Title: Passing Through Exploring the Envelope, Part One
Author: Captain Manny Sousa, US Navy (ret)
Publisher: ‎Xulon Press
ISBN: 978-1545681824
Pages: 366
Genre: Non-Fiction / Memoir
Reviewed by: Ephantus M.

Read Book Review

Passing Through Exploring the Envelope, Part One, is a beautifully rendered memoir about author Captain Manny Sousa, a former naval aviator who was tasked with flying the first carrier-based nuclear bombers in Western Pacific deployments during the remainder of the Cold War.

Manny was born in 1932 into an Army family during the Great Depression, and lived during World War II, the Korean War, and the Cold War. He attended Baker Village Grammar School, which was a county school in Columbus, before his family later moved to Germany. In February 1951, he went to Frankfurt to take the physical exam for the Navy ROTC scholarship. Although he was frequently challenged by unstable blood pressure, he beautifully managed to go through a second trial to become a primary candidate for the Navy.

Manny believes that his triumphs in life could not have been possible without the intervention of a heavenly-sent being, his deceased aunt Jean, who revealed herself to him in 1969. Apart from disclosing to him that she hadn’t committed suicide, as many had concluded, she also informed him that she could see his future and it was possible to change it. That encounter, which introduced him to a reliable helper and guide, had Manny begin a mission of telling his story to encourage other believers to more consciously recognize and easily welcome similar spiritual experiences.

This real-life story has been given a fiction-like feel right from the first page and throughout the book. Readers will love this unique approach as well as the very informative Q&A sessions, conducted by a highly improbable character. The protagonist is well-fleshed out, and his story has been revealed in a cohesive yet artful manner. The structure of this memoir beats with the necessary rhythm and, as such, pulls the readers in deeply with every new page.

In Passing Through Exploring the Envelope, Part One, the author ably utilizes all the devices and craft elements that novelists use. He takes readers with him on an unforgettable journey through his vast thirty-one years in the Navy while allowing himself to be vulnerable concerning his children and failed marriages. This is a memoir which will entertain and inspire readers in a very effective and distinctive manner.   A fantastic choice for your next read!