HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif., Jan. 12, 2016 – Prakash Bista knows all too well the conditions that exist in his native Nepal that contribute to the plight of the country’s many children who have been victims to child trafficking.
Bista will give a first-person impression of those conditions when he speaks to the Huntington Beach Reads One Book (HBReads) event at 6:30 p.m.Monday, Jan. 18, at Barnes & Noble Bella Terra, 7881 Edinger Ave., Huntington Beach, Calif.
Bista, a recipient of the Orange County Register’s $10,000 entrepreneurial scholarship which he is using to build schools in Nepal, is part of a series of events sponsored by HBReads to promote its current book campaign. This year’s featured book is Little Princes, written by Conor Grennan.
The New York Times bestseller is based on the inspirational true story of Grennan’s obsession to reunite stolen children of Nepal with their real families. Finding himself in the middle of the human trafficking turmoil, his memoir is gripping and carries us deep into an exotic world that most readers know little about.
“If you’ve never believed in miracles,” said a Christian Science Monitor critic, “this book could convince you otherwise. Like the children he writes about, Grennan has boundless resilience and determination, in addition to self-effacing humor and tunnel-vision devotion. He’s also a good writer…”
Now 26 years old, Bista is earning his bachelor’s degree at Soka University in Aliso Viejo while serving as director of the Modern Model Residential School in Nepal’s remote Kalikot district, an area considered by the United Nations as one of the world’s poorest and most underdeveloped.
Seven years ago, Bista led a group of residents in his village, Lalu, to build the town’s first school. His plan is to build 30 more schools in the region, complete with solar power to run computers and satellite TV, a copy center, goat farm and convenience store.
The campaign, which will culminate in March with personal appearances by Grennan March 17th at the Huntington Beach Central Library and March 18th at Edison High School, will include special events throughout local secondary schools, libraries and book stores.
Now in its ninth year, HBReads has consistently promoted quality books and authors to the Huntington Beach community. Previous campaigns have focused on such timely topics as bullying, autism, discrimination and other social issues.
About HBReads (www.hbreads.org)
Huntington Beach Reads One Book (HBReads) is a non-profit organization formed in 2007 to invite readers in Huntington Beach – adults, students and families – to learn about the diversity of people, cultures and to discuss new perspectives. It introduces them to authors and sponsors a variety of programs that share the art, music, food and experiences of the story. Each year the group selects one book to be read and discussed at the same time by the entire community. HBReads is endorsed by the HB City Council, the Human Relations Task Force and the Huntington Beach Library board of trustees and its corporate sponsors include the Kiwanis International of Huntington Beach and Boeing Corporation. Address: 419 Main St., Ste. 38, Huntington Beach, Calif. Phone: (714) 497-3237. Website: www.hbreads.org.
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