The goal of my book is to offer you the transformative wisdom and actionable steps that I\’ve acquired through my own journey of adversity so you can fearlessly own your story, face your challenges, and make the conscious choice to grow.
–Sonny Von Cleveland
Hey White Boy, Conversations of Redemption is a profoundly authentic and moving memoir that delves into the transformative journey of Sonny Von Cleveland. Raised in a small town in Michigan, Sonny\’s childhood was marred by unimaginable sexual molestation, which shattered his innocence and left him grappling with profound emotional scars. Unable to cope with the devastating abuse, Sonny\’s once gregarious and outgoing nature gave way to anger and rebellion.
By the age of seven, he faced his first felony charge, and the downward spiral continued, leading him to prison at sixteen and again at twenty-one, resulting in eighteen years behind bars.
However, Sonny\’s path took an unexpected turn amidst the darkness of his incarceration. During 19 months in solitary confinement, he encountered a fellow inmate—a wise Muslim man—who would become his mentor. Through their profound conversations and teachings, Sonny embarked on a journey of self-examination, forgiveness, and personal accountability.
Sonny shares his remarkable transformation from victimhood to self-actualization and redemption in Hey White Boy. This memoir is a testament to the power of resilience, the importance of letting go, and the capacity for personal growth.
Excerpt from Hey White Boy, Conversations of Redemption © Copyright 2023 Sonny Von Cleveland
Try as we might; neither I nor anyone else can change the past. Our past does not have to hold us hostage. We can’t change things said and done to us, nor can we undo and change what we have done to others. There is no do-over, unfortunately. What we can choose to do, however, is grow and take ownership of our mistakes and share our history and experiences to heal ourselves and others. We can also choose to forgive ourselves and others, and we can also choose to use our experiences to raise ourselves while giving hope and inspiration to others. We can choose to grow from adversity, and we can choose to let go of victimhood.
And that is what I decided to do when I left prison and here on these pages. I choose to own it all – the good, the bad, and the ugly, and I choose to let it all go and use my story as both a cautionary tale and a source of inspiration.
–Sonny Von Cleveland