Herlaka Rose

(Texas, USA) July 2007

“A Rebel Life: Murder by the Rich” is an autobiographical tale by Peter Kalafatis, detailing his hard life on the streets, and how he coped up with the death of his beloved brother. While his brother died because of an O.D, Peter ties up his death to the harsh system in which we are entangled, with the rich on top of the system, which inescapably leads to lower classes being pushed down more and more into the gutter. Kalafatis not only relates the hardships that a young teenager with a strict upbringing living on the streets brings on, but also analyzes how the system will keep people down, and blames his brother’s death on the rich and the system. He does makes some good points, the one that most comes to mind was “how could anybody willingly choose this lifestyle” while referring to his brother’s addictions. His story tries to open eyes to a flawed system and believes strongly that there should not be rich, instead just one class, ending poverty in that way. He suggests a different type of rebellion, not one of tirades against the system or lashing out by vandalism and delinquency, but rather invading the system, and overcoming it. A smart rebellion, the book is tinted with sociopolitical analysis that might seem extreme to some, but it is an interesting read to anybody with an open mind, and it will ring more than one bell with many people.
So Speaks Herlaka!