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Chautona Havig

Chautona Havig

Using story to connect YOU to the Master Storyteller

Is The Famine of the Human Dream Worth Reading?

by Challice Neipp · 5 Comments

Just what is the "Famine of the Human Dream" and what will this book tell you about it? Well, I still don't know, but maybe you can tell me! via @chautonahavig

My big toe curled around a chunk of carpet. Hands behind my back. I probably rocked a bit. Up on the balls of my feet, back on my heels.

“They borrowed a bed to lay His head when Christ the Lord came down.”

Dad stopped me right there.

I was practicing a poem I’d memorized to recite at church. Aaannnd… in that sing-song way kids do, I recited it like a schoolyard jump rope ditty. Dad wasn’t having any of that.

No siree!

How did he solve it? He made me memorize “The Face on the Barroom Floor” in order to teach me proper poetic inflection. Because that’s how you learn it for another poem, right?

I learned to love poetry recitation. And, to both of our surprises, I turned out to be pretty good at it.

Hint: I would have learned it just as well if he’d just said, “Recite it as if you were telling someone the story instead of regurgitating what you’d read.”

But hey, I did memorize a cool poem that I love to this day, so that counts, right?

A year or so later, Mom did her book drop thing and this time, she dropped Emerson’s Essays on my bed. “There’s some good stuff in there—some nonsense, of course, but good stuff, too.” This time she issued a challenge. “Let me know when you run across one you think is messed up. I’m curious if we agree.”

Mom knew how to make you want to do something. If she’d said, “I want to make sure you know which ones are unBiblical,” I might not have been nearly as eager to figure it out.

So, while my friends were reading “choose your own adventure” books and Judy Blume, I was memorizing poetry and reading Emerson. #becausefamily.

I can almost hear you thinking, “So what’s the point? That’s a nice story, Chautona, but why are you telling me this?”

Well, it’s why I was interested in a book of collected poems and essays called The Famine of the Human Dream.

The opportunity to review it came up and I thought, “Hmm… sounds like something Mom would have liked.” I got a review copy. And this week I read it.

Is The Famine of the Human Dream Worth Reading? the famine of the human dream review

Note: Links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you. Additionally, I requested a review copy of this book and chose to review it.

Is The Famine of the Human Dream Worth Reading?

Okay, so maybe that’s a weird title. When someone puts their heart into a work, it’s worth reading. Why it’s worth reading is always up in the air, but that’s a bit simplistic—the “is” it part.

I had really high hopes for this book. Poetry and essays—two of my favorite things. Unfortunately, the book didn’t live up to its potential in my estimation.

Because it’s such a deeply personal thing to the author, I’m going to be brief with my explanation of why it didn’t grab me, and then I’ll get onto its merits. Okay?

Objections.

It took three or four chapters to get to an essay I actually enjoyed. Most of them were a bit disjointed and held tenuous threads to each other. His actual discussion of the human dream and what causes a rift and all that–I don’t think I’m sufficiently intelligent to get what he said. After several rereads, a friend trying to explain what she thought he meant, and more rereads, I’m still lost.

The poetry, too, I found vaguely related to the topics sometimes. He quoted several from Rumi interspersed with the rest of the essays.

Some of his personal poetry was too personal to him and his love for his wife for me to be comfortable with. This isn’t his problem. It’s mine.  I’ve never been comfortable with “love poems” of any kind. A few I tolerate better than others, but mostly because I know the parties are dead, so it feels less of an intrusion to their privacy to me.

I know. It’s just me—got issues, I tell ya.

My biggest objection and frustration was the last third or so of the book where he collects public domain poems that he asserts aren’t usually included in most poetry collections. These included poems by Rumi, Sara Teasdale, Whittier, Longfellow, Frost, and Shelley.

“Ozymandias” was one of the ones included. A friend and I were eating together while I was reading. She’s not a big poetry aficionado. Friends stopped by the table. One was—the other wasn’t. All four of us had heard of and/or familiar with 80% of the poems.

My objection there isn’t the poetry but that there is an assumption that he’s done something few others have. Seriously, I can pull out most of my poetry collections and find several of the ones in this in each of those. And for reasons I can’t quite explain, that bugged me.

Overall, my biggest objection was the deeply personal topics for some of his essays and poems on a book that isn’t presented as such and that the organization is a bit disjointed in the beginning. It was tough to follow.

So, did I like anything?

I actually did. The author is a passionate poet and essayist. I could feel his connection with his work, and if he has a blog, I’d be likely to skip over there from time to time to see what he’d shared.

His thoughts on heaven intrigued me. He brought out thoughts and images I hadn’t considered before, and I’ll be digging into the Word to see what it has to say because of that essay.

Who do I recommend it for?

People who enjoy having a book to pick up, peruse, set down, and return to at some other date will likely enjoy this book most. If you are drawn to essays and poetry, you may find this book a nice addition to your collection.

Although it wasn’t a favorite of mine, I am glad I received a review copy. It did give me a few minutes with a few old friends (poems) and got me thinking a few times.

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Comments

  1. James Robert says

    June 15, 2019 at 5:45 am

    Your book sounds like a great read and thank you for sharing it with us.

    Reply
  2. Joy says

    June 15, 2019 at 5:39 am

    Poetry (in general) is not a form of expression in which I’ve found much enjoyment. (Song lyrics are the exception. Maybe it’s the way music sets the tone and directs my ability to understand the intent of the words.)
    So I was pretty sure I’d be lost/ frustrated/ bored by the poetry parts of this book. I was surprised to discover how much I enjoyed the author’s original work. The experiences described felt deeply personal, yet the emotions behind those experiences became universally accessible.
    Thank you for bringing this book to my attention!

    Reply
  3. Dianna says

    June 14, 2019 at 8:30 pm

    I don’t think I’m smart enough to really understand poetry!

    Reply
  4. Amelia says

    June 14, 2019 at 5:11 pm

    Thank you for the review.

    Reply
  5. Debbie P says

    June 14, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    This book sounds like a really great read.

    Reply

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The Because Fiction Podcast

The Because Fiction Podcast
The Because Fiction Podcast

Taking the pulse of Christian fiction

Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
byChautona Havig

Nothing says fairy tale like a sweet western romance by an author like Karen Witemeyer… unless it’s a fairytale retelling set in Texas in the late 19th century, right?  Fairest of Heart takes the familiar “Snow White” and turns it on its head with retired cowboys, a self-absorbed actress, a Texas Ranger, and a sweet girl who knows the true Source of her beauty.  Listen in to see all the genius Easter eggs Witemeyer planted in this book.

Note: links may be affiliate links that provide me with a small commission at no extra expense to you.

Sometimes All a Girl Needs Is a True Change of Heart

I fell in love with the cover of Karen Witemeyer’s Head Over Heels a few years back (only to learn it’s much older than that, even), and meant to read that book.  I didn’t.  #BecauseIdiot. Well, that’ll be rectified just as soon as I’m done listening to her first book in a trilogy of fairytale retellings. I loaded it up on my Audible app tonight and wheeeeeeee. Here I go! So much for no new books until October. HA! 

Karen talks about her heart for young women today and how they’re taught by every bit of media blasting at them that they need to use their bodies to get what they need or want when the Lord has a better plan. And I can’t guarantee it, but I strongly suspect she does it without preaching. SQUEE!

Fairest of Heart by Karen Witemeyer

Once upon a time in Texas . . .

Beauty has been nothing but a curse to Penelope Snow. When she becomes a personal maid for a famous actress whose troupe is leaving Chicago to tour the West, she hides her figure beneath shapeless dresses and keeps her head down. But she still manages to attract the wrong attention, leaving her prospects in tatters–and her jealous mistress plotting her demise.

After his brother lost his life over a woman, Texas Ranger Titus Kingsley has learned to expect the worst from women and is rarely disappointed. So when a young lady found in suspicious circumstances takes up residence with the seven old drovers living at his grandfather’s ranch, Titus is determined to keep a close eye on her.

With a promotion hanging in the balance, Titus is assigned to investigate a robbery case tied to Penelope’s acting troupe, and all evidence points to Penelope’s guilt. But Titus might just be convinced that the fairest woman of all has a heart as pure as her last name . . . if only he can prove it.

You can learn more about Karen Witemeyer and her books on her WEBSITE. Don’t forget the book is 30% off on BakerBookHouse.com.  

Follow Karen on BookBub and GoodReads.

And don’t forget her Posse Group on Facebook.

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Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
Episode 265: A Chat with Karen Witemeyer
September 29, 2023
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Episode 261: Chatting with Christian Youth Fiction Author, Candice Yamnitz
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