IMAGINE you’re scrolling on Twitter or Facebook, every other post is talking about past or current events that affect us daily. Are you tired of all the negativity like I am? Try reading, Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman — an award-winning author and poet.

I would much rather read about current events in a way I can connect with personally, wouldn’t you? A way to ease your mind and try to relate to what is going on around you.

Well, you’re in luck, this poetry book has beautiful pieces throughout that talk about all the things that are making the world fall apart beneath our feet, as well as other events that have rocked the past few years.

Her book is filled with poems about topics such as losing a loved one to a terrible disease. It talks about the unrest of political problems within the United States and it discusses the way climate change is rapidly affecting the world around us.

As Gorman would say, “For all of us both hurting and healing who choose to carry on.” This line in the book says a lot to me, and you could take it in many ways. If you have lost a loved one to COVID, natural disasters, or even if you have gone through heartbreak, you chose to keep going. Her words can help us all find ways to heal around the hurt.

Now, this book has way more to offer than just that. Have you watched the inauguration speech in your English or History class yet? I know I have; Personally, I think it was really good. The whole speech is in this book just in case you wanted to read it over and over.

Her inaugural poem talks a lot about her life and the way she grew up as a young Black woman in America. In this sentence alone, “We, the successors of a country and a time where a skinny Black girl descended from slaves and raised by a single mother can dream of becoming president, only to find herself reciting for one.”

Gorman grew up with her twin sister, and they were both raised by a single mother. She and her sister both grew up with difficulties in speech, but she started writing poetry to express herself.

She has written three books since she was 16 years old, and she won the Goodread Choice Award for best poetry for her book, The Hill We Climb. I can understand the reason for her winning this award as her poetry is moving and relevant.

I really like this book because I feel like it’s trying to express and address negative topics in a more positive, beautiful way. Although these topics should be noticed and recognized, many can’t free themselves to read it —they spend too much time on the news or social media.

Sometimes being inundated with news can be overwhelming and depressing. Not to mention, it’s hard to know if what you are hearing is legitimate or not. Gorman’s books and poetry give young and old readers alike an alternative way to educate themselves and better their understanding of the world through a fresh perspective.