Following my previous post “The Tate brothers equivalent for the intellectual type: Grim,” I’ve received a complimentary evaluation copy of the book “Grim Begins: The Hero’s Journey of a Russian Mafia Boss,” from a series declared to be “a cultural revolution” and that benefits from the charismatic image of Andrej Kaminsky which, by the way, is not that Andrej from the book, although it could have been!

I felt obliged by honor to come with an honest review of the book. I cannot guarantee it would please the author(s), but it is what it is.

This review looks at the book from two angles: first, opinions about the novel per se; then, thoughts and questions on what I suppose to be the message and the purpose behind the story.

❶ I found the story captivating, fascinating, engrossing. One could make a great movie out of it! As the existing reviews already note, people find it intense, gripping, unputdownable. It’s also not just a novel; but is it really “a manual for living,” a Bildungsroman of a new kind, or even more than that? Let’s not put the cart before the horse, though.

I won’t say the story is totally plausible, but there’s nothing I could really object to, and those who have read my Goodreads reviews know that I’m terribly picky. So yeah, it’s a good script!

I have not lived in the GDR or in the USSR of 1985. But having lived my first 19 and a half years in socialist Romania, whose Securitate was as feared as the Stasi was in the GDR, I can vouch that things were more or less as described. Moreover, I was by no means as naïve as Andrej was, and I was quite well-informed of the harsh and absurd realities of the Eastern Bloc. Furthermore, as a teenager, I was interested in the times from before I was born, both in my country and in the West. I happened to be able to get better informed than most citizens behind the Iron Curtain, except for those from the nomenklatura and from the secret services. Definitely more informed than 99.99% of people of my age. As for idealism, and rebelliousness, I had them both, but I was wiser, because my survival instinct overcame my naivety.

Sure thing, 1985 was not 1953, and life in the GDR was in many regards more comfortable than life in Romania and, for sure, than in the Soviet Union. But the economy was going down the drain, and things looked pretty grim [sic] back then. Funny thing, if you look at today’s Russia, despite the name change from Милиция to Полиция, the violence in law enforcement and in the penitentiary system is almost unchanged. The labor camp system—the penal colonies unique to Russia and inheriting from the well-known Gulag—has not changed much compared to 1985. Also, even if it weren’t for the war in Ukraine, you wouldn’t want to serve in the Russian army. That is, unless you like being beaten, tortured, then abused as a петух (rooster). I hope all readers realized what that means.

The narration surprises from the end of the first chapter, then it builds expectation for the worse at the right moments: “Little did I know that in the not-too-distant future…”; “I had no idea that soon I would be entangled in a quagmire…”; “Such a fool I was back then.”; “It turned out I was wrong, of course…”; “I needed more than prayers to find a way out of the deep hole I suddenly found myself in.”

I would expect such a story to take three installments, and I was puzzled that the epilogue seemed so final (of course it cannot be). The part before “What happened after crossing that threshold is a different story” feels almost like a useless filler. Then, there’s a rushed explanation of what followed, but without telling much, so it leaves almost intact the expectation for a follow-up. Still, it’s this questionable management of the epilogue that disappointed me.

❷ Character-wise, I don’t think the reader is supposed to identify with Andrej or to fully empathize with him. The narrative is obviously having a dual purpose, and the most apparent part of it is the various sets of rules for life. Coming from the “Grim ecosystem” (something I won’t explain here), I was expecting such rules. And they’re not necessarily bad.

In Chapter 1, 7+1 rules “to find your path in life.” Not the best possible structure, but the last one is golden.

In Chapter 4, 5 “psychological rules concerning games of chance like poker.” Unfortunately, I feel nothing about such games. Games of chance, or chance and skill, but still with a strong random component, aren’t my thing, be it poker or backgammon. I cannot play whist or canasta. I find the bridge to be too complex to offer any satisfaction. This doesn’t mean that I’m a strong player of chess or Go, but I do like them a lot. But the first rule of this set should be observed in many other circumstances.

Regarding the fourth rule, I have to object: I don’t find it compatible with the idea of honor. Sure thing, it’s a competition, and fundamentally a zero-sum game in the sense that there’s no inherent win-win possibility. One cannot play pants down, which is why the presence of such card games cannot be seen as “educational,” not even in the “honor system” preached by this book.

In Chapter 9, 5 rules to follow when “deals and agreements with criminals” are involved. The first one is related to the aforementioned golden one. The last one revolves around the core keyword of the Grim system: honor. But with a stress on how it affects reputation.

In Chapter 12, 5 rules to survive in prison and not become a victim. Many rules entangle with rules from other sets.

In Chapter 13, 7 “rules for dealing with bullies, whether in prison or anywhere else.” It inevitably ends with “Be honorable.” You can also watch, on the YouTube channel of GRIM HUSTLE, How to Stop A Bully So He Regrets It.

In Chapter 17, 5 rules for communicating with women, or “mastering the way you express yourself so a woman will listen.” I won’t comment on them, except for this: They are certainly practical.

For the sake of argument, let’s say this is a self-help book. This is not exactly what it is, but with regard to the sets of rules, let’s assume this simplification. Well, don’t I just hate this mania of offering “5 rules for this,” “7 rules for that,” “10 rules for whatever,” or “12 rules for whatnot”!

This is clichéd, because one can systematize anything in any arbitrary set of “rules,” with nested sub-rules if needed. It all depends on how you want to set borders and thresholds. Historically, and except for the Ten Commandments, people preferred fewer rules. Three are the bare minimum, inspired by either the Trinity or the triangle as the simplest polygon. Four was more successful, from the SWOT analysis to everything that can be split by a cross. (That’s geometry, not Christianity.) But 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 12, and rarely larger numbers, say 20, gained also momentum. It’s all BS!

This said, the included rules partially overlap, and it would have been difficult not to. But even so, there are many topics not covered at all—which is why one should wait for Book 2 and Book 3 from the series. Yes, I’m pretty sure it’s going to be a Book 3 too. How about 9 Rules for Life by Russian Mafia Boss, or 7 Rules to Have 100% Focus in Life? (Except that “Pray Every Day” is not a sensible rule. Praying is illogical, but you couldn’t possibly understand that if you’re a religious person.)

❸ Beyond the sets of rules, there are many other teachings hidden in plain sight. The full meaning of “honor” isn’t explicitly clarified, but it results indirectly from the various rules and from the story, I suppose. Either way, let’s talk about trust, integrity, and betrayal. As we’ll see at some other topic, greed also plays a role.

About Ziya, in Chapter 13: “I felt the lack of trust on his side was a betrayal. … but it was convenient for him to have a young, fit guy like me involved in his dirty business.” Then, “An honor once tarnished is not easily restored, and trust broken might never be mended.” But the worst had yet to come.

Andrej’s life has changed because of Ziya, “because of his greed.” “You dragged me into your dirty business like a fucking child in the fog.”

What is dirty in this world of criminals (but there are so many kinds of criminals!) and that of a “future Russian mafia boss”? That’s a crucial question to be asked. Apparently, one can kill and still be honorable. (I’ll give you later my definition of honorability.) Yet, there are boundaries.

Greed is a sin, and drugs are the red line. In Chapter 14:

“Even a baryga – a smuggler – should have some honor and know better than to deal with drugs.”
“I do business, bratan,” Ziya said with a smile. “Pecunia non olet, as they said in Ancient Rome – money does not stink.”
“Zhadnost’ vsyakomu goryu nachalo – Greed is the root of all sorrow – as they say in Russia.”

“We have no respect for those who give up their integrity for money, suki.” But it’s only in Chapter 17 that Andrej finally changed his mind about Ziya.

Does this book try to teach people how to tell who they can trust, or it just shows how bad it is to fail at it?

❹ Here’s a blunt question: What is it all REALLY about? Beyond the “events and expeditions,” “learn a new skill set at each event,” and “build real bonds,” what is this club of “high achievers”? What if it were a fraternity of a kind, more like a freemasonry thing, meant to unite and liberate at the same time? Who knows, maybe some people still hold the faith that things like “The Great Reset” can be avoided, and the fall of Western civilization prevented, which would also mean that neither the Chinese nor the AI could rule over us all.

The Ring of Grim is advertised on YouTube with such wording: “GRIM is built so that you can use your full potential, escape tyranny, and live an independent, sovereign life.” and “They try to cut us off from you.”

But it could as well be just an organization (no capital “O” here) that takes some money from some people, makes them happier and somewhat smarter, and that’s that. No activation button for “The Big Day.” With the degree of faith that I have in Homo sapiens sapiens, I bet on the worst scenario, and I often win. What bothers me is that it’s not always easy to identify the worst of several possible outcomes.

❺ And yet, tyranny is another keyword hidden in plain sight. The communist regimes were only a pretext. Freedom is something we still don’t enjoy. And one more opportunity to insert the password: honor.

Chapter 4:

“But it is a rotten system!” I raised my voice. “There is no honor, there is no dignity, only fear keeps everything together. … Perhaps it would be better to be governed by kings, and knights with honor, than by snitches, and corrupt policemen. …”

While criticizing the so-called socialism, here’s what Andrej thinks in Chapter 11:

Yet, was capitalism a better choice? The so-called free market in the West was more efficient at producing material goods, that is true. But it also created a mindless consumer society of isolated individuals. In a way it was even more effective at disconnecting people from God than the Soviets, despite it being the overt goal of the communist system.

Chapter 13:

I keep reminding myself of those times, because it is in our hands to either allow tyranny, or to stand in its way.

Then, after having mentioned “Arbeit macht frei”:

In many ways, modern capitalist society mirrors this same logic. We are promised happiness and freedom if we go to school, get a degree, and secure a job. 

Yet public education often stifles rather than nurtures our true potential, and the labor market, combined with an oppressive taxation system, ensures that even in an age of incredible production efficiency, most people are barely getting by. 

Many are ensnared in debt and trapped in mental patterns of dependence, making true freedom as unattainable for them as it was for us in that Siberian penal colony. 

At least in the colony, we could see the walls of our prison: the barbed wire, the guard towers, and the faces of our oppressors.

Chapter 14:

“Are you happy to be a servant of the state?” Kamen asked, as the laughter died down.

“I am nobody’s servant.”

❻ Am I paranoid? Either way, teachings and keywords galore. Try to identify them!

Chapter 9:

As he spoke, I tensed up, but his eyes were honest, and I felt no mockery in his deep voice. “Your negotiation style was interesting to look at,” he continued. “It is good, you can stand your ground.”

Chapter 17:

  • It was during that time I came to realize the importance of communication and how much power a man can wield if he has the ability to convey his thoughts effectively.
  • It is hard to overstate the value of a true friendship with an honorable man…
  • It was also then that I began to see that human beings were multidimensional creatures, with sometimes conflicting characteristics. This was an important lesson, which later allowed me to accept the same about myself.
  • Such knowledge can be a powerful tool to keep us humble, and to be more compassionate towards other people’s faults, but there are some things that cannot and should not be accepted by a man of honor.
  • Some dirt can be hard to wash off, it takes a lot of scrubbing and solvents to get the motor grease off your hands. But the dirt on your soul can be even harder to get rid of.
  • It is in times when we succeed, when things seem to be working in our favor, and our egos expand like a pufferfish, that we are most easily blind-sided and in danger of the greatest fall. It can be a cycle for many of us, until we learn how to break it … and just keep moving forward, towards our goals.
  • It is a simple fact that many rich people nowadays forget about, as they splurge their money on displays of opulent luxury. The envy, and resentment that come from those struggling around them are like acid that eats through the fabric of society, and when the tide turns, it is often the extravagant who are the first to go down on the chopping block.

❼ Is this conservative movement, this brotherhood, an attempt to a sect? I hope not, but it also doesn’t look like the typical Japanese or Chinese would be welcome. Abrahamic religions and their God seem to be favored. Not just “Our Lord and Savior,” because there’s also a Chechen in the book, and a positive character at that. God is everywhere, and emphatically so.

In Chapter 2: “O Lord Jesus Christ, our God, bless the food and drink of Thy servants, for Thou art holy, always, now, and forever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.”

In Chapter 4:

This time, as we sang hymns and psalms, asking God for mercy and forgiveness, I was fully present, feeling the pain dissipating, replaced by a sense of hope. 

I listened carefully as the priest read the Gospel about Christ’s suffering and death. As never before, I felt a connection with that story, grasping that like everyone else I carried my own cross. I had my own challenges, but somehow, during that mass, among a few faithful people, I felt a sense of purpose and hope in all of it. There was righteousness in the world, I thought, and we were given a choice, whether to live with virtue or submit to circumstance. 

I left the church with resolve and faith in the future. I was young and strong, and I had God on my side.

‘Whatever happens’, I told myself, ‘I will carry my cross with honor.’

…

I was never a very religious person, but the faith in God, his love, and his mercy, gave me strength to push through times when I could have been broken without it.

Who are you fooling, братан? You are a religious person, друг мой!

In Chapter 8: “When I look at it now, it seems almost as if God wanted to prepare me for what lay ahead.”

In Chapter 9, in one of the rules: “We are all lowlifes in some way or the other, but God never looks down on anyone.”

Remeber what I quoted from Chapter 11? “In a way [capitalism] was even more effective at disconnecting people from God than the Soviets, despite it being the overt goal of the communist system.”

In Chapter 12:

I tried to focus on the Jesus Prayer, repeating its lines over, and over, and over again in my head: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

…

“I am just a man,” I replied, not really knowing how to answer.

“What kind of man?”

“Christian.” The word came naturally, as the Jesus Prayer was still echoing in my mind.

Chapter 16:

He wasn’t a vor, but he had a deep sense of honor and was a truly religious person.

…

“God is great,” Aslan said, as we sat together. …

“It is not God who won the game yesterday,” I replied in a foolish boast.

“Are you certain of that my little friend?” Aslan asked with a straightforward curiosity. 

He was like that, with a simple, yet beautiful view of the world, where God was in every detail, and it was enough to look and invoke his name to reinforce that belief.

…

“Your ego needs tempering. … What God gives; God can take away. I am just here to humbly remind you about that.”

Chapter 18:

“You are a good Christian, Andrycha?”

Again, I was flustered by the question. 

“I don’t know,” I said, “I wouldn’t be here, if I was, I guess.”

“You showed you can be of service. Helping others, like a good Christian would. … Are you willing to spill blood?”

Finally, the Epilogue ends this way: “Despite my failings, I never lost God, and it was through His mercy that I found the way to tame the beast. I was ready to cross a new threshold and to start the long walk back toward the light.”

With all due respect, Слава Богу my ass.

❽ I have no objection to people’s religious affiliations, but I appreciate the decency of those who keep their faith more private. Yes, I know, a good Christian is supposed to “spread the Gospel” or “share the Word.” I guess it’s проповедовать in Russian, because in Romanian it’s “a propovădui.” (In Romanian, the religious terms are of Slavonic, not Latin, heritage; henceforth, a more appropriate term for orthodox is “pravoslavnic,” imported from православный.) Or rather свидетельствовать о Господе. I’m not much into this language. What I fear is the relatively recent revival of Western Rite Orthodoxy among youth, particularly in the US, with far-right or alt-right flavors (“unapologetic masculinity,” “anti-wokism,” “Western preservation”). I hope Grim is not a façade for such a movement.

Andrycha himself (which I reckon to be Андрюша in real life, which transliterates to Andryusha) said: “I wouldn’t be here, if I was [a good Christian], I guess.”

One could argue that “stealing from the state” (“What is owned by everyone, is owned by no one”—in Chapter 11, but it was a popular saying back in the day) is not the same as “truly stealing,” but I’m not sure that Moses and The Big Boss would agree. “Unforgiveness” is not a Christian value, quite the contrary (see Matthew 18:21-22). I’m told that Islam, too, considers forgiveness to be a virtue. So what the fuck has God to do with all this crap?

These are secular values, a secular moral code, and secular sets of rules for life. One could derive at least six of the Ten Commandments from the Golden Rule of not doing to others what you would not want done to yourself. And this principle existed even in the times of Confucius, or in other non-Abrahamic religions (Buddhism, Hinduism).

  • Don’t murder (you wouldn’t want to be killed)
  • Don’t steal (you wouldn’t want your property taken)
  • Don’t commit adultery (you wouldn’t want your spouse betrayed)
  • Don’t bear false witness (you wouldn’t want lies told about you)
  • Don’t covet (you wouldn’t want others scheming after what’s yours)
  • Honor your parents (you’d want respect from your children)

In the context of this book repeatedly hinting at the existence of tyranny even outside “socialism” or “communism” (Ring of Grim: “escape tyranny”), it’s worth mentioning that Jesus never preached for “liberation from tyranny.” If anything, he said something about giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s (Mark 12:17), thus not pushing people to find freedom and liberation in this world. So, again, God is misplaced here.

❾ Now, with or without “God on your side” (this is a personal issue), and regardless of one’s criminal record (by just or unjust laws), let me end by telling you what’s my understanding of “Be honorable.” I don’t need one or several books for that, nor a club of “achievers.” And even less the wisdom of a “mafia boss.”

Honor involves such principles (don’t count the bullets; get the gist):

  • Make your word as good as God’s word. Always honor your word.
  • Fairness, fair play, even if you’re stronger.
  • Respect your enemy as well as those weaker than you.
  • The acknowledgement and observance of basic human rights, including dignity. Not of gender fluidity and shit, but of real human rights.
  • Non-discrimination, but make it mutual. Positive discrimination is discrimination. Affirmative action and DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) are discrimination.
  • Have a conscience, regardless of your feelings and opinions. Agree to disagree. Mix this with all of the above, and you’ll respect the rights of a scumbag. Only punish based on rules and laws. Honor starts with fairness.
  • No betrayal of friendship or whatever else you committed to.
  • Be honest and admit your failure. It’s only human to hide one’s misdeeds, but once exposed, don’t deny the truth and don’t blame others (unlike Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men”). Also, if you couldn’t help yourself and betrayed (unlike Enrico Macias in “La femme de mon ami”), do the right thing.

In the end, we all have secrets, weaknesses, failures. We all have sinned. But do we have honor?

In both the prologue and the epilogue, we’re told that “Honor will come.” Nope. Honor is not a train. Honor is not Jesus. Honor isn’t something that comes, and yet, it can go away so fast! It’s something that you need to build inside yourself. It’s an achievement, and it’s as difficult a process as salvation. Or redemption, rather. But a daily prayer is not a requirement.

As for “the book behind the book,” I can’t possibly give a final assessment. It’s intriguing. It can be everything or nothing. As they say, sometimes it’s better to ask the right questions rather than find the answers. The problem is that I cannot know the right questions.

The review ends here. What follows is a “technical” discussion.

This book has four editions on Goodreads, but they’re not grouped, as it’s the case with other books. This means clicking on “Show all editions” in a book’s Goodreads page won’t show the other three editions, and the reviews for an edition won’t count for the others. It should be fixable; in the meantime, I consider the Kindle edition as the main one (the others being: hardcover; another hardcover without the publisher’s name; paperback).

Still on the “technical” side, the complimentary ePub I received is almost perfect, bar for a few details:

  • A missing Umlaut in Chapter 4 (“Jurgen”).
  • Occasionally, a comma would be missing in direct address or vocative usage, such as after “down” in “You’re going down boys.” or after “hurry” in “There is no need, we are in a bit of a hurry comrade.” (both from Chapter 11), after “man” in “You’re the man Andrej!” (from Chapter 3), and after “that” in “Are you certain of that my little friend?” (Chapter 16).
  • One or two times, paragraphs not ending in a period or in anything else, such as the paragraph ending in “I asked him” in Chapter 13. I can’t remember the other occurrence, or maybe I was dreaming it.
  • “N” in “Number 3” in Chapter 9 is not bold as it should have been.