Part memoir, part history, part travelogue, this is the inspirational story of one woman’s journey in the slums of Cambodia. When Romi Grossberg decided, at thirty-five, to give up her job as a social worker in Australia for a two-year contract in the slums of Cambodia, she could never have imagined that the experience would change her life forever. Hip Hop & Hope is part memoir, part history, part travelogue, and completely engaging. Its portrait of Phnom Penh is complicated and indelible. Its story of work in an NGO is inspirational. At this hip hop youth centre, Romi evolves from a frightened burrung to a respected manager who knows the words, the tunes, and the moves. This is the story of trust and friendship, faith, and belief in oneself even when the world is against you. NGO's founder KK, Romi, and their kids forge unbreakable bonds and eventually breakdance their way onto the TEDx stage and to sold-out performances in Australia. Hip Hop & Hope will make you laugh and cry as Romi shares with brutal honesty the highs and lows of life for the forgotten in Cambodia. 50% of all proceeds will go to Tiny Toones Cambodia Non-Government Organisation (NGO) ‘A must read for those believing in hope and making a difference in the world we live.’ —PRINCESS SOMA NORODOM, Princess of Cambodia ‘A powerful heartfelt memoir.’ —AKIL TALIB of Jurassic 5 ‘Rich with character, incident, and insight, with hip hop as its lingua franca , Hip Hop & Hope is a hugely compelling read. It made me laugh, cry, and dance as I tore through its pages.’ —TIM TOMLINSON, author and the director of New York Writers Workshop ‘A delight to read, full of tragedies and triumphs that will make you cry but leave you feeling ultimately optimistic, as lived by real people you will fall in love with as you read.’ —JAMIE GILL, award-winning author and international development consultant based in Cambodia ‘Fierce, full flight and full of love and courage... Grossberg shares their extraordinary story.’ —DR SALLY BREEN, Author and Associate Professor in Creative Writing Griffith University 'Hip Hop & Hope is a must read for those believing in hope and making a difference in the world we live.' -PRINCESS SOMA NORODOM, author, philanthropist, and Princess of Cambodia 'I was fortunate enough to be there and witness Tiny Toones from the start and can testify to the hope Hip Hop fulfills and delivers - and the very special kind of hope and fulfilment found at Tiny Toones. This was a living experience I will never forget. I'm happy it has been captured in writing from Romi's years there - forever etched into history, and forever recorded in this powerful heartfelt memoir.' -AKIL TALIB of Jurassic 5 'You may have seen this story before: the misfit from relative (white) comfort going out to see the world in order to discover the self. You won't have seen it told with this much exacting detail, this much humility, and this much heart. Rich with character, incident, and insight, with hip hop as its lingua franca, Hip Hop & Hope is a hugely compelling read. It made me laugh, cry, and dance as I tore through its pages.' -TIM TOMLINSON, author of This Is Not Happening to You, and the director of New York Writers Workshop 'Romi Grossberg's Hip Hop & Hope slices through all the posturing and pop culture mythology of what it means to be truly gangsta. These street kids from Cambodia are not far flung imitations of something bigger and better they've seen. They are the real deal. Fierce, full flight and full of love and courage they own street cred right down to the bones. Here Grossberg shares their extraordinary story.' -DR SALLY BREEN, Author and Associate Professor in Creative Writing Griffith University 'A deeply personal and honest account of one woman's experience in Cambodia, at a unique moment in time - when the country was picking itself up from the ruin of the Khmer Rouge genocide and trying to rebuild itself. Tiny Toones was on the frontlines of this battle for the future, using hip hop to reach the hopeless and inject Cambodia's recovering culture with new creativity. The author was right there, and the book captures its moment beautifully. A delight to read, full of tragedies and triumphs that will make you cry but leave you feeling ultimately optimistic, as lived by real people you will fall in love with as you read.' -JAIME GILL, award-winning author and international development consultant based in Cambodia Romi Grossberg is an Australian-born social worker, public speaker and author of three books, who has been living in Asia since 2010. Romi has spoken at TEDx Phnom Penh 2011, SXSW Austin Texas 2023, and numerous festivals and international conferences in between. She appears regularly on television, podcasts and radio, including with Cambodian Princess Soma Norodom. Romi is still living in Asia, working as a counsellor (online and in-person) and in professional development training. Romi's first two books are The 5-Minute G