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peachani's review against another edition
3.0
Graphic: Pandemic/Epidemic
Moderate: Grief and Racism
Minor: Colonisation, Confinement, Slavery, Violence, War, Death, Medical trauma, and Police brutality
ellornaslibrary's review against another edition
5.0
This isn't just poetry, but a history lesson couched in moving words that will twist you in so many different ways it'll leave you feeling raw with emotions: hope, anger, joy, sorrow. The way Amanda Gorman intertwines the experience of the Covid Pandemic with what has come before is powerful. I learned things I never knew: like how elements of history don't exist in a bubble, but instead are bonded with others. The most shocking was that of refugees desperate to escape the Jim Crow south, WW1, and the Spanish Flu. We are always blaming the innocent for what they did not do, and it is always fueled by hate. Do we never learn?
I can see ways the world has learned, though often it feels like for every step forward these days, we take two steps back. It feels like we're just repeating the past especially right now with all this injustice allowed to be committed by cops/white supremacist groups/nazis/other hate groups, puritanical charades about protecting the children that are misinformation, book banning, and hate - against Drag Queens, against Trans people, against Immigrants/Migrants/Refugees. I think if ever there was an important time for this book to be read and taught? It's now.
There's definitely a lot to unpack in her words, especially about how even in despair, there's still joy to be found. I suppose there's a great deal to be said about the empowerment to be found as well. About not losing hope, about not giving up, about not being silent. So, even with everything above, losing hope and giving up would be terrible. I do hope that one day people will learn and more of us stand together than apart to continue enacting positive change for the future of the world and the generations to come. I didn't see it during the Covid Pandemic - people content to be selfish instead of staying at home, wearing masks, social distancing, and getting vaccinated even if it meant the deaths of those most vulnerable or their own loved ones - but perhaps this pandemic we're still living through while people bury their heads in the sand will be the one that teaches future generations, and governments, not to make the same mistakes.
One can hope.
Graphic: Death, Pandemic/Epidemic, Violence, Gun violence, Forced institutionalization, Mental illness, Colonisation, Biphobia, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Medical content, Racism, War, Grief, Hate crime, Homophobia, Mass/school shootings, Genocide, Police brutality, and Slavery
I doubt I got every CW so please check other reviews.mirandyli's review against another edition
4.75
Graphic: Hate crime, Racism, Classism, Slavery, Xenophobia, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Violence, Grief, Colonisation, Pandemic/Epidemic, Murder, Police brutality, and War
cassellwrites's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Racism and Pandemic/Epidemic
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
4.0
Her words perfectly capture the spirit and emotions that pretty much everyone has felt at some point in the past few years and I can’t imagine anyone not finding at least one poem that will deeply resonate. Even if you don’t like (or enjoy) poetry, I still urge you to pick this up—you may be surprised how much you enjoy it.
And if your curious, some of my faves were:
At First
The Shallows
Lucent
Fury & Faith
The Truth In One Nation
What We Carry
(And of course) The Hill We Climb
Graphic: Grief, Racism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Slavery
Minor: Colonisation and Mass/school shootings
hullomoon's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Racism and Medical content
The medical content is in reference topointeshoebookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Moderate: War, Slavery, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Gun violence, and Hate crime
lahars_little_library's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Racism, Slavery, Violence, Death, Grief, and Police brutality
Minor: Mass/school shootings
sophtanda's review against another edition
5.0
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Racism, War, Grief, Death, Gun violence, Hate crime, and Police brutality
hmetwade's review against another edition
4.75
Moderate: Colonisation, Classism, Grief, Police brutality, Medical content, and Racism