Review of The Struggle for Justice and Truth
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Lais Campos
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- Latest Review: The Struggle for Justice and Truth by Tomas Cudzis
Review of The Struggle for Justice and Truth
[Following is a volunteer review of "The Struggle for Justice and Truth" by Tomas Cudzis.]
Hello Mr Cudzis (author),
Here are my notes regarding "The Struggle for Justice and Truth" book.
I found very interesting the music book initiative, specially knowing most of the songs myself I could "hear it" while reading, very nice! Although I must to say that seeing it being repeated or mentioned inside the text sounded redundant, if it was my edit, I would keep only the mentions as the smaller chapters as you did. The songs were also very organised and connected with the story, I appreciated that a lot as well.
I loved how you mentioned the narcissism personality connected with00 Tomas insecurities. It portraited a really realistic and accurate narrative.
The Part I for me was the longest one, and the most difficult to keep going. I missed to be introduced to the environment background, when we finally find out the story takes place in Slovakia was already a lot late to me. I wish to have been introduced to the city and where everything was taken place. I also missed to be introduced to the story of the other characters, related to the environment as well.
Also in this part, I felt introduced to a very young sexist character, and I feel that although it's a part of the personality of the main character, if most of the sexism was removed this part would be reduced to half of what it is and it would give a room to describe many things a little bit more carefully like how a sexist society would shape the mind of such an young boy and girls on what I man should be or look and the related to women. The influence of the male figures in his family, teachers, films influences on the male figure, the country culture, etc.The extend and impact of it in Tomas insecurities. The short introduction of Tomas father personality and the admiration for Arnold Swaschnegar* was too short for me, and never a single male character admired and respect by his intelect, talent, loving personality, that was not rich or builded up guy (like Chester himself) was mentioned to have been introduced to the little Tomas, so a man in his natural shape and natural heart sweetness being respected and loved, was never introduced to/or influenced the little Tomas. And perhaps there the patterns of sexism, of what man should be independent of his nature and abilities, started building each day more in the head of just an young teenager. Just like empires aggressively built boys to be soldiers at their disposal and get them killed for their profit for thousands of years of human existence. This type of knowledge could have been used later on, in the book, to describe how the power shapes people on their behalf to their own profit disregarding humans as disposable tools.
This could also disconnect the author from the main character a little bit, since you have the same name and sometimes was even confusing like in the last frase on the page 12, is the author inside the story?
Also in the same part, I found a bit disturbing the fact that you mention what would happen in the future many times and I would put it in the future itself instead of mentioning it a lot since it deviate from the focus a lot. It's like saying that an action character has arrived to climb the mountain and exactly after that to mention this is the last mountain and he will die here. Then there adrenaline is over because we already know. I guess we would rather not to know and keep anxious to learn more and keep going.
I must to say that this part has also influenced me to finally install a bar on my corridor and start getting my fluffy arms in shape like Lara Croft (I am a woman).
The part II was definitely my favourite.
Here the environment narrative, introduction of characters, introduction of the culture and accuracy on the story line made me think you were a proffessional writer of many action books. I could perfectly to feel inside the scenes, visualise the entire narrative and feelings compressed.
Here looked like the sexism takes places really inside Tomas head, and not as a given thought.
The names of the characters remains in the head, it means their role got their footprints in the story.
As a result the chapter goes really fast. Really a great piece of work.
The part III, almost like the part II, was a great piece of work.
Here again I could visualise every scene, understand each character, and I could see women assuming higher positions by their professionalism and intellect in contradiction with the sexist narrative of the main character. Well built.
Here it was delivered for the first time the surprise of Tomas seeing a man being respected by his kindness, seeing Gary heart warming personality being introduced to Tomas family. Even though Gary was a big guy, it was a contrast with the male figure personality of Tomas father.
I felt amazed to see a corrupted politician providing the source of income to the agency. Sounded really accurate.
There were mostly anarchist (socialist-left wing) narratives against war, and the excuses of the Bank engineers to produce wars, the corruption of the upper classes and disbelief in current justice system, (being George Orwell ideas, creator of the famous dystopian book "1984" being an anarchist himself fighting in the Spanish Revolution for the anarchist horizontal liberation and Linkin Park on the left wing socialist movement very connected with anarchism as well) mixed up with conservador narratives against current social/political movements that probably will just be given the real value a hundred years later as it is today with the 1920's political movements. Which puts the character as a perfect representation of the really current situation of today and not distopian at all.
Also the acknowledgement that the use of violence for a better expected outcome (the same as wars) would not give the expected results were absolutely gorgeous. Well written and articulated.
The action scenes and depressing scenes were amazing.
I missed though better conversations with the psychologist, I would advise you Mr. Cudzis (author) to ask a professional psychologist or psychiatric doctor their advice of what would they talk if presented with such character in person. Because I guess these psychological conversations could be a lot improved, so much to be actually the best conversations in the book itself. Because it has a lot of potential. But as you are the author, if you prefer not to change anything, the conversations aren't that bad, it just absolutely abandoned all its full potential.
The part IV, here we have some problems.
It's so sad to see the immense breakdown of input knowledge, lack of knowledge, emotions and memories inside the head of Tomas. All this chaos could be better delivered if better organised, specially taking distance from the author to the character, but its good the way it is, no need to change anything.
I found hard to believe that no one, more historically conscious and more socio-political wise than him was not there to confront him like an intellectual battle. Instead we saw a constant monologue of pieces of accurate knowledge mixed up with pieces of very inaccurate knowledge (that shapes perfectly the character) fighting with the air, no opponent present. And have never flighted against a woman. Perhaps now?
Personally for me this was the time for Tomas finally lose a great battle. And start a journey of seeking counscious knowledge. Totally different from the life path he had taken until now. To become a conscious master, as he has become with his body. That could have been the entire history of a second book I think. I think he would eventually become a socialist anarchist and probably even step back in Hong Kong again acknowledging that there is not China. Charles Chaplin was also a socialist left wing anarchist himself, and "The dictator" was his confrontation to Hitler. As Hitler killed most of the anarchists in his country, or anyone who would protest against him, Chaplin needed to exile to survive even being a German himself.
But coming back to the written story,
the conversation with himself is definitely the best of this part, no need to say.
My problem with the part IV is basically how a group of people who understands all the failures of the political system becomes it.
I personally would put my input opinion that they would start building infrastructure systems that would give the entire population independency from politicians and banks.
I also would love to have kept the anonymity of Tomas identity until he becomes an urban legend, and perhaps even alive? As a conspiracy theorist himself why not?
I would also would like to have seen Tomas to meet a conscious woman who would make him to feel small for the first time. To challenge him for the "hero" figure and concept. To give him many life lessons that would break him down. As probably a friend that he would not care about how she looks like but fear the knowledge. That he would finally fall in love for real. To the knees on the floor metaphorically saying and actually get rejected. Now that he is handsome, fit and rich. Rejected. And she would perhaps say something like "I don't like muscles, neither money, I would rather prefer to have fallen in love for the insecure young Tomas, he was brilliant". To smash him like a little toy, after all that monologues of his... I would rather to see him to start a journey of consciousness.
Review: 3 out of 5.
******
The Struggle for Justice and Truth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Hello Mr Cudzis (author),
Here are my notes regarding "The Struggle for Justice and Truth" book.
I found very interesting the music book initiative, specially knowing most of the songs myself I could "hear it" while reading, very nice! Although I must to say that seeing it being repeated or mentioned inside the text sounded redundant, if it was my edit, I would keep only the mentions as the smaller chapters as you did. The songs were also very organised and connected with the story, I appreciated that a lot as well.
I loved how you mentioned the narcissism personality connected with00 Tomas insecurities. It portraited a really realistic and accurate narrative.
The Part I for me was the longest one, and the most difficult to keep going. I missed to be introduced to the environment background, when we finally find out the story takes place in Slovakia was already a lot late to me. I wish to have been introduced to the city and where everything was taken place. I also missed to be introduced to the story of the other characters, related to the environment as well.
Also in this part, I felt introduced to a very young sexist character, and I feel that although it's a part of the personality of the main character, if most of the sexism was removed this part would be reduced to half of what it is and it would give a room to describe many things a little bit more carefully like how a sexist society would shape the mind of such an young boy and girls on what I man should be or look and the related to women. The influence of the male figures in his family, teachers, films influences on the male figure, the country culture, etc.The extend and impact of it in Tomas insecurities. The short introduction of Tomas father personality and the admiration for Arnold Swaschnegar* was too short for me, and never a single male character admired and respect by his intelect, talent, loving personality, that was not rich or builded up guy (like Chester himself) was mentioned to have been introduced to the little Tomas, so a man in his natural shape and natural heart sweetness being respected and loved, was never introduced to/or influenced the little Tomas. And perhaps there the patterns of sexism, of what man should be independent of his nature and abilities, started building each day more in the head of just an young teenager. Just like empires aggressively built boys to be soldiers at their disposal and get them killed for their profit for thousands of years of human existence. This type of knowledge could have been used later on, in the book, to describe how the power shapes people on their behalf to their own profit disregarding humans as disposable tools.
This could also disconnect the author from the main character a little bit, since you have the same name and sometimes was even confusing like in the last frase on the page 12, is the author inside the story?
Also in the same part, I found a bit disturbing the fact that you mention what would happen in the future many times and I would put it in the future itself instead of mentioning it a lot since it deviate from the focus a lot. It's like saying that an action character has arrived to climb the mountain and exactly after that to mention this is the last mountain and he will die here. Then there adrenaline is over because we already know. I guess we would rather not to know and keep anxious to learn more and keep going.
I must to say that this part has also influenced me to finally install a bar on my corridor and start getting my fluffy arms in shape like Lara Croft (I am a woman).
The part II was definitely my favourite.
Here the environment narrative, introduction of characters, introduction of the culture and accuracy on the story line made me think you were a proffessional writer of many action books. I could perfectly to feel inside the scenes, visualise the entire narrative and feelings compressed.
Here looked like the sexism takes places really inside Tomas head, and not as a given thought.
The names of the characters remains in the head, it means their role got their footprints in the story.
As a result the chapter goes really fast. Really a great piece of work.
The part III, almost like the part II, was a great piece of work.
Here again I could visualise every scene, understand each character, and I could see women assuming higher positions by their professionalism and intellect in contradiction with the sexist narrative of the main character. Well built.
Here it was delivered for the first time the surprise of Tomas seeing a man being respected by his kindness, seeing Gary heart warming personality being introduced to Tomas family. Even though Gary was a big guy, it was a contrast with the male figure personality of Tomas father.
I felt amazed to see a corrupted politician providing the source of income to the agency. Sounded really accurate.
There were mostly anarchist (socialist-left wing) narratives against war, and the excuses of the Bank engineers to produce wars, the corruption of the upper classes and disbelief in current justice system, (being George Orwell ideas, creator of the famous dystopian book "1984" being an anarchist himself fighting in the Spanish Revolution for the anarchist horizontal liberation and Linkin Park on the left wing socialist movement very connected with anarchism as well) mixed up with conservador narratives against current social/political movements that probably will just be given the real value a hundred years later as it is today with the 1920's political movements. Which puts the character as a perfect representation of the really current situation of today and not distopian at all.
Also the acknowledgement that the use of violence for a better expected outcome (the same as wars) would not give the expected results were absolutely gorgeous. Well written and articulated.
The action scenes and depressing scenes were amazing.
I missed though better conversations with the psychologist, I would advise you Mr. Cudzis (author) to ask a professional psychologist or psychiatric doctor their advice of what would they talk if presented with such character in person. Because I guess these psychological conversations could be a lot improved, so much to be actually the best conversations in the book itself. Because it has a lot of potential. But as you are the author, if you prefer not to change anything, the conversations aren't that bad, it just absolutely abandoned all its full potential.
The part IV, here we have some problems.
It's so sad to see the immense breakdown of input knowledge, lack of knowledge, emotions and memories inside the head of Tomas. All this chaos could be better delivered if better organised, specially taking distance from the author to the character, but its good the way it is, no need to change anything.
I found hard to believe that no one, more historically conscious and more socio-political wise than him was not there to confront him like an intellectual battle. Instead we saw a constant monologue of pieces of accurate knowledge mixed up with pieces of very inaccurate knowledge (that shapes perfectly the character) fighting with the air, no opponent present. And have never flighted against a woman. Perhaps now?
Personally for me this was the time for Tomas finally lose a great battle. And start a journey of seeking counscious knowledge. Totally different from the life path he had taken until now. To become a conscious master, as he has become with his body. That could have been the entire history of a second book I think. I think he would eventually become a socialist anarchist and probably even step back in Hong Kong again acknowledging that there is not China. Charles Chaplin was also a socialist left wing anarchist himself, and "The dictator" was his confrontation to Hitler. As Hitler killed most of the anarchists in his country, or anyone who would protest against him, Chaplin needed to exile to survive even being a German himself.
But coming back to the written story,
the conversation with himself is definitely the best of this part, no need to say.
My problem with the part IV is basically how a group of people who understands all the failures of the political system becomes it.
I personally would put my input opinion that they would start building infrastructure systems that would give the entire population independency from politicians and banks.
I also would love to have kept the anonymity of Tomas identity until he becomes an urban legend, and perhaps even alive? As a conspiracy theorist himself why not?
I would also would like to have seen Tomas to meet a conscious woman who would make him to feel small for the first time. To challenge him for the "hero" figure and concept. To give him many life lessons that would break him down. As probably a friend that he would not care about how she looks like but fear the knowledge. That he would finally fall in love for real. To the knees on the floor metaphorically saying and actually get rejected. Now that he is handsome, fit and rich. Rejected. And she would perhaps say something like "I don't like muscles, neither money, I would rather prefer to have fallen in love for the insecure young Tomas, he was brilliant". To smash him like a little toy, after all that monologues of his... I would rather to see him to start a journey of consciousness.
Review: 3 out of 5.
******
The Struggle for Justice and Truth
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: The Struggle for Justice and Truth by Tomas Cudzis
