The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country Reviews

• 
  morgan

  hearing it for the first time was breathtaking and now reading it for the first time was moving
• 
  carol.

  When day comes, we ask ourselves:
  Where can we find light
  In this never-ending shade?
  The loss we carry, a sea we must wade.
  We've braved the belly of the beast
  We've learned that quiet isn't always peace"
  
  Even more than reading it, better watch it performed by the author:
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZ055...
  
  The gestures, the crisp rhythm, the absolution of the moment, to feel like perhaps COVID and the last four years of hatefulness might possibly wash off in the sunny, cold January morning, spoken.
  
  
  A nation that isn't broken but simply unfinished.
  
  The words written on the page, so simple in their form and meter don't do the performance justice.
  
  For there is always light
  if only we are brave enough to see it
  if we're brave enough to be it.
• 
  Diane S ☔

  My youngest daughter gifted me with this lovely book. Beautifully binded with yellow dust jacket, red lettering, a play on the outfit she wore while reciting this poem at the inauguration..Gorman is so young and so talented.
  
  Some of my favored sentences from the poem.
  "That even as we grieved, we grew,
  That even as we hurt, we hoped,
  That even as we tired, we tried."
  
  Words that could be used in many different setting, but certainly during this past year of Covid, when so many have sickened and died.
  
  "For while we have our eyes on the future,
  History has its eyes on us."
  
  How will we measure up?
• 
  Tommaso Emiliani

  Oh America, you can do better than this.
  
  The poem is verbose, unimaginative, condescending, self-indulgent, didactic and - what is worst - cliched.
  It is understandable that American hearts may need reassurance and guidance after years of darkness and chaos - yes, the poem does provide those.
  But if one strips the poem of its envelope of powerful oral delivery, colourful cloths, ethnic jewels, identity politics associated with the author and the specific context of delivery, one is left with a bunch of cliched verses that could be taken straight from a 10th grade assignment: “Write something symbolic and solemn about Thanksgiving Day”.
  
  Everyone is entitled to its own feelings when it is about art. To a lesser extent, everyone is also entitled to its own ideas about art. The dilemma is that when cliched art is celebrated as profound and meaningful, and is made mainstream and institutional by the public endorsement, that means that (political) ideas are also cliched.
  
  It is sadly possible that many Americans might not be terrified that what the nation’s youth poet graduate creates is little different from what an automatic generator of trite expressions and cheap allegory can produce. It will indeed be more troublesome for those same Americans that a new presidential administration which is vehemently underscoring its departure from the dark past uses cliched art to make its message resonate with the people.
• 
  La Crosse County Library

  Review originally published April 29, 2021
  
  I confess I don't read poetry that much, but I am glad I went ahead and read The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country (2021). Written by the youngest poet yet to give a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration, Amanda Gorman's poem "The Hill We Climb" is powerful, sobering, and uplifting all at the same time.
  
  
  
  While critics of the poem pointed out that it was cliché and full of platitudes, I found "The Hill We Climb" communicating deeper, rather than shallower, ideas regarding America's reckoning with its history as we move into the future. I don't disagree with the critics about the presence of platitudes in places, but what did they expect out of a poem given at a ceremony full of pomp and circumstance and patriotic symbolism?
  
  Generally, inaugurations are times of hope, proof that American democracy persists with the peaceful transfer of power between administrations. It's a time for a president to broadcast their big ideas for the nation, with the idea of motivating citizens to step up to the challenge. Moreover, coming after the events of January 6th, the hope that exudes from Gorman's writing despite everything that's gone on lately is something we all could use a little more of these days. No one wants fire and brimstone!
  
  
  
  I would imagine it was a difficult balance for Gorman, trying to be both happy and uplifting without missing the sobering and serious nature of America's historical wrongs and their legacy in the present. All in all, I think she navigated this balance wonderfully.
  
  In the present moment, we grapple still with the COVID pandemic and the aftermath of a contentious transition of administrations. Gorman communicates to us in "The Hill We Climb" that we are not a perfect nation, but what matters is that after being knocked down many times, each time we get up and continue the work towards a more perfect union. A message of hopeful resiliency that is a refreshing change of pace.
  
  -Cora
  
  Find this book and other titles within
  our catalog.
• 
  CAG_1337

  It's a good thing Harold Bloom is already dead because hearing this poem would have killed him. Gorman's work was an utterly dreadful, cliché-ridden piece of juvenilia that had all the charm and sense of craft as a mediocre slam poem.
• 
  Cecily

  I was one of millions around the world who hadn’t heard of Gorman before she performed this poem at Biden’s inauguration. And it was more of a performance than a reading. It’s good on the page, but better if you can see and hear her, even if only from memory. Watch it,
  HERE, and if that doesn’t work for you, search YouTube or Google.
  
  
  Image: Gorman at the inauguration (
  Source)
  
  You need to read or watch the whole poem, but here are my favourite lines:
  
  “We’ve learned that quiet isn’t always peace,
  And the norms and notions of what ‘just is’
  Isn’t always justice.”
  ...
  “That even as we grieved, we grew,
  That even as we hurt, we hoped,
  That even as we tired, we tried.”
  ...
  “For there is always light,
  If only we’re brave enough to see it,
  If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
  
  I went on to read her new collection, Call Us What We Carry, which I reviewed
  HERE, with general comments about her style and themes.
• 
  Meike

  Let's face it: No one needed this formulaic foreword by Oprah, but the poem and its delivery are GREAT.
• 
  Andrew Howdle

  Oscar Wilde once remarked wickedly that poetry fared well until the public became interested in it. I am hard pushed to understand how anyone could mistake this collection of cliches and flaccid lines for poetry.
• 
  nitya

  "We will not march back to what was,
  But move on to what shall be:
  A country that is bruised but whole,
  Benevolent but bold,
  Fierce and free."
  
  I watched Amanda performing this at the inauguration and was absolutely blown away. Reading the words months later in a book itself was a spectacular experience too. (If you haven't seen Amanda speaking at the ceremony, go fix that!!! It's really too good.)
  
  And I am even more excited to read her debut poetry collection. Her way with words is so powerful and soothing. (And the USA has a loooooong way to go with practicing democracy, but this poem definitely comforted me.)
• 
  Alice

  Wonderful!
• 
  Bel Rodrigues

  3,5 ⭐
• 
  melhara

  September 30,2021 Re-read:
  
  

  We've braved the belly of the beast.
  We've learned that quiet isn't always peace,
  And the norms and notions of what "just is"
  Isn't always justice.

  
  
  I listened to the audiobook while reading this book. To be honest, I didn't really care for Oprah's foreward and personally preferred Gorman's reading at the inauguration over the reading from the audiobook version.
  
  However, the more I read this, the more I realized that the reason why I like
  Amanda Gorman's poetry so much is because it's easy to read and understand, while maintaining great rhythm and lyricism. The writing is also just so beautiful! I can't get enough of Amanda Gorman.
  
  January 20, 2021 Review:
  I've never watched any of the past US inaugurations, but when Amanda Gorman shared the glorious news that she was selected as the official inaugural poet for the 2021 inauguration, I knew I had to tune in (and I did)!
  
  If you haven't watched it, you can find it
  here.
  
  
  
  I've been following Gorman in social media since last summer and (for some reason) feel immensely proud of her well-deserved fame and success and am super happy that all three of her books (
  Change Sings - a picture book set to release later this year,
  The Hill We Climb - the collection of poems under the same title as this one, as well as
  The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country) took the top three spots on the Amazon bestseller list!
• 
  Nina

  Like so many people, I have watched Amanda Gorman during the inauguration, and her speaking this poem was so amazing. Reading it, with the different but nice format used, is wonderful too. With The Hill We Climb you have an awesome poem full of hope for a better future without hiding the past.
  5 out of 5 stars
• 
  Kelli

  I borrowed this audiobook thinking it was a book of poetry but as it turns out, just the one poem was more than enough. Despite the unnecessary forward by Oprah, this reading of the Inaugural Poem by the author was stunning. It brought me to tears. 5 stars
• 
  Dee

  Very worthy for Independence Day weekend... I remember her recitation at the inauguration and how moved I was then... an important young voice, I hope she publishes more!
• 
  Julie

  Truly inspirational and uplifting. Amanda's words breathe life and hope in my heart and hopefully yours too.
• 
  Come Musica

  Nei momenti di buio, quando l'irreparabile incombe e sembra che non resti altro da fare che arrendersi all'ineluttabile, come se non ci fosse altro da fare, perché l'angoscia e la disperazione hanno sprangato le porte alla speranza, alla vita, alla luce.
  Quando la NONVITA trionfa, nel buio pesto della notte senza stelle, dove "c'è solo pianto e stridore di denti", ecco che si erge una voce limpida, cristallina che come raggio di sole squarcia "l'ombra senza fine".
  
  È la voce di Amanda Gorman, che con tutta la sua forza ha parlato durante l'insediamento del presidente Joe Biden, il 20 gennaio 2021
  
  
  
  
  
  “Nasce il giorno e ci chiediamo:
  Dove trovare la luce
  In quest’ombra senza fine?
  La perdita che portiamo, un mare da guadare.
  
  Abbiamo sfidato il ventre della bestia,
  Appreso che la calma non è sempre pace,
  E che le regole e opinioni del «così è»
  Non sempre sono giustizia.”
  
  E allora apriamo i nostri cuori alla Speranza.
  Alziamo lo sguardo per permetterci di farlo posare non su ciò che ci divide, ma su ciò che è davanti a noi. E aggiungo, non su chi è davanti, ma su chi è a fianco, per capire che le differenze non sono segni di divisione, ma sono fonte di ricchezza e di arricchimento.
  
  "Deponiamo le armi
  Per armarci di premura gli uni
  verso gli altri
  Di nessuno vogliamo il male, per tutti l'armonia."
  
  
  Deponiamo le armi, sì, per armarci di cura, sotto il cielo dell'armonia.
  Se sapremo prenderci cura allora saremo in grado di superare l'interesse particolare a favore del bene collettivo.
  Il virus Sars-Cov2 ci sta imponendo questa lezione.
  Chissà se avremo abbastanza cuore e cura per apprenderla.
  Noi siamo ciò che costruiamo.
  Noi siamo molto più della somma delle singole parti.
  Noi siamo le relazioni che scegliamo di avere.
  Noi siamo la visione che saremo in grado di donarci.
  
  "E se prima chiedevamo: Come potremmo
  avere la meglio sulla catastrofe?
  Ora affermiamo: Come potrebbe la catastrofe
  avere la meglio su di noi?"
  
  
  "Ma una cosa è certa:
  Se alla compassione uniamo la forza, e alla forza
  la ragione,
  L'amore sarà il nostro retaggio,
  E il cambiamento, un diritto per i nostri figli."
• 
  Auntie Terror

  This is an exceptional poem - modern and contemporary in the best sense of the word. Rhythmic without strict metre or rhyme schemes. Full of powerful images despite a very clear, sober language.
• 
  Avani ✨

  THIS. IS. SO. GOOD.
  
  Powerful. Changemaker. Astonishing.
  
  Thanks to Libro.FM for the ALCs for this one.
• 
  Elizabeth (Plant Based Bride)

  This is possibly the most moving piece of poetry I have ever heard.
  
  I'm not an American, but on inauguration day I found myself in awe of this young Black girl with the hands of a dancer and the heart of a woman forced to be much wiser than her years. I found myself in tears.
  
  Amanda Gorman's spirit moved me then, and it moved me once again while listening to this audiobook.
  
  I can only hope that America, and the world, can live up to the potential of this young woman's words.
  
  Words that soar so seamlessly into our hearts, giving them wings to fly.
  
  "For there is always light, if only we’re brave enough to see it.
  If only we’re brave enough to be it.”
  
  
  VIDEO REVIEW:
  https://youtu.be/38cwhWXXnds
  
  You can find me on...
  
  Youtube |
  Instagram |
  Twitter
  
  Thank you to Libro.fm for providing an ALC of The Hill We Climb.
• 
  John Mauro

  "There is always light, if only we're brave enough to see it. If only we're brave enough to be it." -Amanda Gorman
  
  This beautiful, inspirational poem, by the immensely talented Amanda Gorman, was the perfect way to close the door on one of the darkest periods in U.S. history.
  
  Amanda's recitation of this poem at the Presidential inauguration left my whole family in tears. Personally, I was so happy to see the emergence of this wonderful new role model for my daughter, at the same time that we swore in our first female vice president. Truly a moment to remember forever.
  
  Now let's all hope we can live up to the ideals set forth by Amanda at this turning point in history.
• 
  Monte Price

  I'm not going to rate this, this has just been sitting in my Libro.fm app unlistened to, and I thought that it would be nice to have a refresher of what made this such a good poem at Joey's inauguration... and I have to admit that it didn't hit quite as hard...
  
  Also Oprah... that introduction? I know she a billionaire now, but that was just very lazy work. It's giving she wrote it on a cocktail napkin after she and Gayle got back from a hike around Oprah's garden.
• 
  Alison

  Breathtaking. I watched this performed live along with my husband and child, and we all wept openly. Cannot wait to read more from this brilliant mind!
• 
  John Hatley

  I enjoy reading Ms Gorman's poem as much as I did hearing it the first time at the inauguration. Brilliant, not just considering her young age.
• 
  Steffi

  Schön, dass der Text zweisprachig veröffentlicht  wurde, insbesondere dass einige der sprachlichen Bilder erläutert werden. So strahlt neben der hilfreichen, aber gelegentlich holprigen, kühleren Übersetzung das Original.
• 
  Jill Mackin

  “We’ve seen a force that would shatter our nation, rather than share it.
  Would destroy our country if it meant delaying democracy.
  And this effort very nearly succeeded.
  But while democracy can be periodically delayed, it can never be permanently defeated.”
  
  
• 
  Chrissie

  Gorman, only twenty-two years old when asked to write and read this poem to commemorate the inauguration of the next president. A poem that was penned during a tumultuous time, with Gorman's words reflective of that period.
  

  "When day comes, we ask ourselves:
  Where can we find light
  In this never-ending shade?
  The loss we carry, a sea we must wade.
  ...
  If we merge mercy with might, and might with right,
  Then love becomes our legacy,
  And change, our children's birthright.
  ...
  When day comes, we step out of the shade,
  Aflame and unafraid.
  The new dawn blooms as we free it,
  For there is always light,
  If only we're brave enough to see it,
  If only we're brave enough to be it."

  
  
  We all lived through this too, but to encapsulate not only the agonizing days just after the election, the suspenseful days as we waited on a finalized count, and the devastation during the storming of the United States Capitol is quite the accomplishment. Not to mention how wonderfully Gorman managed, through all that acknowledgement of the shadows hanging over us, to somehow shine a light on hope for what's to come and joy for that day.
• 
  Melanie (mells_view)

  Listened to the audiobook, because I needed a reminder that there is hope even though there is so much tragedy. Sigh. It’s a great poem, and a great listen. Maybe not the same chills I had when I first heard it, but the power and the memory of the day are there!
  
  “Quiet isn't always peace and the norms and notions of what just is isn't always justice.”
  
  **Audio copy downloaded from Libro.fm proceeds helping Loyalty Bookstores.
• 
  Anastasia_._._._p

  Είναι το ποίημα που ακούστηκε στην ορκωμοσία του Joe Biden σε μια ιστορική στιγμή.
  
  Για άλλη μια φορά θα παραδεχθώ την άγνοια μου για την ποίηση αλλά το παρακάτω απόσπασμα με άγγιξε.
  
  "Αντέξαμε στην κοιλιά του κήτους
  Μάθαμε πως η σιωπή δεν είναι πάντοτε ειρήνη
  Και οι αντιλήψεις και οι κανόνες για όσα 'δικαίως είναι'
  Δεν είναι πάντοτε δικαιοσύνη"
  
  "We've braved the belly of the beast
  We've learned that quiet isn't always peace
  And the norms and notions of what 'just is' isn't always justice."
  
  Υ.Γ. Τις αγαπώ τις διγλωσσες εκδόσεις!