Amanda Gorman’s New Book Has a Lesson for Us All

Poet Amanda Gorman’s latest book, Girls on the Rise, shows children and adults that unity is the most powerful and ultimate strength.

Gorman’s Girls on the Rise, with illustrator Loveis Wise, is a children’s book we can all learn from. She takes from her own lived experiences as a young girl confused about her early encounters with sexism. She stated on NPR’s Book of the Day Podcast, “I remember being a young girl and being, like, why are guys telling me that I throw like a girl? Like it’s an insult.”

“Why am I getting bullied by young boys in the class? Why are there these rules that I have to play with these toys or dress in this way or speak in this way to be accepted? And I think the sooner that we create a welcoming dialogue with children or they feel that they can voice, ‘Hey, this is what’s going on with me,’ the more better the world will be for it,” she recalled.

The author aims to make her book accessible, teaching girls and children that unity’s strength always prevails. This message is important for children to learn and for adults to remember.

She commented on CBS Mornings, “I try to focus in the book on strength and unity, as in there’s the strength that I think comes from all of us, but I think particularly when you grow up as a young girl. The strengths that you can find allyship in, companionship in, [and] community…will make that strength endurable, sustainable, and meaningful at once.”

Earlier this month, she posted to Instagram, sharing a small preview of her book and its bright and colorful art by her illustrator, Loveis Wise. She shared the importance of a story that “was all about the pride and the joy and, most importantly, the power that comes with being a girl. I think it’s an incredibly important message now more than ever.”

Girls On the Rise is available for purchase here.