Bishop Edir Macedo,

My experience with your story of overcoming hardship, described in your new book Nothing to Lose, has to do with graduate school.

I’ve read various books by Machado de Assis, Paulo Freire, José Lins do Rego, Graciliano Ramos (popular Brazilian authors) and others, but not one of them spoke to me like your book.

I’m not saying that these writings are insignificant, but Nothing to Lose added something special to my personal life. I found answers to things I’d been seeking for a long time.

I read it in just two days, often in tears, and discovered truths that helped me to look inside myself.

I have an undergraduate degree from the Federal University of Paraíba in Educational Psychology and am currently working on a Masters in Education Subjectivity from the Human Science University at Campina Grande.

I arrived at the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God with only a high school diploma and having just passed two required exams for state and city jobs. I’d like to say I am so grateful for the teachings about faith that I received from you.

After the launch of the book in the bookstore in Paraíba, I had a discussion about Nothing to Lose with some colleagues from the masters program.

Lots of them are impressed by the success of the book, which the media has said will be translated into English and Spanish, and launched in other world capitals.

But what catches people’s attention are the experiences that you chronicle, which lead us to believe both in God and in ourselves.

It’s as if you’re speaking to us face-to-face and telling us tell us that we can go further—even when we feel weak and inadequate.

Your book reveals that you are one of us—a Brazilian that knows where he’s going and keeps pressing forward.

Who among us has not felt injustice? Who has not felt humiliation? Your story is impressive because it is vivid and direct.

They are words that have the power to save people from the pit. It’s a life example that challenges long held concepts and revolutionizes minds.

Ana Maria do Nascimento Lima, 52