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kyrstin_p1989's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Moving, beautiful novel in verse about how sometimes you have to become who you’re meant to be despite whatever obstacles stand in your way, even when those obstacles might be the people who are supposed to love and care about you the most. A quick read, this book moved me through every conceivable emotion and the relationship between the mother and daughter, while not exactly like my own, definitely resonated with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Sexism, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Fatphobia, Grief, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, and Religious bigotry
kindredspirit7's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
This book is absolute perfection. The audiobook is impeccable. I don’t live in New York. I’m a white middle class young woman from the Appalachian mountains. But there was something so relatable in the way x related with Christianity and the way she experiences her first love. Her relationship with her mother. It all spoke to the 16 year old girl in me who was grappling with love and sex and who she was all while surrounded by a family that was pious and knowing she was different. The writing is beautiful. The story is heartwarming and heartbreaking. I laughed, I cried, I felt angry for X. If I could make it everyone read this book I would.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Bullying, Cursing, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Body shaming
kaimetcalfe's review
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual harassment, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, and Body shaming
Moderate: Infertility, Bullying, Drug use, and Homophobia
Minor: Addiction
august69's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexual harassment, Sexism, and Body shaming
Moderate: Sexual content and Homophobia
saucy_bookdragon's review
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ca·thar·sis
/kəˈTHärsəs/
noun:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Catharsis is what I felt reading this.
This gripped me, I picked it up on a whim from the library looking for something short and couldn't put it down, enraptured by the beautiful writing and compelling characters. I finished the book at one in the morning, laid down in my bed, and cried for ten minutes or so.
The Poet X is written gorgeously and empathetically. I took a lot of pictures of pages because of how much I loved each poem and how some of them resonated so deeply with me. It never gets so loss in its metaphor and prose to forget the plot, balancing the two and enhancing both. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is fighting for agency in a household where she has none, mainly through her art. It's amazingly complex with each character having multiple layers, even the less savory ones. All while dealing with heavy topics such as religion, abuse, and misogyny with empathy and making the story both empowering and realistic.
And the book is overflowing with a love for writing. It being the main way that our protagonist, Xiomara, finds her agency. This love is weaved into the poetry itself of the book, illuminating the power of prose.
TWs: parental abuse justified with Catholicism and including physical violence, groping and sexual harassment, misogyny, homophobia, blasphemy.
/kəˈTHärsəs/
noun:
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed emotions.
Catharsis is what I felt reading this.
This gripped me, I picked it up on a whim from the library looking for something short and couldn't put it down, enraptured by the beautiful writing and compelling characters. I finished the book at one in the morning, laid down in my bed, and cried for ten minutes or so.
The Poet X is written gorgeously and empathetically. I took a lot of pictures of pages because of how much I loved each poem and how some of them resonated so deeply with me. It never gets so loss in its metaphor and prose to forget the plot, balancing the two and enhancing both. It is a coming of age story about a girl who is fighting for agency in a household where she has none, mainly through her art. It's amazingly complex with each character having multiple layers, even the less savory ones. All while dealing with heavy topics such as religion, abuse, and misogyny with empathy and making the story both empowering and realistic.
And the book is overflowing with a love for writing. It being the main way that our protagonist, Xiomara, finds her agency. This love is weaved into the poetry itself of the book, illuminating the power of prose.
TWs: parental abuse justified with Catholicism and including physical violence, groping and sexual harassment, misogyny, homophobia, blasphemy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Homophobia
prairieraven's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Gorgeous story written like poetry, that that alone was stunning. It made falling back in love with poetry easy,my heart is already yearning for more verses. Heart wrenching in places. I loved this book. The characters -Xiomara,Xavier, Caridad, Aman, Mami & Papi are rich, beautifully written, deep and their relationships complicated, sticky and relatable. The Poet X is going to stick with me for a long time.
Content Warnings
Minor: Cursing, Religious bigotry, Emotional abuse, and Homophobia
lily_eames's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I read this book for school but honestly I thought it was amazing. I love the unique use of poetry mixed with prose. It’s a super fast read that tells the coming of age story of a young Afro Latina woman. The author portrays the struggle between church and sexuality beautifully. While some of the poetry is a little too close to prose for my taste, many of the poems took my breath away. A great read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse and Sexual content
Minor: Sexual harassment and Homophobia
lindsayerin's review
challenging
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual harassment
Moderate: Homophobia, Religious bigotry, and Child abuse
ashleyj_reads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Homophobia
beckyyreadss's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I wanted to read this book as I'd seen so many good things about this author and I wanted to dive into her work, so I thought I would start with Poet X and it did not disappoint.
This book is based on Xiomara Batista and she feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighbourhood. Ever since her body started to grow in curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking. But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers – especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her biology class who is called Aman, who her family can never know about. Her Mami is determined to force her daughter to obey the laws o the church, so Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. But she gets invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend with Mami finding out, much less speak her private thoughts and feelings out loud. But still, she can’t stop thinking about performing her poems. Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
I love this book. It's a brutal book, but I loved it. I wanted to protect Xiomara with my life. I wanted more, I wanted to see if Xiomara and Twin could break out of their mother’s clutches. I wanted to see Twin happy and Xiomara happy. This book is heavily based on religion and Xiomara rebelling against it (which is perfectly fine – what her mother did was not). I think the way this book is presented as a bunch of poems made it a very easy read. I felt like it was going to lose some of the storyline doing that, but it really didn’t. It managed to keep you intrigued and the storyline flowing.
I don’t personally there is any weaknesses so to say about this book, I just think the ending was a little rushed, I would have loved to see the relationship with her and her mother grow if she wanted it to and to see her friendship develop with the Slam kids, but overall, I thought it was an interesting read and I would love for another book to be made from Xavier’s point of view and see him find his way in the world.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Sexual harassment, Violence, Homophobia, and Body shaming