Against Breaking, Ada Limon
Against Breaking, Ada Limon
List: $4.99 | Sale: $3.50
Club: $2.49

Against Breaking
On the Power of Poetry

Author: Ada Limón

Narrator: Ada Limón

Unabridged: 57 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 04/07/2026


Synopsis

24th Poet Laureate of the United States Ada Limón inspires us to see poetry as much more than just words—as a powerful force for healing, a call to action, and a vibrant celebration of humanity’s many voices.

Ada Limón—celebrated poet laureate and 2023 MacArthur fellow—takes us on an inspiring journey into a world where poetry is both a soothing balm for the soul and a spark for transformation. With her blend of accessible yet profound prose, Limón delivers a powerful message: poetry has the ability to heal, connect, and remind us of our shared humanity.

Limón’s mission to make poetry approachable shines brightly in this slim but impactful book. Recognized as a 2024 Time magazine Woman of the Year for her commitment to bringing poetry into everyday lives, Limón passionately argues that poetry is essential to understanding ourselves—our tenderness, courage, imperfections, and our deep, unshakable worthiness of love.

Drawing from her own experiences as the 24th US poet laureate, Limón shares how poetry connects us not only to each other but to the natural world. This theme is at the heart of her project You Are Here, which celebrates the beauty of our environment and our place in it. Her prose, like her poetry, feels like an open invitation—welcoming readers of all backgrounds to explore the richness of human experience through verse.

Fans of Robin Wall Kimmerer, Matthew Zapruder, or Jesmyn Ward will find a kindred spirit in Against Breaking—which offers a refuge, a reminder of the resilience and beauty found within us and all around us. As Limón writes with heartfelt clarity, “If you need to remember what makes us human, tender, brave, flawed, and worthy of love, you need poetry.”

About Ada Limón

Ada Limón is the author of seven books of poetry, including Startlement: New & Selected Poems; The Hurting Kind, which was a finalist for the Griffin Prize; The Carrying, which won the National Books Critics Circle Award and was a finalist for the PEN/Jean Stein Book Award; and Bright Dead Things, which was named a finalist for the National Book Award, the National Book Critics Circle Award, and the Kingsley Tufts Award. Limón is the recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and was named a 2024 Time Woman of the Year. She is the author of two picture books, In Praise of Mystery as well as And, Too, The Fox, and was the editor of the anthology You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World. She served as the 24th Poet Laureate of the United States.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Kara on April 11, 2026

I have never felt scooped up and held by language before, until reading Limón’s work. Another beautiful reminder of why poetry can heal, open large and small doors, and allow us to look inside, if we choose.......more

Goodreads review by Ryan on April 08, 2026

If you want to learn poetry, this is less than 50 short pages on what poetry is. Thank you Ada Limon.......more

Goodreads review by Deb (Readerbuzz) on April 18, 2026

Ada Limón reads the speech she gave at the end of her term as US Poet Laureate in this short audiobook. She lists all the wonderful reasons people should read poetry, using quotes from poems to back up her views. A delight.......more

Goodreads review by Sophie on April 09, 2026

short n sweet......more

Goodreads review by Holly on March 13, 2026

3.75// This short book is a publication of Ada Limón’s closing lecture as U.S. Poet Laureate at the Library of Congress in April 2025. She beautifully articulates the need for poetry in our society. Poetry helps us to slow down, pay attention to what’s around us, express sentiments larger than ourse......more