Call Us What We Carry

Poems

By: Amanda Gorman

Narrated by: Amanda Gorman

The instant #1 New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestseller


The breakout poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman

Formerly titled The Hill We Climb and Other Poems, the luminous poetry collection by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman captures a shipwrecked moment in time and transforms it into a lyric of hope and healing. In Call Us What We Carry, Gorman explores history, language, identity, and erasure through an imaginative and intimate collage. Harnessing the collective grief of a global pandemic, this beautifully designed volume features poems in many inventive styles and structures and shines a light on a moment of reckoning. Call Us What We Carry reveals that Gorman has become our messenger from the past, our voice for the future.

Amazing

Words spoken so gently calming and assured. Rhythmic and encouraging. The messages are clear and heart alerting and warming - a call to action if we would choose to be

Absolutely amazing

Love the way it was written amazing poetry in this book. If you have a chance to read it totally recommend

Intense

There are some intense poems although in some others, understanding the reason for its form remains a puzzle.

STUNNING!

I absolutely loved this audiobook. I also read along with a hard copy to add to the experience because the illustrations in the book are very poignant to the overall work. Amanda Gorman is the scholarly poet of a generation. This is the second book I have read with an emphasis on Language and how it is the make or break for humanity and how Gorman dissects language in this piece in particular is a masterclass. The research she did and the remix and personal artistry that she put on history is peak expressionism. I learned so much from this work and it needs to be put in like a bunker/museum so in 1000 years when the aliens or who ever is occupying earth can fully comprehend what the American dream/nightmare/reality looks like actualized in 2020.

Pros and Cons

These may trigger emotional distress. A number of these works are in reference to our recent living conditions during the Covid 19 lockdown. There are moments when it ‘s hard to know when one poem ends and another starts, it may be easier to follow along with the text. You get the intention of the author because you can hear the vocal delivery and cadence. There are also moments that the author tells the listener what she was attempting to do with structure; such alternating historical text with her own words and creating a visual representation of a hangman using words from advertising. Overall ok to listen, but for some may find it more effective if they follow along with the text.