Two Important Underlying Themes in “Geniuses”: Liberty and Respect for Others

I believe that liberty is a fundamental right and need.  However, liberty never comes without a struggle, and it can easily be lost or taken away. Threats to independence and liberty can take various forms.  For example, one person may try to exert excessive control over others.  A country ruled by a dictator may seek to control and dominate its citizens.  Also the government of one country may try to take control of another country and its people.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, my parents were both from Eastern Europe, and lived in countries which were ruled by the Czar. They personally experienced oppression and tyranny.  My wife immigrated to America as a refugee from the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime.  Hearing their experiences has made me even more passionate about freedom and liberty.

The issue of independence and liberty is dealt with in a number of ways in my novel.  On an individual level, Roxanne Reynolds, the teenage heroine, feels that her parents are to some extent infringing her liberty, and she pushes back as many teenagers do to assert their independence.  Evil Eastern Geniuses try to control the mind of Andor Lysenko, the Eastern Genius teenager, who transferred into Roxanne’s school.  On a national and global level, evil Eastern Geniuses have caused the country Slavistan to use armed aggression against its neighbors in Eastern Europe, as the first step on their way to world domination and control.  The evil Geniuses also arrange a plane high jacking and plan to manipulate the financial markets using the chaos resulting from their act of terrorism.  In this way, they also seek to gain financial control of the world.

Another of my novel’s themes concerns respect for others.  I believe that lack of such respect is a growing problem in our society.  Respect for those who are different from us (whether those differences relate to race, religion, culture, country of origin, politics, sexual orientation or even to our varying abilities) is critically important for our society.  Without it the dialogue between different groups breaks down, and division and polarization grow.

I passionately believe that we are made stronger and greatly benefit as a society from our diversity.  But without mutual respect for each other, a diverse society will cease to function effectively.  Throughout my life, I have lived in international cities like New York, San Francisco and Miami where the citizens’ lives and experiences are enriched by association with people of diverse backgrounds and interests.

In “Geniuses” I deal with respect for others by showing the way evil Eastern Geniuses disrespect ordinary people. Those Geniuses believe that ordinary people are not capable of controlling their own lives.  Western Geniuses by contrast respect ordinary people, and try to defend their ability to determine their own destinies.

While talking about differing IQs, I’m really dealing with issues of diversity and respect far more generally.

I hope I have managed to deal with these important themes while still writing a novel which is fun to read.  I’d really like to hear whether or not you think I have accomplished this.