“If you think about it, we’re all just stories that we tell one another, right? So, you are the stories that other people are telling about you to one another. You’re the stories that you are telling yourself in your mind,” explains Karol Lagodzki, author of Controlled Conversations. “Story making is a human imperative. That’s how we go through life. And so, as writers, we have the responsibility of understanding that. And as we create our stories, for our stories to have a positive impact, to have an impact that furthers the freedom making of human beings, that furthers the empathy that we might feel toward one another.”

Karol Lagodzki’s book Controlled Conversations, published on August 20, 2024, is set in 1982 Soviet-controlled Poland – a time and place of suspicion and mistrust. The book features characters that come to life amidst themes that continue to be relevant present day both politically and through universal human experience.

“It’s a little difficult to go back on this archaeological expedition, right? But I can tell you that as far as the story itself, it started with the title,” states Lagodzki. Lagodzki explains that the title is loaded in that “controlled conversations” or “rozmowy kontrolowane” in Polish is an idiomatic expression. “During martial law in 1981 to 83, all conversations, all calls had to be connected by hand. There were no automatic connections. And the phone operator had to announce to the parties that they were connecting, ‘this conversation is being controlled.’ And so, you have a movie that’s titled in Polish, “Rozmowy kontrolowane” or “Controlled Conversations,” and when you say that idiomatic phrase, a Polish person, at least of a certain age, they’ll know what you mean.” It started with that for Lagodzki, and he started writing the book in 2016 up until he finished writing in 2022. He states, “I’m not sure to what extent it was a coincidence and to what extent it was spurred by feeling more and more like I was seeing some of the same things I saw growing up in Poland here in the U.S. Some of the same political forces taking control.”

In Controlled Conversations, “if you read it, you’ll see how regular people go through life trying to maintain some degree of dignity living and working under an autocratic government.  I also hope that toward the end, there is some sense of optimism that these negative forces can be fought or can be resisted, even on small levels, personal life levels, that can be resisted and that we can, to some extent, not become 100% drones in that system,” states Lagodzki. In this manner, Controlled Conversations provides commentary on current and prevalent themes in our present day, as Lagodzki states that he thinks over the past decade or so we have seen a resurgence of more autocratic movements worldwide. He continues, “As I look out and see people being sent to prisons without due process, as I see folks being arrested for things that they post online, that is something that an autocratic government did and will do. And I’m very concerned that this is something that we are seeing now.”

“If you find yourself thinking about saying something publicly, but then find yourself feeling fear, not fear of peer reaction or fear of sounding stupid, right? But fear about the state coming after you for saying what you’re about to say, then that means you’re living in an autocratic regime. And you can probably imagine certain things you might say publicly now that won’t be 100% safe, which means that you are starting to live in an autocratic system. We’re not all the way there yet, so there’s still time to stand to resist. There’s still time to change course. But things are progressing very quickly, and I’m concerned,” states Lagodzki.

In referencing the role education has played in his life, Lagodzki states, “I think that one thing that’s important to remember is that knowledge and insight, both of those, are the only things that no one can take away from you. You can lose your freedom, you can even lose so many different things in life, but if you know something, it’s hard to unknow it, right? And knowledge is power.” He continues, asserting that the more we know, the more powerful we are, and states that this is why autocratic governments tend to go after universities and education. “And so, it’s important to me to continue to build that layer upon layer of knowledge as I go through my life, as I grow older, as well as to make sure that others have opportunities as well to have the same options in their lives.” 

When reading Controlled Conversations, Lagodzki would like people to give the characters on the page a chance of coming across as real people. He emphasizes the importance of being open to new viewpoints, stating, “And if the folks reading the book are not exactly what the characters are, that’s great, because that allows them the opportunity to see the world from somebody else’s point of view. So, if those points of view, if those attitudes and feelings, don’t necessarily match the reader’s perspective, I would ask that the readers give that a chance and then think about what it would feel like to be that person in their lives.” Even more than just giving other perspectives a chance, Lagodzki provides a learning opportunity, encouraging readers to “think about maybe potential learnings or potential insights that they might take away from what those characters are going through in their own lives. Because I think as much as I hate to say it, that what those characters are going through in the book is becoming more and more applicable to what we are all going through.” 

Both eye-opening and empowering, Lagodzki’s book Controlled Conversations is a skillfully crafted narrative that provides an opportunity for readers to connect to the characters on a deeper level and to reflect upon their own lives in a time in history when it is essential to do so.