Momo

by Michael Ende

Momo is a young homeless girl who befriends and is befriended by the people of a city. They take her in, and she makes their lives more magical and meaningful. She listens to their problems, diffuses neighbor disputes, and transforms the children's games into magical adventures. When the "timesaving" obsession sweeps through the city, making it so on one has any time to spend with people they care about, only Momo and her friends notice the change and can do something about it.

The whimsical adventure in Momo is a clear allegory about modern society. Everyone is in a hurry, we buy countless gadgets and devices to make our lives easier, and yet we seem to have less free time, not more. The book also touches on issues such as how we care for children and the quality of work. Michael Ende, who also wrote The Neverending Story, wrote Momo in 1973, but if anything, his criticisms are more salient in an era of always-on devices. (I almost felt bad that I was reading Momo on my phone as an ebook.)

The story of Momo is marvelous, and kids will enjoy it. But for an adult, it also does a good job at making you reexamine your time and pace of life.