A review by radiantdaydreams
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

5.0

This book gave me chills. Every single word, every single poem on every single page told the story of Xiomara, whose pen name is Poet X, hence the title, a high school sophomore who just wants to go down the streets without boys hollering at her, who just wants to be able to escape her mother's strict and overprotective rules, who just wants to write her feelings out on a page. She's helpless -- she can't break free from her over-religious mother who dominates and towers over her every day, making sure she learns her lessons from the bible, forcing her to "be the nun she never was". Everyone around Xiomara expects her to be perfect-- to love church, to be the righteous, never fall in love or date until after college. Besides that, Xiomara has her twin brother to take care of, Xavier, who she only calls "Twin". Twin is a genius, who goes to a genius school, whose skipped a grade. He's their mother's perfect little boy, smart and obedient. If Twin brought home a girl, he'd be praised. If Xiomara brought home a boy, she'd be in trouble. The only way she can escape from everything is by writing poems, letting her feelings pour out onto the page.
This book brought me so many tears, from when Xiomara first fell for Aman, to when she ran away from home. I'm glad the book ended the way it did, with Xiomara and her mother making up, and the Poet X going to the poetry slam.