I Am Absolute Freedom
Silvia Mick
ISBN: 9781409220954
Lulu Publishing
Reviewed By Heather Slocumb
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
When
someone says to you, "Get with the program" – exactly what "program" do
they mean? Why does being yourself typically involve adhering to
someone else's concept of individuality? And, with the preponderance of
peer pressure, a legally-sanctioned drug culture, and strict societal
standards, why is it so surprising that so many teenagers contemplate
suicide?
These questions and more are probed in full detail throughout the pages of I Am Absolute Freedom,
the debut offering from Silvia Mick. In it, Mick takes the reader on an
extended introspective journey, simultaneously exposing ageless
cultural traditions and debunking the shoddy reasoning behind them. Her
writing is sharp, her logic is seasoned, and her acerbically witty
approach renders each of her points unforgettable – even if they
ultimately offend you.
Mick makes no apologies for taking strong
stands; in fact, she continually asserts her right to do so. Having
reached the point of heightened self-awareness, she takes a
retrospective look back on all the experiences and events that have led
her to that precise point, acknowledging her various missteps in sober
fashion. As a result of her emergent enlightenment, Mick then invites
the reader to join her in piercing the facade of social commonality in
order to develop the same resolve, and the invitation proves very
tempting. After all, true individuality – regardless of which precise
road we take to reach it – is the ultimate goal of life, and only via
the light of wisdom can we ever truly do so.
I Am Absolute Freedom
is not for the faint of heart; timidity is certainly not among Mick's
chief traits. However, the tome is a well-written, enjoyable read,
highly recommended for those seeking real answers to the lingering
questions that have beset them for far too long.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Silvia Mick (I Am Absolute Freedom)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Silvia. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
I Am Absolute Freedom is your first published work (congratulations!). How does it feel to see your work in print for the first time?
Silvia Mick: Well, it feels great! This book is really my baby: I wrote it, did all the editing, decided the size, the cover, and back cover theme and concept, and finally I self-published it. Now I'm working really hard to promote it because I deeply believe in it and in what I've written.
AR: You touch on a range of different topics in the book. How did you ultimately decide which issues you would expound on?
SM: I just wrote about my personal experiences, about the issues that I love the most or that make me furious about what I see going on in the world today. I've always had a sponge-like nature, and I just can't help constantly observing what happens around me in other people's lives. I've always been VERY introspective, and when you analyze yourself so much and so honestly - and even cruelly - it's only natural to do the same with your environment and the images you get from the world.
AR: Our reviewer made special mention of the emphasis that you place on individuality. How did this concept become so important to you?
SM: I was one of those really troubled adolescents; I've hated myself for years, which hasn't changed until very recently. I hated everything about me, like my body, for example. But, what I really despised was my incapacity to be myself for real...I was constantly molding my identity on what I thought other people would find acceptable, and I hated myself for not being able to act and live according to what I felt deep down inside of me. For too many years, the image I had of myself was strictly connected to the opinions of the people who made up my daily life (like teachers and "friends"), and all I got were kicks in the face. So, ten years ago, after a very traumatic time, I just decided that I couldn't take all the abuse any longer and that I had to do something. Psychotherapy and starting a serious working out program have really been the major turning points of my life ("mens sana in corpore sano," they used to say). So, individuality is very important to me because I had to work and fight and strive to conquer my own - and I still work and fight and strive every day to protect it. Just a very few special people allow you to be who you are; all the others just want you to live according to their idea of perfection. Now, I'm a new and totally different person. I've changed so much. My sense of identity is stronger than ever and safe from external influences. I'm totally comfortable with every single aspect of myself in ways I never could have imagined ten years ago, and one of the messages I'd love to communicate to the people who will read this book is "Be nobody's puppet. Don't be scared of your greatness. Don't let your potential rot inside of you. Don't stop on the surface of things. Search your own meaning. Don't compromise. Kick the world's ass!"
AR: Many of the positions that you take in the book are quite wise for someone so young (age 33). What kinds of experiences in your past have helped foster such innate wisdom?
SM: As I said, I was very troubled as a kid; I've always felt like an outcast, and I just didn't fit anywhere. So, what you find in the book is the very path of my own personal evolution and the conclusions I've come up with through the years, self-wise and society-wise. I've always believed that everything happens for a reason; that's pretty clear to me when I look back at my life. I just don't stop on the surface of things. I hate common sense; I would abolish "you should" and "you shouldn't" from any language. I also hate righteousness, pretentiousness, and political-correctness. I'm all for unapologetic people with a life project of their own, practical dreamers who don't just rely on mass-views and use their own heads and hearts to make masterpieces of their lives.
AR: Peppered throughout the pages of the book are a number of different insightful quotes, coming from everyone from Metallica to James Joyce. Precisely how many different artists & authors have influenced your writing?
SM: Well, you can say without being mistaken that I've learned English from Metallica. I've always loved rock and heavy metal music, and that's my main influence. The fuck-off attitude, always being you, on your own, against the world and mainstream and the system...I've always felt that so much was written in my blood. I just love many different things, and I always expose myself to many different forms of art. I never say "NO" to anything; I just wanna absorb and get in touch with all I can lay my hands on and can afford. I would be dead if it weren't for music. I love photography, movies, live music, stand-up comedy, TV shows, modern art, graffiti, Web design, interior design, opera, video clips, new technologies, new digital forms of expression, anything. Everything can be useful to express a concept in the simplest and clearest way. There's nothing like "art for the elite" and "art for the masses", everything can be art. I'm just very, very curious and sponge-like by nature. Sometimes two people talking on the subway can spark a lot in your head.
AR: What kinds of reactions have readers had to the book thus far?
SM: I've only just started promoting it, so I don't have many readers at the moment. But, those who have read the book have been touched by its simplicity, depth, intensity and honesty (so they told me). My friends told me that it's totally me, and that's exactly what I wanted to achieve.
AR: Was your publishing experience with Lulu a pleasant one?
SM: They were pretty fast in handling me the copies I had requested, but I think they do not offer enough promotion and marketing services.
AR: What's next for you?
SM: Right now, I'm just trying really hard to make people know about the book, and it's not easy since I have no experience in marketing and promotion. But, being my own manager/agent is also great because I'm learning a huge deal of new stuff day by day. Plus, I love to be in control of every aspect of this project; it's totally and proudly independent, which was my idea from the beginning. I do have a concept in mind for my next book, but at this present moment "I Am" keeps me very, very busy.
AR: Where can our readers learn more about you and your efforts?
SM: I have a website, at www.silviamick.com, where you can find more info about me, some excerpts from my book, a selection of the pictures I've taken through the years, and a blog that I update when inspiration comes.
AR: Also, how can they contact you directly?
SM: I'm on MySpace: www.myspace.com/egoproblem, and Facebook (just search "silvia mick"). Also, e-mail me at sss@silviamick.it.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
SM: This world needs a revolution. You and I are the chosen ones.
AR: Thanks again, Silvia, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!