whole: poems on reclaiming the pieces of ourselves and creating something new

by Marla Taviano

What makes this such a stellar read is not only is Marla aware of who she is, but she's finally got to the point where she's unabashedly ready to tell us as well!" —Tyler Merritt, author of I Take My Coffee Black and Creator of The Tyler Merritt Project

When you've spent your entire life defined by your faith, who are you when that faith shatters, leaving you to pick up broken pieces, wondering if anything can be saved? Marla Taviano—author, single mom, and former Christian—set out on a journey to find out.

What she uncovered was that, after deconstructing a toxic belief system and working to dismantle systems of injustice, some things hadn't changed. She still loved people and wanted them to be free and whole—and she wanted that for herself too. It just looked different now. So poems on reclaiming the pieces of ourselves and creating something new talks about looking back to move forward, new thoughts on god, our inner lives, embodied living, and books, books, books.

If you long for the freedom to be your true self, if you ache for healing and wholeness for yourself and a broken world, if you need some lighthearted fun amid all the hard, Marla's got you. This book is a collection of mini-love letter poems to herself and all of us.

Genres: Poetry, Spirituality

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 26, 2024

About the author

Marla Taviano is into books, love, justice, globes, anti-racism, blue, gray, rainbows, and poems. She reads and writes for a living, wears her heart on her t-shirts, and is on a mission/quest/journey to live wholefarted (not a typo). She’s the author of unbelieve: poems on the journey to becoming a heretic and jaded: a poetic reckoning with white evangelical christian indoctrination. Marla lives in South Carolina with her four freaking awesome kids. Find out more at marlataviano.com.

Reviews

[Corrie Haffly · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you have read Marla Taviano’s first two books of prose poems, Unbelieve and Jaded, then you’ll first be blown away by the colorful cover of Whole, and then you’ll start to settle into another resource-rich, passionate, sometimes funny, always authentically-Marla collection of poems about deconstruction, justice, racism, fundamentalism, reconstruction, and above all, wholeness.

Marla comes out swinging with the first chapters of poems about her former fundamentalist Christian beliefs. This is where I could see some of my friends throwing the book across the room as it might bring up some uncomfortable dissonance. (Other friends might say hearty “amens” to these chapters, though.) But this is one of the most valuable parts of the book for me, as it causes me to interrogate what I believe, to compare my own experiences of church and faith with Marla’s and consider how they shaped me, and to practice the mental exercise of expanding my viewpoint to accommodate those who have walked in different shoes. And if you do manage to get past Marla’s final (for now) blaze of deconstruction poems, you’ll enter into a broad vista of poems that provoke reflection and reflect vulnerably and honestly.

My favorite poems happen to be the ones with lots of wordplay (“to the un-th degree” is my current favorite, but my favorite keeps changing each time I read), but I made some of the shorter poems into art (watch Marla’s account as she will turn these into stickers)! I’m sure that more will come!

[Jackie McGinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

When the words of a new poem
Pierce your heart with the
Familiarity of your inner thoughts.

Thank you for the ARC
I can’t wait to read it again.

[Jamie Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I think her second book is still my favorite because that’s still where I am in my journey. But I think every book this author writes from now on will be an instant add to cart

[Jordan Simpson]

Being raised in a conservative Christian…everything…and then realizing as an adult I’m not sure where I stand and what I believe, this book hit me right between the eyes. I love poetry, I love THIS poetry, and I never expected to read poetry about some of my exact thoughts, feelings, and worries in this area.

[Andrea Amole · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t talk about whole without including unbelieve & jaded. While you don’t have to read all three to understand whole, I think the experience is the best when complete.

Before reading unbelieve, I had gone through some hard things and was hurting. I wasn’t quite at the point of letting go of faith, but it was shaky. When unbelive arrived, I read it in a day. Sitting in unbelief that she so closely tells how I’ve been feeling, struggling to put it into words. Part of me heals.

Along comes jaded, the bitchy little sister. By this time, I’ve been doing more reading, more research. I’m angry at the way people are treated - 2020 sent me on a learning/growing journey that has only continued. Now it’s not just anti-science & racism that I’m dismantling in my life but also LGBTQIA+, patriarchy, hell, ‘pro-life’, and anything that sees one group of people as less than another. *see table of contents in jaded for more! I know I still have a lot of learning to do, but as I read and think and ponder, more of me heals.

Now we have whole: poems on reclaiming the pieces of ourselves and creating something new.

“…now I try to use words
solely to love
and not belittle, judge,
correct, and condemn…” (out of steam, p 15)

mirrors and windows (p 173)
“I read books looking for
things that resonate…
I also read books looking for
new ways to think and see
things I hadn’t thought of
from my limited perspective…”

While I know I won’t ever forget how I felt when all this started, how I felt when I heard the hurtful words from people I trusted and the messages I’ve received as I’ve shared more about my changing views, Marla’s books have been a huge part of my healing, growing, learning/doing better. I believe they will be helpful to you, too.

[Tamara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla is heaven-sent, I love her poetry and generous spirit and inspiring growth and change she's made coming out of a similarly religiously harmful background to my own. stop making me cry and stop reminding me about sword drills!

Here's an interview I did with Marla! https://www.tumblr.com/auralvelvet/74...

[Jenna Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla has done it AGAIN! I thought there couldn't be much else to say about the failings (and some good things) of christianity and becoming a better person, but she has written an entire other book that I didn't want to end. I'm not even really into poetry but the way she writes hooks you in and I found myself going YES! THIS! so many times. You need to read this.

[Elicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla is so good! As with the other 2, I read it in one sitting and then came back again and again.

[Paul Heatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whole new world

I was going to say that I am biased on the subject of Marla Taviano's poetry because I know her - but the fact is that even though we initially connected on social media, I mainly got to know Marla through her writing, starting with UNBELIEVE (which I am adapting as a musical), then reading her Substack and the subsequent books, JADED and WHOLE. At the end of the first book Marla compares herself to a bird, saying that she has wings and does not need to land on a particular belief system following her deconstruction. In her green sequel she is like a bird of prey, swooping with eagle-eyed precision to attack the wrongs of 'white evangelical Christian indoctrination'. Now in this wholesome but still spicy conclusion to the trilogy she emerges as a beautiful butterfly, her wings catching the light as she flutters by bringing joy wherever she goes!

[Rcdyba · Rating 5 out of 5]

"those days are over
I've been uncaged"

These lines emerge early in this book of beautiful bite-sized "blasphemous" poems--not blasphemous because Taviano offends God, but rather blasphemous because she offends "nice girl" church standards. Specifically, Whole is an emancipation proclamation from the chains of evangelical church culture.

Each poem is a nerve she flexes to question, expose, and denounce the very personal pain caused by institutional religion. She examines the personal harm of conditioned thinking, expectation of gender roles, excused religious abuse, and dangerous dogma. But she also celebrates beauty she has found (in books, for example) and the voices of other potent rogue voices. (See "my sentiments exactly" in which the entire poem is a bell hooks quote.)

Taviano is neither bitter nor cavalier about her experience. She counts the cost and champions the worth of following a unique path of spiritual freedom with potent pocket sized poems mixing a few breadcrumbs of cuss words and blessings along the way.

Marla's voice is a cry of sustained truth telling that casts the cost of personal criticism to the wind. She is free of operating in a system and free of its judgment. By the end, she indeed is not only uncaged, but Whole.

[Chloe Flanagan · Rating 5 out of 5]

“instead I just think and
read and breathe and poem”

This final line in one of the first entries in Marla Taviano’s poetry book, “whole: poems on reclaiming the pieces of ourselves and creating something new” cleverly verbs the noun “poem,” and foreshadows her treatment of wholeness throughout the rest of the book. There is nothing remotely static or complacent about wholeness, as portrayed in these pages. Wholeness is a verb. Wholeness is remembering old beliefs and spiritual burdens in the light of liberation and healing. Wholeness is confronting oppressive ideals. Wholeness is listening to wise voices. Wholeness is creating space and building community.

Part celebration, part time-slip memoir, part unabashed love letter to her children, friends, and heroes (with considerable overlap among those groups), “whole” is the third, and perhaps, most inviting book in Taviano’s thoughtful, funny, and often provocative trilogy of poetry books chronicling the choppy waters of her spiritual voyage. Readers drawn to follow this playful yet profound third portion of the journey will be delighted and comforted as often as they are challenged and inspired.

[Michelle Bailer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely phenomenal. The poems are a breath of fresh air.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO UNBELIEVABLY GOOD. I don’t like to pick favorites, but I really really really liked every single poem in Whole. They made me laugh and cry and I know I will reread them again and again over the years as I continue to seek wholeness in my life. Marla writes in a way that is deep, easy to read, and incredibly profound. She’s funny and thoughtful at the same time. One of my favorite parts of her books is how she references other authors and creators. *this is a work of art*!!

[MJ Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sharp, witty, clever, and heartfelt poetry

I'll try and think of more words later but yeah. Definitely a top read of 2024

(Big thank you to the author for the free copy! I reached out on a whim after finding out it was poetry about deconstructing american christianity (do i have a niche, guys??) and I'm SO glad i did)

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla’s writing just keeps getting better. Enjoyed reading her insights and seeing her growth from her first book of poems to her third.

[Nicole VanderDoes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whole by Marla Taviano was everything I hoped it would be and more. I read and loved her two books of poetry that preceded this one (unbelieve: poems on the journey to becoming a heretic and jaded: a poetic reckoning with white evangelical christian indoctrination) because of the range of emotions they evoked, often while making me laugh, and Whole delivers even more pithy, insightful, personal, irreverent poems. Taviano’s poetry trilogy offers a glimpse into her journey of healing from toxic Christianity and a toxic marriage. Despite her justified anger and the still very open question of “to god or not to god?” (a poem in Whole), Taviano has always been on a journey towards wholeness, not stuck in a place of unbelief nor merely jaded. In Whole, Taviano is at her best, because the best, truest parts of her have had more time to emerge in a place of relative safety. Fully confident she has the right and, finally, the freedom to think for herself, and also to live and take action consistent with her most deeply held values, Taviano’s gratitude is palpable as is her desire to help other people find wholeness.

If you have been hurt by the church or destructive religious teachings or mindsets—and so, so many people have been and continue to be—please read this book (and the first two). Taviano speaks truth, refutes lies, and names wrongs with unmatched honesty and humor. And even if she might not characterize it this way, Taviano also offers glimpses of a God who truly, deeply loves humanity and all of creation beyond understanding. In case you need it, Taviano gives you permission to be angry, to doubt, to walk away, and also to wonder, to hope, and even believe—all at the same time.

If you are in or have experienced a damaging relationship, Taviano’s poems around her divorce are reason enough to buy the book! I am acutely aware of how damaging Christianity can be (and not just the most extreme examples), but fortunately I do not have firsthand experience. I do, however, have firsthand experience with relationships that nearly broke me and left wounds that remain. And I wish many of her poems could be plastered on billboards for a couple specific people to see daily...

If you have had a healthy, life-giving faith journey and have had healthy, caring relationships, I highly recommend Whole because of the insight it offers into journeys unlike your own, and the ways it could shape your journey, too. Taviano’s poems just might inspire you to question beliefs, practices, or language you take for granted, have greater compassion for people who believe differently (including people still entrenched in the type of church Taviano left), and discover the potential for more wholeness and freedom in your own life.

[Toni Kolb · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are an ex fundamentalist, questioning your faith, or simply leaning into your spirituality without the dictation of the patriarchy, you need this book.

Marla sprinkles humor, sass, and a powerful punch into these short relatable poems. Rarely are the poems more than a page long yet they are profound.

You’ll laugh, cry, write them in your journal, and end up falling in love with Marla.

[Madeline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book of Marla’s amazing trilogy of poetry. (Go back and read Unbelieve and Jaded, you’ll thank me later). And Whole is honest, wise, really funny, made me proud of her and her journey, spoke to my own journey with faith/life/queerness/loving people/loving myself/finding wholeness. I’m so grateful for Marla’s work.

[Cara Meredith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marla gosh darn did it again! As a reader, I am left feeling desirous of my own wholeness - which might be the whole point. I love that we’re given a bird’s eye view into Marla’s journey as well. That truly is a gift.

[Leah · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of Marla’s books have been amazing to read as I’ve deconstructed my own faith. I have related to so many of her poems! This is authentic poetry that will definitely resonate with you if you’ve had reason to reconsider your own beliefs.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I could find a church that made me feel the way this book does: emboldened with a fire under my ass and inspired to create and live a life that makes me feel loved and safe. Instead, I'll keep going to Marla's poetry and keep saying, "Amen. Amen. Amen." until I can't say it anymore.

[Tricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marla has an amazing gift for telling a complete story through poetry. Whole is a beautiful journey of hope for those who are reevaluating their faith. If you are one of those people, you will find no greater cheerleader than Marla.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Marla Taviano strikes the nail in the head, hits a (w)hole in one, and lots of other idioms! She finishes her trilogy full of hope and inspiration.

[Keri Murcray · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this third book by Marla! Just as honest, truthful, vulnerable and convicting as the previous two. Love her poems!

[Alex Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book tore me open and healed me up in all the best ways possible.

[Kelly Hager · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is 100% the book I needed.

[Amy White · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful on the inside & out just like the author. Marla’s words will make you laugh & cry (in the best way) & likely resonate with many of them.

[Eady Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are looking for some deconstruction poetry, Marla Taviano has written three books full!

She delves into topics like deconstructing sexuality and purity culture, deconstructing racism and whiteness, deconstructing evangelicalism, church and missions work.

Her poetry is part memoir, sharing about her husband’s affair, divorce, parenting and living in another country as a missionary.

She disrobes the patriarchy with her prose—uncovering white male supremacy and helping dismantle it. She affirms queer people and their relationships, repenting of past harm.

Marla’s poetry is emotional, expressive, sometimes angry and jaded, she expresses doubt, and a passionate journey to loving oneself and forming a new identity post-deconstruction. She draws on other authors and commemorates Rachel Held Evans. She is witty and funny, but also supports grief, sadness, and tears.

Her books are very relatable for people experiencing faith deconstruction with elements of reconstruction (in queer-affirmation, anti-racism, gender equity etc.).

Read it and weep!