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On the heels of World War II, Europe was rebuilding, but Greece was kicked into a vicious civil war that killed more Greeks than did the Nazi occupation. Hatzopoulos lived through both wars (plus a childhood escape in the dead of winter), which forever stained his world view. Now retired from a hard-won but successful career in the casino gaming industry in the Bahamas and California, and struggling with terminal cancer, he fervently warns America that armed revolution is coming in twenty years or less.
His grounds for the future revolution are well reasoned and parallel Greece’s mid-twentieth century strife: just as the communists did in Greece, America’s lawmakers impose a minority ideology on the majority; the underprivileged are denied education; voters are suppressed; racism is rampant (resistance to Obama is the cited proof); political officials are corrupt and uncompromising; politics overlap with religion. This excessive oppression, if continued, will foment revolution.
Hatzopoulos’s tale is fascinating. He intersperses history with his life story: from a fatherless boy raised mainly in an orphanage; to struggling immigrant who learns English on the job while fending off corrupt gaming industry characters in the Bahamas; to successful husband, father, and manager in a California casino. His writing style is eclectic and shows his Greek language background, but it is still charming and inspirational. For instance, he and some Greek coworkers had their shoes shined three times a week to give the Bahamian shoeshine boys respect and money. Despite a difficult life, Hatzopoulos never loses his idealism and desire to uplift others. His life demonstrates faith in hard work and the indomitable human spirit. He believes Americans can still be a beacon of hope and can, in this “historic and bountiful land of plenty,” avoid a revolution—but only if the majority speak up.