The Janitor

The Janitor

"Fox News: Rich people paying rich people to tell middle class people to blame poor people"

He told me that, even though the political situation doesn't seem promising, and every time the clouds make way for the sun, some enormous power fights back and things go three steps backwards instead of just one; he told me he's optimistic. And I needed a reminder. Because, because sooner or later, we shall be free, sooner or later it will not be just a dream nor a too-close-to-happen thing. It will be. We just need more than the shadow of dreams, maybe the darker the shadow, the closer to reality even if it's just a shadow. We shall take six steps forward.

But then I was taking a nap, and I heard some noise outside. Me, thinking it's just our janitor having the daily fight with his wife, I went into deep sleep again. Things eventually calmed down and I continued my day with my cup of tea and a novel to read.

But right at that moment when you start to really enjoy your time indulging yourself in a phone call with a friend, the voices went loud again and my concentration was barely on the surface. To make sure, I peeked. Things were not okay.

Our janitor isn't aggressive, on the contrary, I think he's a fairly calm person. I don't have neither negative nor positive feelings for him, I only know he's poor enough to raise 5 or 6 kids. And he, like every one of his class, takes money from people like us.

We blame poor people because we're not living the life we want. We, we're the selfish sick who want peace by fighting against the victim rather than the enemy. We're the ones who claim insecurity by calling the police so that we can get rid of the janitor and his poor family.

Together. With the police. They drove off. And happily, we pretended we lived in peace.

Screw this.

Some Things That Meant The World To Me [Full Review]

Some Things That Meant The World To Me [Full Review]

Some Things That Meant The World To Me is one of the weirdest novels I'd read and will ever read. I think. The plot is focused on Rhonda, a guy who suffers from depersonalization, which I found out to be some sort of a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Rhonda's past, full of abuse, sexual abuse, living with an abusive boyfriend of his Mom, and his alcoholic mother, seemed to haunt him all the way through the novel. Trying to find out the truth, he dug everywhere and could actually drive you a bit crazy with him.

The novel was a bit disturbing with all the self-loving, the sex life and the brutal beating. I could not bear to allow my imagination to swim that far, since I'm not a fan of such novels, though I don't mind them in movies. I guess this novel would make a good movie, too.

I liked the chapters' titles, some of them were catchy enough to get me into further reading. Especially with one entitled "Some Things That Meant The World To Me" and another one further entitled "Some Things That Bent The World For Me".

However, Mohr's prose is admirable. Not the style that would wow me, but it was actually pretty damn good. Fresh and sometimes music to the ears. I really liked it. I would buy another novel for him, only if it is not going to be that disturbing again.

His way of shifting between past, present and future did not confuse me like other novels. In fact it was very clear and subtle. I loved that.

Overall, I think Mohr's style is very interesting and inspiring!

There's something, though, that I still don't understand and still am trying to figure out. The Roschach tattoo Rhonda had, which is the one on the cover. I'm still trying to understand, from the point of view of someone who suffers depersonalization, what it meant.

Not to mention, it's one of the things that I really liked about the novel. Psychology always adds positivity to the novel for me.

Lastly, Quotes:

"Pigeons? They're so ugly"

"That's what I like about them"

"Their ugliness?"

"The fact that they can't hide it. The rest of us spend their whole lives trying to trick each other"

"I've been there"

"Where?"

"That place where life seems easy on everyone, except you"

"You won't know until you get older, baby, but it's awful to falter at something you used to be great at"

"Please, let him hurt me"

Nineteen Eighty-Four [Full Review]

Nineteen Eighty-Four [Full Review]

This novel is one of the novels that make you stare at its last line and just, think. How on earth am I going to write a review about this? How am I going to pen the right words to describe a masterpiece when masterpieces cannot be put in words?

1984 is by far atop the list of the most depressing novels of all-time. Do not read this novel if you are confused or mentally unprepared for a true and honest mind-fuck. You have to be prepared that you will suffer along with the protagonist, basically because you are technically living in that world Orwell described.

Orwell's style didn't strike me as much as his ideas did. The things he came up with could only come from the mind of someone who knew exactly how this world is ruled and how it will always be ruled.

“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.”

It's a political dictionary, especially when it comes to Part II. The explanation of the slogan of Big Brother was what struck me the most as genius. Especially with the 'War is peace' slogan.

The words of Newspeak; doublethink, crimethink, and all the words Orwell came up with actually made so much sense and do fit in this world.

The power of stupidity in a mass could never be underestimated, the power of Big Brother to do anything to you in order to make you obey, to make you a faithful citizen (or comrade, as they said it) is just about too close to be brought to real life.

This novel made me thing of prisons, real prisons, and how prisoners are treated there, could what was described in the novel ever be close to reality? I wouldn't say no because that would be sinking in denial. Yet saying yes is a complete calamity.

Don't read this novel if you're not ready to be depressed, and sometimes insane even for a speck of a second. Don't. Just don't. However, make sure you read it, because sooner or later you will realize it is not unreal words you're reading.

You're reading us. You're reading the present.

Quotes:

"Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows."

“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”

“Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them.”

“If you want to keep a secret, you must also hide it from yourself.”

"If there is hope, it lies in the proles"

"We shall meet again in the place where there is no darkness"

"To die hating them, that was freedom".

Of Mice and Men [Full Review]

Of Mice and Men [Full Review]

Of mice and men is like half a novel half a play. It was very simple and very fast-paced which made there no place for boredom.

Plot:

I love the bond of friendship that tied the two, George and Lennie, together, it was a friendship you barely see in real life and sometimes even hard to see in novels. It was something. Something big. And the trust Lennie had in George was so admirable, even if he wasn't a sane man.

I pretty much noticed the friendship bond more than slavery by capitalism in the novel. I think Steinbeck gave more attention to friendship than labor, and to human emotions and faithfulness than anything else.

Language:

Not a fan of the slang language used in the novel. I honestly, as a reader, read novels as a way of enhancing my language (at least one of the things that made me an avid reader), thus the language Steinbeck used wasn't admirable and some lines were actually a bit hard for me to understand because of the slang.

Steinbeck's style didn't sound unique to me to be honest, perhaps because the novel, for the most part, was full of dialogues and so the writing style didn't shine that much. I shall try something else for the author though.

Quotes:

"Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other."

"A guy needs somebody―to be near him. A guy goes nuts if he ain't got nobody. Don't make no difference who the guy is, long's he's with you. I tell ya, I tell ya a guy gets too lonely an' he gets sick."

"They come, an' they quit an' go on; an' every damn one of 'em's got a little piece of land in his head. An' never a God damn one of 'em ever gets it. Just like heaven. Ever’body wants a little piece of lan’. I read plenty of books out here. Nobody never gets to heaven, and nobody gets no land. It’s just in their head. They’re all the time talkin’ about it, but it’s jus’ in their head."

I care not to freakin' care!

I care not to freakin' care!

I don't care if you're from the Muslim Brotherhood party. I don't care if you're salafi. I don't care if you're christian.

I don't care if you're a liberal or a secular or a revolutionary socialist.

I don't care if you're a communist or a capitalist or a Marxist.

I don't care if you're a leftist or a rightist or a no wing at all.

I don't care if you hate my religion or my beliefs. And I don't even care about what you believe in, it's your life, your beginning and your ending, I have no interference whatsoever in any of that.

I won't bother looking at your cap or your veil or your beard. I wouldn't really care if you wore a necklace with the word Allah engraved on it or a cross or an image of Jesus.

I don't care. I really don't. And I refuse to give you the chance to label me either.

I only care that you're a part of humanity and you care to not care about labeling.

I only care that without names, we'd all know a better meaning of life.

I care for you not to care, so please stop labeling me, I swear I'm only human, nothing else. Nothing.