--- description: Find out why "Pilgrim Bell" by Kaveh Akbar is on TIME's list of the must-read books from this year. title: 'Pilgrim Bell' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf80a50f1a988cbe7/6998cd3be1ba008edc98e4bd/time-hi-res.webp?branch=production&width=640&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 29, 2021 # Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  Following 2017’s _Calling a Wolf a Wolf,_ Kaveh Akbar makes a bracing return with his second collection of poetry, _Pilgrim Bell_, which considers the spiritual and the tangible with equal gravitas. Equally resolute in his honesty and his sensitivity, Akbar uses language to make his poetry a tangible medium. By inviting readers to engage viscerally with his work, exploring everything from his family’s move from Iran to America to his struggles with faith and sobriety, the volume explores the nuances and contradictions of living in a body and a country that’s often at odds with your soul. **Buy Now:** _Pilgrim Bell_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781644450598 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/3nGKyLk "undefined") Pilgrim Bell: 100 Must-Read Books of 2021 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120683/pilgrim-bell/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120683/pilgrim-bell/"},"headline":"Pilgrim Bell","datePublished":"2021-11-29T13:15:21.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-02T23:58:16.231Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120683/pilgrim-bell/","keywords":["Books","list","best books"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf80a50f1a988cbe7/6998cd3be1ba008edc98e4bd/time-hi-res.webp?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf80a50f1a988cbe7/6998cd3be1ba008edc98e4bd/time-hi-res.webp?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/100-must-read-books-2021/6120683/pilgrim-bell/","name":"Pilgrim Bell"}}]}] ```