NewSouth

Reviewed by:
Joan Sung, Librarian Writer/Member of the Southern Stories Foundation, dedicated to developing Alabama stories for film and video

As a librarian, I am faced with recommending reading material to a broad range of patrons of different ages, interests and backgrounds. Behold, This Dreamer is one of those rare books that will satisfy readers of several genres.

First, it is a rich historical novel full of vivid images of 1920's Alabama. Charlotte Miller has done an excellent job researching the sights, sounds, culture, social mores and everyday minutae of this period that make the story so colorful and intriguing.

Behold, This Dreamer also presents a social commentary of the extreme stratification between the the abject poor and the ruling wealthy of the time. Sharecropping was a way of life for many in Alabama and Ms. Miller reveals how truly appalling the conditions were for generations of families and how hard it was to break free of both the financial and emotional bonds of poverty. It took a tremendous strength of will and character to overcome the attitude that people who worked the land were somehow third class citizens but Janson Sanders, the main character, has inherited a strong sense of pride from his family that moves him forward to future dreams.

On a third level, Behold, This Dreamer is a timeless romantic story of the hopes and dreams of youth and all the hurdles they must overcome in that time and place to be together.

All of these features are wrapped in one novel written in an easy, flowing style that makes it almost impossible to put down once the reader opens the cover.

Short review:
Library patrons will enjoy Behold, This Dreamer by Charlotte Miller on several levels. Written in an easy to read, flowing style, it is a rich historical novel set in 1920's Alabama during the Prohibition era, a social commentary of the extremes between rich landowners and poor sharecropers in the state and a timeless romance of lovers fighting to be together against seemingly impossible odds of rigid social order.

Joan Sung
Librarian Writer/Member of the Southern Stories Foundation, dedicated to developing Alabama stories for film and video.