I remember being in college and the friends in my life at the time that were taking English classes went through the Christian poet phase. Bradley Hathaway and Levi the Poet were the bee’s knees and I bought into it by getting Hathaway’s book/CD combo and Levi’s albums. The phase did not last long, let me tell you.
I read All the Hits and felt so moved by some of Hathaway’s words, probably because I was also on a spiritual high at the time because of the environment I was in. Nothing wrong with that. Now that I have been out of that environment and out of a spiritual high for about a year, I can objectively say that All the Hits is made specifically for those who live in that day to day, all the time.
If I were to compare the two, Levi is more mature than Bradley, which can be a good thing. To live and write with a sense of youth makes for a good take on how someone’s personal relationship with God can be. Personally, my two favorite’s coming from this book were The Hug Poem and Manly Man. Manly Man came at a good time when I had decided to be single for two-ish years so I could focus on getting through school and figuring out what I really wanted in a person to be stuck with. I can definitely see where a guy could use it as a way to win over girls. The Hug Poem is just something incredibly intimate with Jesus that people never consider because we always look at Him as a spiritual being and not a human being as well.
In the end, a book cannot survive on two poems alone, just like authors cannot really survive on two books, and artists cannot survive on two songs, two pieces, etc. You have to keep going and keep putting out more things, or else people will not go with you, but move on to something else to go along journeys with. That is why I probably would not read the book itself again. I would recommend a once through if you are looking to expand into poetry and are looking for a faith-based starter. You will be able to find it here.
6/10
Chofa Times on the Chofa 