The Length of Tears: From Boy to Man, from Haiti to the Usa

By Alex Morency

When Anthony Moore is born in Haiti in 1979, he finds himself at a disadvantage to even his own twin, who everyone thinks is cuter because of his lighter skin.

Things dont get any better; little Tonys mother dies when hes two years old. Shortly after, Tonys twin dies, and people begin to whisper that maybe hes somehow to blame.

In a culture dominated by voodoo, people think little Tony could have used supernatural powers to kill his own twin out of jealousy. When Tonys father remarries, his stepmother treats him like an outsider and an outcast. Shedding tears becomes a regular part of life.

Things seem to take a turn for the better when Tony moves to the United States with his father, but he must still contend with his evil stepmother as well as the competing messages he gets from Christianity and voodoo traditions.

Join Tony as he comes of age and seeks to overcome abuse, confusion and cultural differences so he can move beyond The Length of Tears.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jan 19, 2011
• ISBN: 9781450284196

Alex Morency

Alex Morency, a native of Port de Paix, Haiti, moved to the United States in search of a better life. He graduated from Strayer University and traveled throughout the country and Canada as a truck driver. An active church member, he has two sons and lives in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Book preview

The unknown vs. known

Tears are profoundly deep within the soul; this book will defined the true meaning of one man’s tears.

The story herein is of a boy named Anthony Moore, who from a young age and well into adulthood tried to define himself, by seeking the true meaning of the length of his tears. This is a story of physical depravity, mental torture and child abuse Set in Haiti in the 1970’s and 80’s, a country shrouded in voodoo.

Growing up in Port De Paix, Haiti has played a major part in the man I am today; the town I grew up in was and still remains one of the most beautiful places in Haiti, its location has made it famous, located by the sea and across from the Island of La Tortue. Almost everyone who came to the United states by boat had to originate from Port De Paix, it’s more accessible to pirated ships and it is above Cuba; every ship from cruises to military ships travelling to any Caribbean Island, has to tour between Port De Paix and La Tortue.

As a kid I always found myself with the local kids on the beach swimming, not because we loved it but. It became our way of life. We would be at the beach all day even when our parents restricted us from doing so, we snuck out and went swimming anyway. At times we drifted away to La Tortue while swimming; we took the risk as if there were none. I must tell you it took a lot to swim that far and despite the danger we ignored it. One boy in particular who was seldom with us was Tony; Tony and I were good friends back then and well into our adulthood, he was not always with the crowed which sometime crossed my mind, is he ok ? We never got to discuss anything as kids but. I could tell I was his favourite to be around. To me Tony was too laid back even strange at time. Many times I would ask him to come play with us, he would be scared, refused or have a change in his face like someone who’s hiding from something or someone; I didn’t mind being around Tony, I was 3 years older than Tony, we went to the same schools, from pre-school to 9th grade in high school until I travelled to United states, on many occasion Tony would restrict himself in the last row in class; my parents were not rich but they gave me everything I wanted and asked for, they always told me never to sit in the last row because I won’t get as much attention from the teacher, they were very sincere and dedicated when it came to my education. According to my parents when you sit in the front row you become smarter not only do you hear every little detail the teacher has to give but, you also became less sidetracked because you fear the teacher will say something if you are not paying attention. Despite all my parents had said to me, I felt to have control of my life so I thought, because my parents adored and cherished me everything seems and was easy for me, in my mind I was incomplete, I knew and felt there was more to life then to receive; I wanted to give back, so I always liked to sit next to my friend Tony, I helped him stay alert and focused, helped him with his school work until we became inseparable. I acted like his protector because of other kids who always bullied him. When I was not around, even when I was around, they tried but I convinced Tony not to pay them any mind, they would throw paper at him called him all kind of names from weirdo to retarded I would step in to cast them away.

Throughout my friendship with Tony I leaned so much more from him than he did from me. It was not until we were in 7th grade that Tony started sharing his story with me, I gained his trust enough for him to sit down with me and explain his dark days as a child and well into teens. While Tony was telling me his life story he kept on saying "I