Review Detail

THE HILL WE CLIMB is a physical copy of the heart-stopping poem Amanda Gorman delivered at President Biden’s inauguration on January 20th, 2021. The poem took the country by storm and in the days following, videos of its recitation made their rounds on social media, as did memes and favorite quotes. The only competitor for the most-talked-about moment from that day was perhaps Bernie Sanders and his mittens. Gorman stood out as someone to listen to and someone to watch. It was abundantly clear when she said her last word to thunderous rounds of applause and emotion that Gorman and her art are a gift to help heal the world.

It's so nice to be able to sit down with a book version of Gorman’s poem. Hearing it out loud left a strong impression on me, as it did on most people. Being able to hold it in my hands though, allowed for slower digestion of all she had to say. Being able to flip through the pages and see where the poem was broken up was a new experience altogether.

I love how intentional the book publication is. The cover’s colors are red and yellow like the outfit Gorman wore for the inauguration. There’s also a foreword by Oprah Winfrey, which is beautiful and lyrical, and such a nice introduction to what follows. My favorite line is “Victorious, not because we will never again know defeat, But because we will never again sow division.”

Gorman is the youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration and I so appreciate how her presentation elevated so many things, including the art of poetry itself. Gorman is a deep inspiration to me and I can’t wait to see all she does over the years to come. I highly recommend THE HILL WE CLIMB as a commemorative item for your bookshelf, and also a test to come back to, to see if we live up to the promise Gorman references.