Fire
in the Barrel
By D.A. Dintzer
Xlibris, 2001
ISBN 1-4010-1106-3
182 pages, $16
Review by Anitra Freeman
A conservative Senator is persuaded by a liberal
Congressman and friend to spend one week living
as a homeless person, wagering that it will change
his opinions (and vote) on social programs. Unplanned
events lead the Senator far deeper - and longer
- into the homeless community than he had planned,
with more life-changing consequences than either
he or his friend had expected.
This story is written by a believer. As a Naval
officer, Dintzer was himself awakened to the realities
of poverty by a duty-related visit to one of the
poorest neighborhoods of Detroit. He extended
his awareness and empathy with two weeks living
as a homeless person in one of the rougher areas
of Detroit, and another two weeks in the Denny
Regrade (Belltown) area of Seattle. His desire
in this book is to present the humanity of people
in homelessness and poverty, and so increase public
empathy, compassion, and action.
I am glad that the book tacitly acknowledges that
one week living in a "fleabag hotel"
with $50 in your pocket (the Senator's original
planned excursion) is not a true experience of
homelessness. He has to lose his memory, money,
and lodging to really begin to "get it."
Even then, he has it relatively easy: he is the
guest of a working family that lives under the
bridge.
There are a few unrealistic points. Dr. Wes Browning
gets rather impatient with me when I fret over
these logic problems in fiction plots, but I still
fret. One of the central factors in the Senator's
psychology is how much he loves his little girl,
how much he misses her while he's away, how much
he longs to be back with her. But we never hear
anything about who is taking care of her while
he's gone! And what happened at home when he didn't
show up on time?
The book is realistic in depicting the variety
of homelessness, including a mentally ill poet,
the alcoholic men sharing wine around a "fire
in the barrel," a working wife and mother
living with her children in a hand-build shack
under a bridge, altruists, and predators. It is
compassionate in depicting almost everyone with
dignity (with the exception of the predators).
Dintzner's main strength is in characterization;
he's written about it for an online writer's magazine.
Books that have a mission have a certain common
feel to them. If you like laughter, thrills, and
general entertainment, you might be bored. If
you like the Reader's Digest, church magazines,
and general inspirational literature, you'll probably
enjoy it. It has won a Clara Award, a book award
judged without knowing who the author is, in the
category of Mystery and Suspense.
The novel seems to be effective in fulfilling
its mission, and it is certainly sincere. It may
be a good Christmas gift for someone you know
that you want to educate about homelessness. A
portion of the proceeds goes to the Rhode Island
Coalition for the Homeless and other initiatives
toward ending homelessness in America.
When I worry about who's babysitting Jennifer,
I remind myself it's just a story. But overall
- with its lively characters and homeless heroes,
and the commitment of the Senator in the end -
I wish it weren't.
I think that's the strongest praise I can give
the book. I wish it were true.