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

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.

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.

3.5

This poem collection contained 100 poems sorted in different categories:
1. Poetry & the Spirit
2. Poetry & Grieving & the Blues
3. Poetry & Social Justice
4. Poetry & the Environment
5. Poetry & the Body
6. Poetry & Desire

I love the idea behind the book -to collect poems that makes you feel and that is about things generally matters the most in life. I also liked how every poem was from a different author, and how the length of each poem also vary. The introduction at the start by Richard Blanco was also beautiful.

While each poem was unique, it was only a handful that I really liked. Here is the list:

Failing and Flying by Jack Gilbert
"[..] I believe Icarus was not failing as he fell,
but just coming to the end of his triumph."
Category: Poetry & the Spirit

One art by Elizabeth Bishop
"The art of losing isn't hard to master [..]"
Category: Poetry & grieving & the Blues

Bitter song/Canción Amarga by Julia de Burgos
"[..] Only when I sing to you, I awake."
Category: Poetry & grieving & the Blues

If They Should Come for Us by Fatimah Asghar
"[..] my people, my people
a dance of strangers in my blood [..]"
Category: Poetry & Social Justice

Epitah on a Tyrant by W.H. Auden
"[..] when he cried the little children died in the streets."
Category: Poetry & Social Justice

in puerto rico we inherit your wars by Raquel Salas Rivera
"[..] take this ribbon and measure the church dimensions,
tell me if it's worth
destroying faith for some bones [..]"
Category: Poetry & Social Justice

The reason why I am giving the book 3.5 stars is because of the fact that it was only a handful poems that stood out of 100. Personally I couldn't connect as well to the other poems, and some of them I couldn't connect to at all. Keep in mind that you might like a lot of these poems as understanding and connecting to poems are subjective things.

My thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing & Netgalley for the ARC. This review contains my honest thoughts and feelings.

100 Poems That Matter is an anthology of poetry compiled by the Academy of American Poets. It is a varied and inspiring collection by famous and not so famous poets. The universal themes of love, loss and moving experiences are tackled through the selection of poems. It is a thought provoking and moving read that will stay with you and have you returning to the book time and time again. Everyone will have their favourite poems, the ones that really talk to them. A beautiful read that would also make a meaningful gift.

This rating is for the basic organization of the book, rather than of the content itself, since it's an anthology of poems by many authors . . . and I don't particularly like poetry. I'd hoped to find some real gems in this collection, but sadly, I still can't find much enjoyment in most poems. However, the thought behind this book was very good, and for that, I give it 5 stars!

The purpose of the collection is clear, and the groupings are done well, by subject matter. There's a good variety of authors from different regions of the world, and this makes a good compilation of human experience-related poems.

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

A good collection of poems. A few weren’t my personal style that I like reading but the majority were well written and had a great meaning.

Just perfect, so deeply words.. too many things to learn. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book.