I am not one to normally enjoy or be moved by poetry, but I found myself feeling so much when reading Amanda's poems. The descriptive narrative and creative word play throughout invokes memories of emotions felt when it was written. Some poems felt much more impactful than others, but the ones that hit hit me hard. ( )

I've been meaning to read this book for years. The collection was astounding! ( )

(4.75 Stars)

Beautiful. Powerful. Honest. These are the words I am using to describe Amanda Gormans poems, but my words could never do hers Justice.

I normally listen to audiobooks at a faster speed, but this book I listened to normal speed so I could hear it in her cadence, her pacing, her voice.

You’ll like this book if you like black voices… if you believe in Justice for everyone… or if you just like beautifully written poetry. It is part history lesson, part current events, all of it is thought provoking and even thoughtful. ( )

After watching Biden's inauguration, it was inevitable that I would need to own this book as soon as I knew that it would exist.

Saying that I prefer to watch Gorman perform over reading these myself is almost a non-statement, in that the vast majority of poetry is better read aloud, but Gorman is also a particularly magical performer.

This is a worthy collection that continues to explore many of the themes from "The Hill We Climb." My favorite lines are closing of "The Unordinary World," near the end of the collection:

Who are we, if not
What we make of the dark.

Recommended for those needing some patriotic optimism that still engages with the difficult truths of this nation's history. ( )

Such a beautiful book of poetry. Amanda has perfectly captured the nuances of what we have been facing these past years and I believe that this volume will be something people study one hundred years from now when they are learning about our time. I really enjoyed reading it.

Two of my favorite excerpts from this collection:

"It's said that ignorance in bliss.
Ignorance is this: a vine that
sneaks up a tree, killing not by
poison, but by blocking out its
light."

"Strength is separate from survival.
What endures isn't always what escapes
& what is withered can still withstand." ( )