100 Poems That Matter

by The Academy of American Poets

A moving, thought-provoking, and emotional anthology of classical and contemporary poems that invites us to celebrate poetry’s power to capture the truths that really matter.

100 Poems That Matter examines universal themes of love, loss, and the experiences that define us. At turns moving, thoughtful, and thrilling, 100 Poems That Matter feeds into the connections we all have to poetry and encourages us to bring a deeper sense of honesty into our lives.
 
Featured poets include Emily Brontë, E.E. Cummings, Kahlil Gibran, Audre Lorde, and Emily Dickinson.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Classics

208 pages, Hardcover

Published December 13, 2022

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

100 Poems That Matter is, I believe the most interesting anthology of poetry I have yet read. The collection is exciting, covers both time and space in our world culturally, while also including new styles and young poets. I began noting my favorite poets/poems but had to stop when I realized that I was writing down over two thirds of what I read. There are Rumi and Rilke, Cummings and Emily Bronte, Langston Hughes and Maya Angelou, Seamus Heaney and Ada Limon. There are many names new to me that I will pursue further.

The poems are organized into six chapters:
Poetry & the Spirit
Poetry & Grieving & the Blues
Poetry & Social Justice
Poetry & the Environment
Poetry & the Body
Poetry & Desire

I found poems to enjoy, some to love throughout the book, in all categories, some in formats I would usually avoid reading. Here, I was drawn in to experiment. And I did, often happily.

I f there were room, I would include more poets’ names but, in the end, I don’t think it matters. I wasn’t familiar with many. If you enjoy poetry or would like to give an excellent collection a try, this would be for you. Ultimately, it won’t matter if you know the poets. It’s the wonder of what they have written!

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.

[Kim Lockhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This truly is a wonderful collection from a great many poets. Not all the poems included are exceptional, but most are very good to excellent. If I had only read Ross Gay's poem alone, it would have been worth it. The reader should fully expect a range of emotions with these poems, and yes, a few will break you, like Ross Gay broke me open.

I was surprised at the selection chosen to represent Amanda Gorman's work, as I felt it didn't showcase her talent.There were so many stronger pieces they could have selected. 

Also, a very minor quibble: I found the copious leaf graphics at the end of many poems to be both visually distracting and unnecessary. Like I say, minor criticism.

Overall, this is a collection that anyone can enjoy. There is a lot contained which will move your soul.

[Raymond · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite poems in this collection:

-"Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann;
-"In This Place (An American Lyric)" by Amanda Gorman;
-"In Memoriam A.H.H." by Alfred, Tennyson;
-"Still I Rise" by Maya Angelou;
-"We Are Marching" by Carrie Law Morgan Figgs;
-"Lift Every Voice and Sing" by James Weldon Johnson;
-"The Peace of Wild Things" by Wendell Berry;
-"The Idea of Houses" by Iman Mersal; and
-"For Women Who Are Difficult to Love" by Warsan Shire.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tyrants fear the poet.
from In This Place by Amanda Gorman

Poetry that matters. Of course I had to read it. Inside I found well-loved verses and new poems that left their imprint. What matters? Being alive here in this world. Justice. Love. Nature. Embracing all of life, its joys and its sorrows, our youth and our age. Freedom. Dignity. It’s all in these poems.

How should we live? The first poem, On Living by Nazim Hikmet, encourages us to “live with great seriousness,” planting a tree at seventy, embracing life, proclaiming that “we must live as if we will never die.” In Failing and Flying, Jack Gilbert offers that “anything worth doing is worth doing badly,” suggesting that “Icarus was not failing as he fell, just coming to the end of his triumph.”

Life has its grief. Yet, Philip Larkin reminds in An Arundel Tomb, “What will survive of us is love.” We call out for justice. “You may trod me in the very dirt, but still, like dust, I’ll rise,” May Angelou proclaims. In I Can’t Breathe, Pamela Sneed decries the deaths of black men. We are called to protect the Earth which offers “The Peace of Wild Things“, as Wendell Berry reminds us. Celebrate your body and its desire.

You will find poems by Emily Bronte and Elizabeth Bishop, E. E. Cummings and Emily Dickinson, Louse Gluck and Amanda Gorman, Seamus Heaney and Langton Hughes, Amy Lowell and Federico Garcia Lorca, Marianne Moore an Sharon Olds, Mary Olive and Sylvia Plath, Rainer Maria Rilke and Rumi, Sappho and Alfred Lord Tennyson, Phillis Wheatley and Walk Whitman.

Its an inspiring volume.

I received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley. My review is fair and unbiased.

[Samantha Zawacki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m trying to learn to like poetry. I really like this book’s approach that if one line of a poem speaks to you, you understand poetry. If any poem makes you feel, you understand poetry. I challenged myself to read all the poems and mark the ones I like to come back to at another time. Overall, this is a great poetry book for someone who knows nothing about poetry.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loves this Poetry book! Had some poems that really spoke to me, many that made me think, and all beautifully written.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems that address current concerns as well as timeless themes fill this little book. I was happy to read old favorites like “One Art” and “An Atlas of the Difficult World,” and I was happy to discover new favorites like “Will You?” by Carrie Fountain and “In her mostly white town, an hour from Rocky Mountains National Park, a black poet considers centuries of protests against racialized violence” by Camille T. Dungy. I agree with the title; these are important poems.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Living
Nâzim Hikmet

Living is no laughing matter:
you must live with great seriousness
like a squirrel, for example—
I mean without looking for something beyond and above living,
I mean living must be your whole occupation.
Living is no laughing matter:
you must take it seriously,
so much so and to such a degree
that, for example, your hands tied behind your back,
your back to the wall,
or else in a laboratory
in your white coat and safety glasses,
you can die for people—
even for people whose faces you’ve never seen,
even though you know living
is the most real, the most beautiful thing.
I mean, you must take living so seriously
that even at seventy, for example, you’ll plant olive trees—
and not for your children, either,
but because although you fear death you don’t believe it,
because living, I mean, weighs heavier.
…
This earth will grow cold,
a star among stars
and one of the smallest,
a gilded mote on blue velvet—
I mean this, our great earth.
This earth will grow cold one day,
not like a block of ice
or a dead cloud even
but like an empty walnut it will roll along
in pitch-black space . . .
You must grieve for this right now
—you have to feel this sorrow now—
for the world must be loved this much
if you’re going to say “I lived”. . .

Opening with a stunning new to me poem that just stopped time in its scope of sorrow and love for this life we live, knowing how precious and short it is. And filled with some other familiar poems I have loved, this anthology hit a lot of high notes that make you revel as well as those important, low notes that make you cry or rage or both. Excellent collection…

In her mostly white town, an hour from Rocky Mountain National Park, a black poet considers centuries of protests against racialized violence
Camille T. Dungy

Two miles into the sky, the snow builds a mountain unto itself.   Some drifts can be thirty feet high. Picture a house. Then bury it.   Plows come from both ends of the road, foot by foot, month by month. This year   they didn’t meet in the middle until mid-June. Maybe I’m not expressing this well. Every year, snow erases the highest road.   We must start near the bottom and plow toward each other again.


Instructions on Not Giving Up Ada Limón

More than the fuchsia funnels breaking out
of the crabapple tree, more than the neighbor’s
almost obscene display of cherry limbs shoving
their cotton candy-colored blossoms to the slate
sky of Spring rains, it’s the greening of the trees
that really gets to me. When all the shock of white
and taffy, the world’s baubles and trinkets, leave
the pavement strewn with the confetti of aftermath,
the leaves come. Patient, plodding, a green skin
growing over whatever winter did to us, a return
to the strange idea of continuous living despite
the mess of us, the hurt, the empty. Fine then,
I’ll take it, the tree seems to say, a new slick leaf
unfurling like a fist to an open palm, I’ll take it all.

Kindness Naomi Shihab Nye

Before you know kindness as the deepest thing inside, you must know sorrow as the other deepest thing. You must wake up with sorrow.   You must speak to it till your voice catches the thread of all sorrows and you see the size of the cloth. Then it is only kindness that makes sense anymore, only kindness that ties your shoes and sends you out into the day to gaze at bread, only kindness that raises its head from the crowd of the world to say It is I you have been looking for, and then goes with you everywhere like a shadow or a friend.


Desiderata Max Ehrmann

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness. Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.   You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here. And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Ithaka
BY C. P. CAVAFY
TRANSLATED BY EDMUND KEELEY
As you set out for Ithaka
hope your road is a long one,
full of adventure, full of discovery.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
angry Poseidon—don’t be afraid of them:
you’ll never find things like that on your way
as long as you keep your thoughts raised high,
as long as a rare excitement
stirs your spirit and your body.
Laistrygonians, Cyclops,
wild Poseidon—you won’t encounter them
unless you bring them along inside your soul,
unless your soul sets them up in front of you.

Hope your road is a long one.
May there be many summer mornings when,
with what pleasure, what joy,
you enter harbors you’re seeing for the first time;
may you stop at Phoenician trading stations
to buy fine things,
mother of pearl and coral, amber and ebony,
sensual perfume of every kind—
as many sensual perfumes as you can;
and may you visit many Egyptian cities
to learn and go on learning from their scholars.

Keep Ithaka always in your mind.
Arriving there is what you’re destined for.
But don’t hurry the journey at all.
Better if it lasts for years,
so you’re old by the time you reach the island,
wealthy with all you’ve gained on the way,
not expecting Ithaka to make you rich.

Ithaka gave you the marvelous journey.
Without her you wouldn't have set out.
She has nothing left to give you now.

And if you find her poor, Ithaka won’t have fooled you.
Wise as you will have become, so full of experience,
you’ll have understood by then what these Ithakas mean.

On Joy and Sorrow Kahlil Gibran

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.     When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

To make a prairie Emily Dickinson

To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee,
One clover, and a bee.
And revery.
The revery alone will do,
If bees are few.

In This Place (An American Lyric) Amanda Gorman

There’s a poem in this place— a poem in America a poet in every American who rewrites this nation, who tells a story worthy of being told on this minnow of an earth to breathe hope into a palimpsest of time— a poet in every American who sees that our poem penned doesn’t mean our poem’s end.   There’s a place where this poem dwells— it is here, it is now, in the yellow song of dawn’s bell where we write an American lyric we are just beginning to tell.

Revery
Fenton Johnson - 1888-1958

��             1. 
I was the starlight 
I was the moonlight 
I was the sunset, 
Before the dawning 
          Of my life; 
I was the river
Forever winding 
To purple dreaming, 
I was the glowing 
Of youthful Springtime, 
I was the singing 
Of golden songbirds,—
        I was love.
            2. 
I was the sunlight,
I was the twilight,  
I was the humming
Of winged creatures
    Ere my birth; 
I was the blushing 
Of lily maiden, 
I was the vision 
Of youthful striving, 
I was the summer, 
I was the autumn, 
I was the All-time—
      I was love.


Seashells
Alexander Posey

I picked up shells with ruby lips     
That spoke in whispers of the sea,
Upon a time, and watched the ships,     
On white wings, sail away to sea.  
The ships I saw go out that day     
Live misty—dim in memory;
But still I hear, from far away,     
The blue waves breaking ceaselessly.

What Was Told, That by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi

What was said to the rose that made it open was said
to me here in my chest.

What was told the cypress that made it strong
and straight, what was

whispered the jasmine so it is what it is, whatever made
sugarcane sweet, whatever

was said to the inhabitants of the town of Chigil in
Turkestan that makes them

so handsome, whatever lets the pomegranate flower blush
like a human face, that is

being said to me now. I blush. Whatever put eloquence in
language, that’s happening here.

The great warehouse doors open; I fill with gratitude,
chewing a piece of sugarcane,

in love with the one to whom every that belongs!


The Gardener 85 Rabindranath Tagore
From your blossoming garden gather fragrant memories of the vanished flowers of an hundred years before. In the joy of your heart may you feel the living joy that sang one spring morning, sending its glad voice across an hundred years.

[Karla (storygraph: korl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I haven't read poetry since highschool, which beat any fondness of the medium out of me, and this was the first poetry anthology I've read. I was surprised by how much I liked it.

I explicitly marked 37 poems as ones a liked and would want to share with others. I actually immediately shared Toi Derricote's "The blue nightgown" with 3 friends after reading it.

I think I marked <10 poems as duds for me, which out of 100 is insanely good. I thought I would not like at least 1/3 of the book.

I would definitely recommend this book to others, as it is well rounded in the poems it shows from topics to author to time period.

My critiques are that the creator goes through great pains at the beginning to ensure we as the reader know there is no "right and wrong" way to interpret a poem, and then goes and sections the poems out by topic 🫠 many of which I personally felt should be placed elsewhere. Also, there is so much free verse but literally zero limericks, haikus, etc. For a collection of 100 poems, they are surprisingly homogenous in format.

Why are some poems translated, but others aren't? Why do only some of the translated poems have their original translation next to it?

Finally the fact that the author's name is under the title is a big distraction. It is a big blocker in the flow, and I was forced to ignore the author multiple times.

All in all felt like good poetry starter pack, and I'll definitely be picking up another poetry anthology in the future.

[Dr. des. Siobhán · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free poetry collection*

The title, "100 Poems that Matter", already describes the content. This is a poetry collection that collects poems about everything that matters in our personal lives (love, death, friendship), but also what matters beyond single people. Poems cover racism, climate change, feminism.

Of course not all poems worked for me. For some I would've liked some context, but overall enjoyable.

4 stars

[Christina Barber · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reviewing books of poetry, I often get a comments from readers about not really being ‘into poetry’ or not being able to ‘understand poetry’ and feeling like the genre is beyond them. For those of you who find yourself in this ‘reluctant to read poetry’ category, The Academy of American Poets’ “100 Poems that Matter” is a great book in which to explore a variety of poets and poetry. Including classics from the likes of Emily Brontë, Emily Dickinson, Khalil Gibran, and Rilke and modern and contemporary poets from Adrienne Rich and Mary Oliver to Amanda Gorman, this collection is accessible and well-themed. Organized into six sections, treating such themes as: Inspiration for the future, Loss and Grieving, Social Justice and Democracy, this collection has something for everyone.

[melis · Rating 4 out of 5]

100 Poems That Matter is a great collection, and I really enjoyed reading it.
Some poems were already familiar, others not so much, but all were lyrical and moving in their own way. I enjoyed rediscovering classical poems I read perhaps years ago and loved discovering some new ones.
Another thing I appreciated a lot is that some translated poems’ original version was available right under the translation, and it’s always nice to be able to read both versions if you know the language.
This collection gathers the works of great poets, with each poem being unique yet all of them being linked by the power of their words.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me an eARC in exchange for an honest review

[Cris · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title says it all…100 Poems that Matter. Now the question is who do they matter the most too!

[amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of this was absolutely beautiful.

[Graydon Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was refreshing and inspiring to read a poetry collection that’s been curated across different times, styles, cultures, and topics. This was a great read to close out 2023!

[Winnie | Her Digital Coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of poetry, it’s wonderful to have a book that contains classical and contemporary poems covering all themes from love, loss, nature, and more. I discovered so many new favorites poems and authors from this book. 100 Poems That Matter is a great book to pick up for inspiration, understanding, or if you just want a relaxing read first thing in the morning or right before bed. Thank you to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel Publishing for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[maisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this anthology! I got to read a variety of poetry by so many different authors, some I was familiar with and others newly discovered but it was great. Definitely will revisit this anthology in years to come and I am excited to explore the works of many of the poets that were featured in it.

Thank you to Andrew McMeel Publishing for providing me a copy of this beautiful edition!

[Jimmy Cox · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe poetry isn’t for me but the poem about the girl finding a goats butchered head hanging on a tree made me feel something

[Jenny Radloff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bei dieser Gedichtsammlung handelt es sich um eine Anthologie von verschiedensten Autoren, von denen Gedichte zu unterschiedlichen Themen zusammengetragen wurden. Das Buch ist in 6 Kategorien gegliedert: Glaube, Trauer, Soziale Gerechtigkeit, Umwelt, Körper und Verlangen. Die Gedichte sind von unterschiedlicher Länge und stammen aus unterschiedlichen Zeiten und Ländern; manche wurden aus anderen Sprachen ins Englische übersetzt. Während bspw. im Abschnitt "Soziale Gerechtigkeit" viele Bezüge zur aktuellen amerikanischen Gesellschaft und Politik zu finden waren, gab es im Abschnitt "Verlangen" eine bunte Mischung von bekannten und unbekannten Autoren, deren Gedichte universell verständlich sind.

Mir hat diese Gedichtsammlung sehr gefallen, auch wenn es Abschnitte gab, die mich mehr angesprochen haben als andere. Mir gefiel die Vielseitigkeit der Themen und die Kombination aus älteren und aktuellen Werken. Insbesondere die Gedichte im Abschnitt "Soziale Gerechtigkeit" waren für mich sehr interessant und haben mir aus der Seele gesprochen. Ich vergebe daher gute 4 Sterne.

In English:

This collection of poems is an anthology by various authors, from whom poems on various topics have been collected. The book is divided into 6 categories: Spirit, Grief, Social Justice, Environment, Body and Desire. The poems are of different lengths and come from different times and countries; some have been translated into English from other languages. For example, while in the "Social Justice" section there were many references to current American society and politics, in the "Desire" section there was a colorful mixture of well-known and unknown authors whose poems are universally understandable.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems, although there were sections that spoke to me more than others. I liked the diversity of the themes and the combination of older and current works. In particular, the poems in the "Social Justice" section were very interesting to me and spoke to my soul. I therefore award a good 4 stars.

[Seher · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an anthology that will help you cry and soothe you at the same time!
I’ve been subscribed to poets.org for the longest time. Not only am I a huge fan of the poems they send, but it’s amazing to be be able to go and read a poem on the site. Sometimes your heart needs a certain poem and it’s fantastic to be able to access it so quickly! When I found out that this book was being published by the same people, I knew it would be amazing and reading it only provided that assumption right!
The anthology is split into five sections, each covering an overarching theme such as grief, the body, desire, etc. It took me a few minutes to understand but when I did I fell in love with the titles of these sections! I think I was slow on the uptake because the only one I was immediately familiar with was ‘Practice Losing Further, Losing Faster.’
This review is not very objective, because as it just so happens I needed the third and the fifth poems quite badly. And while the book had quite a few that I’ve read before and loved, I was also introduced to some fantastic new ones that I’ll turn to in the future!
I should also admit that I prefer anthologies like this one over collections that are purely one poet. If you really love a poet I’m sure you’ll love an entire book comprised of just them, but anthologies such as this one are the ones that give you comfort and introduce you to those poets. To steal the music analogy from this book, sometimes an entire album by an artist might not work for you, but a song by them on the right playlist will!

[Alicia Bayer · Rating 4 out of 5]

With all poetry anthologies, there are some inherent problems. Firstly, it is impossible to pick poems to please everyone. Secondly, it’s ridiculously impossible to narrow any topic or compilation from the millions of wonderful possibilities to a hundred or so. This book was a victim of these challenges like all other anthologies, but it actually fared better than most that I’ve read lately.

The poems are divided into six sections of topics like grief, the environment and desire. They are both modern and classic. Many are translated from other languages and the original text is often included.

I tend to find maybe 3 new poems I love in an average modern anthology. In this one I found a few more than usual, though there were still plenty that just didn’t do much for me. It really couldn’t be any different. What a terrible collection it would be if every poem was exactly my taste. And while plenty weren��t for me, I could see why most of them were chosen.

Of course it’s going to be like rolling a giant thousand side die choosing who and what to include in a collection with a title like this. Not a single one of my favorite poems or poets is in this little book, but I would say that they do matter. It was a great read.

I read a temporary, self destroying ARC of this book via NetGalley.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am always looking for excellent and inspiring poetry collections. Here is a good one that will reward readers for thoughtfully engaging with its contents.

The book is organized according to six topics. These include the spirit; ,grieving, social justice, the environment, the body and, finally, desire. Read in order or dip in randomly; however readers choose to find their favorite, they will enjoy this anthology’s contents.

The introduction invites readers in. The author reassures that readers don’t have to understand everything about a poem to enjoy it or to capture the feeling that it seeks to evoke.

The very first entry was by a poet new to me, Nazim Hikmet. It definitely made me think about my life, gratitude, things that are finite, living in the present and more. Just imagine where I will be after reading all of the other ninety-nine.

Enjoy poems by those you may know already like Langston Hughes. Also, discover all those new voices that are just waiting to be heard.

Although I received this title as an arc, I think that I will purchase the hard copy. It is that engaging in my opinion.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Andrews McMeel for this title. All opinions are my own

[Clurtle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a winner for me. Maybe I’m one of the ones just didn’t get it.

I just found too large a gap in the talents of the selection of modern poets to those of the legendaries. I’m a bit of an old heart and haven’t taken much to slam poetry and overuse of freeverse. I saw some really cool implementations though. The erasure poem was immaculate.

I could have done for more side exposition as opposed to reproduction, but I can respect the author’s choice to provide zero commentary. The topics just vary widely, many have a different cultural meaning than the one that preceeds. While groupings were intentional, I didn’t always connect the parallelism of a hindu prayer with black murder.

Just not a book for me, but I’m happy to have it in my collection. Excellent production value for the book. I could stand to read this with a coffee in hand in some cozy cafe. I hope the author will continue at this art and publish more compendiums like this. While many were misses for me, I appreciated a review of the varying forms artists have played at over a few millenia.

[Peyton 24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this book a while ago, but I lost it at some point. I honestly don’t remember every single poem, but I do remember liking it. The collection covers a lot of different themes—love, loss, resilience, and more—which makes it feel well-rounded. Some poems are emotional, some are inspiring, and a few just make you stop and think.

What I liked was how well-written the poems were. If a certain one resonates with you, it can hit deep. Some stuck with me long after I read them, which to me is a sign of a great poetry collection. It’s the kind of book where different poems will mean different things to different people, depending on what they’re going through.

I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys poetry, whether you read it all the time or just want something meaningful to flip through. It’s also great if you’re looking for a little motivation or just want to read something that makes you reflect. I wish I still had my copy, and honestly, I might just have to buy it again!

[Noelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a ton of poetry anthologies, so I'm not well-read when it comes to poems. This was a good first step and I enjoyed a lot of these immensely. Great commentary on current social issues and diversity of authors.

That being said - I strongly disliked the organization of this book. The section titles prescribed meaning and interpretation to the poems before I'd even read them - and often I felt like poems were categorized strangely (i.e. Sylvia Plath's poem about mental illness in the "environment" section because it uses the night sky as metaphor)

The curation also left something to be desired. Sometimes poems felt like they were added because they "should" be, and not because the poems themselves are engaging or have held up well. That might just be personal preference.

3 stars because there were some hits, some misses.

[Lisa Gisèle · Rating 5 out of 5]

: "I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

100 Poems that Matter is a wonderful collection of poetry that span many eras and subject matters. It's fascinating to read so many different touching pieces and realize that in the end human kind has changed their thoughts and feelings a whole bunch. Emotions are strong and beautiful, yet exposes one so much to the judgment of others. What if we took the time to read poetry, really read it and realize that at least one poem in this book is reflecting our own emotions and feelings back at us

[Dave · Rating 1 out of 5]

2024 remains my year of trying to learn to like poetry - and I essentially read this book twice or two and a half times - reading every poem two or three times - but, wow, does this book suck! More like 100 poems I could have happily never known existed. I recommend a "hard pass" on this one, unless you are looking for a challenge or a pointless character-building exercise - or like me - you have inexplicably decided you should learn to like poetry - because that's what educated people do. Let me know if there's a book of poetry, a poet, heck, A POEM, that you love, and I will do the same - should I blindly stumble across one.

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a good selection of poems, some familiar and some just discovered, but the editing is an issue. For example, in the fourth stanza of Sylvia Plath's "Stars over the Dordogne"
"... The few I amused to are..." should be "... I am used to..." and "... When one of them falls it leave a space,..." should be "... leaves a space,..."

Lots of poets play with grammar and make word choices that are meaningful, even dictating the interpretation of the poem so editors definitely have to on their toes. It's disappointing to see basic typos in a collection of poetry that was crafted with such obvious forethought and intent.

[sari · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a selection from a variety of poets divided into six themes. The introduction is very encouraging for those of us who would like to enjoy poetry but struggle to connect with it. Because of this preamble, I thought there'd be some commentary to go along with the poems or at least with each section, but there's not. Regardless, it's a good first impression of several famous poets and some I'd never heard of.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not a frequent poetry reader, but I'm a wannabe poetry reader. As such, I was both grateful to this book for pushing my poetry-reading boundaries a little, and frustrated with it for not expanding my understanding of poetry. If you're going to have a book with the engaging title "100 Poems THAT MATTER" (caps mine), the reader naturally wonders WHY they matter. It would have been very helpful and, probably, fascinating to have a paragraph or two with each poem explaining how and why it mattered enough to be included in the book.