Hardcover, 80 pages
Published Sept. 21, 2021 by Viking Books for Young Readers.
On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe.
This edition includes a foreword by Oprah Winfrey.
I am not normally one to read poetry, but this is exceptional.
It is beautiful, hopeful, strong, and honest.
The hope and faith Gorman shows through her writing makes reading it all the more painful, as we look at the state of the US and how we treat everyone domestically and abroad.
Call Us What We Carry is a poetry collection with emphases on the pandemic and BLM movement. I enjoyed a great deal of the poems and appreciated the historical facts and statistics. My only criticism is that the collection went on far too long. After a while, the pieces repeated themselves with little to no added value. I would have preferred this much more if it had been half the length.
Here are my two favorite quotes:
"We mourn the past more than we miss it." - from "In the Deep"
"What endures isn't always what escapes/& what is withered can still withstand." - from "Cordage, or Atonement"
I enjoyed reading this but preferred the delivery and emotion of the inaugural reading more.
This poem seems to have made Amanda Gorman into a household name overnight, and she absolutely deserves it. What an incredibly talented writer - we are blessed by her words.
