By Nikos Ligidakis
Power and Defiance is historical fiction that is based on a true story and actual events. This is a project that has taken over eight years to develop. My intent was to create a narrative that didn’t simply tell a story but was also meant to both challenge and enlighten the reader.
This book is a labor of love. It is about the integrity of individual freedom and the intense struggle for social justice. Such deep matters require not only profound thoughts in the writing, but also equally reflective thoughts in the reading. The reader will find such thoughts throughout the pages of this book and hopefully will be challenged to recognize the heroism of those individuals who are perceived to be ordinary and to simultaneously re-examine the character of those who proclaim themselves to be righteous and just.
All the contents of this book are my liability and fault and have their origination in my own experiences, observations and creative conjecture. Power and Defiance is written in a unique format that unfolds slowly, yet grips the reader’s curiosity and emotions almost immediately. This is not a book for the faint of heart. It is rather a book intended to generate a serious emotional and intellectual response from the reader. It is a serious book about a very serious subject.
The narrative includes the trials of several individuals, a great number of historical facts, my own personal philosophy and political ideologies as well as numerous letters reflecting my own personal thoughts. I consider Power and Defiance to actually be three books synthesized into one. As you turn the pages of the first few chapters, I urge the reader to be patient, especially with the opening chapters. The format of the story may initially be a bit difficult to comprehend because it attempts to deal with tremendously complex issues that are not often discussed these days in our twenty-four hour news cycles and their underlying thought processes. Additionally, the book contains a tremendous amount of information, written in a fused manner, which integrates historical fact with ideology, philosophy and personal observations.
To make your reading easier, under the heading of several chapters you will notice captions such, Thoughts, Memories, Observations, History, Lessons, etc. These extra chapters have been included to enhance the comprehensive picture I am attempting to portray of the political, social and ideological landscape of the times and not to interfere with the trials of the individual characters involved in the unfolding story. The stories of these characters that are scattered throughout the hundreds of pages do not include a caption under the heading of the chapter.
Power and Defiance is written in a first person format. The names of the real characters have been changed while others have been created fictionally. You will meet and hopefully come to empathize and respect the complex individuals in this book who live in complex times, and who are caught in the whirlpool of history with so much to cherish, share and overcome. Consider that, as history continues its unfolding process, these individuals could be you!
Thank you for your interest in this very compelling subject. I look forward to your feedback after digesting my thoughts and my sincere efforts to engage you in a serious dialogue regarding the fatalistic affects of Power and Defiance in both our individual and collective lives.
