The Hill We Climb

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.”

I picked this book at the library because its blue cover fitted my Spring Challenge. I didn't know she was the poet who read at Biden's presidential inauguration. The poems are all about Covid, the suffering, the separation. To me, it goes overboard, maybe because it hasn't be as bad as it has been for this author. Read 1/3 and dnf. No interest in reading about something that is still happening.

Read and reviewed: 2022-05-16

With a foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this is a great book to spend time with for National Poetry Month (April 2021). Gorman's poem is sure to be studied in classrooms of the future as a moment of when the country chose to go one way or the other. Her words are powerful, with subtle allusions to popular culture and events, in a way that represents our time. A great read and definitely a good add to a home library.