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Pamela asked this question about The Orphan Keeper:
How does this compare to the story in the movie The Lion?
Camron Wright Here's a post I wrote to address the question. I hope it helps:

With the release of the movie The Lion, I keep getting asked if the movie is based on m…moreHere's a post I wrote to address the question. I hope it helps:

With the release of the movie The Lion, I keep getting asked if the movie is based on my book, The Orphan Keeper. I imagine it’s how Stephen Baldwin must feel when he’s repeatedly asked if he’s related to Alec.

The answer, of course, is no (in my case, not in Stephen’s). The Lion is based on the account of Saroo Brierley, a boy who was separated from his family in India at a young age, adopted by a new family in Australia, and then, when older, returned to India to search for his birth family.

The Orphan Keeper is the story of Taj Rowland, a boy who was kidnapped as a child in India, sold to a Christian orphanage, and then adopted by a couple in the United States. Though both men miraculously make their way back to India in search of their loved ones, there are also differences in their respective journeys. While Saroo used Google Earth to ultimately find his family, Taj’s search was pre-internet making it inherently more difficult.

However, it’s not what separates their stories that is intriguing (kidnapping vs. wandering off), but their similarities. Each demonstrates the power of the human spirit to never give up. Each felt driven to understand how he fit into the world. Each needed to know if he was loved.

I say that I find the similarities intriguing because it’s also my story, your story—everyone’s story. We are all on a journey. We all hope to fit in. We all pray that our lives will make a difference. We all long to be loved.

To that end, I’d recommend you see The Lion. I also recommend you read The Orphan Keeper. Then, when the credits roll, and you close the last page of the book, the obvious lessons will ring true: Everyone’s stories are different. Everyone’s stories are the same. Everyone absolutely matters.

Like both Saroo and Taj, with a little help, a lot of work, and abounding encouragement, may we all find our way home!(less)
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The Orphan Keeper
by Camron Wright (Goodreads Author)
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