I've Read You Had 300 Books

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I had many books on the history of venezuela. I read a lot of latin american literature, from bargaziosa to leonardo palura. And an adventure the way the rivers in south America won corncorth the odinocco d the amazon river. Read a lot of columbian literature, william mospina, who wrote very interesting books on history. The story of jesus christ, for me, wasa really interesting and fulfilling experience. i also had the opportunity to write, but then they took my pens and paper away from me. By the end of my imprisonment, i had nothing. I only had my mattress and

As an inquisitive reader, books were a cherished commodity for Leopoldo López when he was a political prisoner in his home country of Venezuela. His prison guards eventually observed the strength and focus López gained from reading. In an attempt to stifle his spirit, the guards confiscated his books and locked them in a neighboring cell where he could see but not access them. But López didn’t let this stop him from writing or discourage his resolve to fight for freedom. A Venezuelan opposition leader and freedom activist, today López works to research and resist oppressive autocratic regimes globally.

López joined Tyler to discuss Venezuela’s recent political and economic history, the effectiveness of sanctions, his experiences in politics and activism, how happiness is about finding purpose, how he organized a protest from prison, the ideal daily routine of a political prisoner, how extreme sports prepared him for prison, his work to improve the lives of the Venezuelan people, and more.

Read a full transcript enhanced with helpful links.

Recorded May 10th, 2022

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