Free the Children

January 4, 1999
Three years ago, when he was a 12-year-old Toronto schoolboy who had never taken the subway alone, Kielburger saw a newspaper story about a 12-year-old Pakistani boy who had been shot dead, presumably for his outspoken criticism of the Pakistani carpet industry's use of child labor. The story changed Kielburger's life. More importantly, it made him committed to change the lives of other people. He founded a human rights organization called Free the Children, which is run by children to combat child labor around the world. Shortly after starting the organization, Kielburger realized that, in order to make his points stick and his efforts effective, he needed to know much more than he did. So he set out, in the company of a chaperone, on a seven-week trip to South Asia, visiting Bangkok, Calcutta, Karachi and other cities. This book, written with Major (an author of YA books, including Hold Fast), is an absorbing account, in the form of a travelogue, of a young man's awakening not only to injustice and bone-crushing poverty but also to the beauty and diversity of the world and its cultures. Kielburger's story of moral outrage followed by extraordinary dedication and action is inspirational. It will make great reading for both parents and their children, who, on the cusp of adulthood, will see in Kielburger proof that they can make a difference.