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Fear is Not the End: A Guest Post by Amanda Gorman

Amanda Gorman was inspired to take action after watching a 2013 speech by Malala Yousafzai, the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Since then, Gorman has been named the first National Youth Poet Laureate and become an inspiration in her own right. This book continues her mission to elevate and encourage people of all ages. Read on for an exclusive essay from Amanda Gorman on the inspiration behind Girls on the Rise.

Girls on the Rise

Hardcover $16.99 $19.99

Girls on the Rise

Girls on the Rise

By Amanda Gorman
Illustrator Loveis Wise

In Stock Online

Hardcover $16.99 $19.99

An electrifying new picture book by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman

An electrifying new picture book by #1 New York Times bestselling author and presidential inaugural poet Amanda Gorman

Girls on the Rise began back in 2018, as a poem I wrote called “We Rise.” I was initially inspired to write the poem the night I heard Christine Blasey Ford’s moving testimony. It was an incredibly important moment that deserved to be recognized for what it was: speaking out to right a wrong. The original poem speaks to women supporting one another through vulnerable moments, and the change they inspire in one another through that support. Rather than portraying women as victims of the wrongs they have faced, I wanted to frame them as the champions they are. When women speak up in the face of wrongdoings, they are not only advocating for themselves—they are also making a change that will in turn inspire more women to speak their truths.

It means the world to me to be able to adapt “We Rise” into Girls on the Rise. It was my hope that adapting the poem into a children’s book could empower young girls and their allies to speak up and embody courage within their own lives. We know hardship and challenges are inevitable, but I wanted to convey to my readers that fear is not the end. Instead, we can look into ourselves and recognize that our fear communicates what is most important to us. Fear teaches us that there is something worth defending and protecting. Girlhood is also based on community, and one of my goals for this book was to communicate that young people are not alone through the struggles they face. Instead, when we face challenges, we can look to the past to inspire us, and to one another to see a future that is brighter.

I was incredibly lucky to have Loveis Wise as my illustrator for Girls on the Rise, and the illustrations they created are so perfect in depicting the hopeful messages of this poem. I love that the girls in these pages are never alone—these illustrations portray the girls working, walking, and celebrating together in all their unique forms. These girls are beautiful, diverse, and active, reflected powerfully through Loveis’s use of vibrant color and texture. Most of all, these girls are bold and caring; they pave the way for others and invite one another to the table. I also love that girls and their allies will get to see the faces of so many iconic women and girls who have changed the world, inspiring the future generations to come. We are where change is going!