Letters to Momo: A Remarkable Story About the Power to Overcome

by Alejandro Souza

Overview

In September 2010, Alejandro Souza learned that Momo, his cousin and closest friend in the family, was suddenly imprisoned. Crushed by his imprisonment and desiring to infuse him with strength, resilience, and, above all, love, Souza made an unconditional commitment to write Momo one letter each day for as long as he was in jail. Letters to Momo is the true, remarkable story about the power to overcome told by the collection of all letters written to Momo during his 144 days in prison—intact and in their original state, exactly as he received them. Uniquely sincere and approachable, the letters’ contemplative style illuminates core truths about the human experience and invites all to engage in profound reflection. Through broad thematic examinations spanning from personal experiences to Persian poetry, and from Nietzsche to cognitive psychology, the letters’ inspirational tone leads you away from the traps of victimhood to reclaim the innate power to author change in your life. With the closing words of each letter, "I love you with all my heart, and today, let me walk with you,” Souza holds our hearts and hands as we embark on our own journey of personal resilience, transcendence, and freedom. Today let these letters walk with you.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781614487708
Publisher:	Morgan James Publishing
Publication date:	12/31/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	148
File size:	603 KB

About the Author

Alejandro Souza is a writer, poet, and social entrepreneur who has traveled to more than sixty-five countries and launched ventures in Uganda, Rwanda, Mexico, and Bhutan. Alejandro holds a business degree from Babson College and a master’s degree in public administration and development practice from Columbia University. He lives in Rio de Janeiro.

Read an Excerpt

I wrote these letters because nobody should walk alone.

In September of 2010, I received an email informing me that my cousin Momo, as I called him, had been imprisoned. His situation was deeply challenging to say the least: twenty-three years old and about to graduate from university abroad, his world was suddenly confined to one of Her Majesty’s largest prisons in Liverpool. His parents and sisters were all home in Mexico, an Atlantic Ocean away.

A truly compassionate, loving, and caring person only a year my junior, Momo has always been my closest friend in the family. Although we lived in different countries most of our lives, no physical distance ever kept us from connecting and feeling close. I soon learned that his sentence actually began approximately one month prior. To spare us from the pain, anguish, and uncertainty of arduous legal proceedings, Momo had requested his family not be told anything until the sentencing was final. Crushed by his imprisonment and the realization that he had already been facing this situation alone for a month or more, I made an unconditional commitment to live the experience as close to him as I possibly could.

My mind was made up: I resolved to write him one letter each day for as long as he was in jail.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Introduction
Preface
Part I: September 2010
Part II: October 2010
Part III: November 2010
Part IV: Momo’s Letter
Part V: The Last Letters