Amanda Gorman

I distinctly remember being blown away by the author's recital during the inauguration, and I watched it on YouTube today before reading the poem slowly to appreciate it in a different way. Even if the world on the whole seems to have changed for the worse and not for the better since then, to me the poem is still perfect, both in its form and language and in its message. Reading it slowly in a book made me appreciate the rhythm, the alliterations and the word play even more.

As for the message, I want to quote the ending of the poem:

For there is always light,
If only we are brave enough to see it,
If only we are brave enough to be it.

This resonates with me even more today than three years ago.… (mais)

(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.… (mais)

A beautiful poem written for Joe Biden’s inauguration, Ms. Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb” rightly describes the United States as a country, not striving for perfection, but working toward improvement. While the overarching theme is hope, Ms. Gorman does not whitewash the reality of the social and political divide, the divisiveness and hatred and violence that has risen and thrived in this dark period of our country. It's an anthem meant to be read aloud, with its dynamic cadence, rhymes, and rhythms . I read it through once silently, but found something transformative in reading it aloud the second time.… (mais)