haven't watched the ballad of songbirds and snakes either. So, you know, I'm really getting behind in this season because, you know, I'm a big reader. I don't watch a lot of movies, so I feel like this season four, I'm getting behind. Also, we're reading a ton of books this season. I want to do it all, but so we'll see. Maybe in the like the wrap up of the season I will have watched everything and oh, we can do like a top ten. What was your favorite movie? I gotta think about that. Okay. But I will see you next time when we're reading. I think the BFG is coming up and I've already read lessons in chemistry in the hating game. So many good books coming up. [01:03:07] Speaker B: Okay, bye. [01:03:08] Speaker A: Thank you for joining us on this episode of Book Interrupted. If you'd like to see the video highlights from this episode, please go to our YouTube channel, book interrupted. You can also find our videos on www.bookinterrupted.com. [01:03:24] Speaker G: Are you interested in buying this book? Do you want to order the next book so you can read along? Go to www.bookinterrupted.com shop to see a complete list of our books, and if you haven't tried them yet, our affiliate partners, the bookshop and Libro FM, both help support your local bookstore where available. Thanks for taking the time to check in and connect. We'll see you next time. Time on book interrupted book interrupted never forget, every child matters.