 All first-year students are asked to read the annual All Bonaventure Reads text, which is the cornerstone of the University 101 course. Many other courses will adopt the text, and the entire campus community is invited to read the book and participate in the numerous events planned over the course of the fall semester.
The 2011-2012 selection for the Class of 2015, “Little Princes,” is the story of 29-year-old Conor Grennan. He traded his day job for a year-long trip around the globe, a journey that began with a three-month stint volunteering at the Little Princes Children’s Home, an orphanage in war-torn Nepal.
Conor was initially reluctant to volunteer, unsure whether he had the proper skill, or enough passion, to get involved in a developing country in the middle of a civil war. But he was soon overcome by the herd of rambunctious, resilient children who would challenge and reward him in a way that he had never imagined. When Conor learned the unthinkable truth about their situation, he was stunned: The children were not orphans at all. Child traffickers were promising families in remote villages to protect their children from the civil war — for a huge fee — by taking them to safety. They would then abandon the children far from home, in the chaos of Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
 "Little Princes" is a true story of families and children, and what one person is capable of when faced with seemingly insurmountable odds. At turns tragic, joyful, and hilarious, "Little Princes" is a testament to the power of faith and the ability of love to carry us beyond our wildest expectations.
The book will be distributed at Orientation to first-year students, who will be encouraged to complete it prior to the start of school in the fall. Students will engage in conversations and activities throughout Welcome Days, University 101 courses and various campus-wide events during the 2011-2012 academic year.
About the author
Watch author Conor Grennan discuss "Little Princes."
Read a review of "Little Princes" from USA Today.
Read an excerpt from the book.
Explore the author's nonprofit organization, Next Generation Nepal.
Previous selections for All Bonaventure Reads
2010: "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot
2009: "Listening Is an Act of Love," edited by Dave Isay
2008: "Left to Tell: Discovering God amidst the Rwandan Genocide" by Immaculée Ilibagiza
2007: "Fast Food Nation" by Eric Schlosser
2006: "A Hope in the Unseen" by Ron Suskind
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All Bonaventure
Views film festival:
- 6:30 p.m. Wednesday,
Sept. 7
- 4 p.m. Wednesday,
Sept. 14
- 4 p.m. Wednesday,
Sept. 21
« read more »
Author's visit!
Public address ~
Monday, Sept. 26,
at 7 p.m. in the Reilly
Center Arena,
followed by book
signings in the
University Bookstore.
Freshman essay winners announced
As their first college assignment, members of the Class of 2015 were asked by University Provost Dr. Michael Fisher to write a reflection on the ABR book "Little Princes."
«View the 13 winning essays »
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