Book Review: The Orphaned Soldier

We plan to feature a series of blog posts to help members discover books and other resources in our library. Library resources are available for members to take home to read or to reference in the rooms. This first book review is by June Blackburn, the current president.

The Orphaned Soldier by Daryl Te’nadii

This true story details the life of an innocent child raised in the horrors of an orphanage in New Zealand.  What he and others had to go through to survive is nothing short of miraculous that any of them made it.  Some sadly didn’t.  His is a story of neglect of an uncaring mother, abuse at the hands of those who were supposed to care and nurture these young children and the hope he always craved.

The story follows his life into adulthood.  It details the death of his fellow siblings who were also at the orphanage and the reasons why they had so much trouble living a normal life.

This book is extremely sad but the author’s story is also one of inspiration.  It is not an easy book to read, but one I think we all should read to understand the lives of others, some of whom may have been our ancestors.


Members wishing to read this book can check out availability in our rooms.

A Sunshine Coast local, Daryl is on social media on Facebook and Instagram.