A review by mariannemersereau
Blue Atlas by Susan Rich

4.0

The poems in this collection are very timely as pregnant people in the U.S. deal with the aftermath of the Supreme Court's decision to take away federally guaranteed reproductive rights and leave it up to the states to decide whether or not people can access abortion care. The speaker in Blue Atlas mourns her decision to abort her fetus based on pressure from loved ones. The poems create an argument for choices and for concrete familial and societal support for those choices. The last poem in the collection (titled "Hello, July 5th) is perhaps my favorite, especially this lovely line: "How else to live, except by reanimating joy." The poems in Blue Atlas contain many images that convey joy amid loss and regret.