Call Us What We Carry is both the title and a repeating theme in this collection of poems by Amanda Gorman. Gorman gained mainstream notoriety when she recited a poem at President Biden’s inauguration in January of 2021. That poem is the last one in this collection and the same tone and spirit of is reflected in most of the poems in this collection. Gorman weaves history and word origin into many poems and experiments with form, including shape, erasure, question and answer, and rhythms and spins from the pledge of allegiance. If the inaugural poem grabbed you when you heard it, you’ll want to check out her other poems in this book. Here’s what The New York Times says: