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A review by _fallinglight_
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
5.0
This book was incredible! I loved absolutely loved it. I chose to read it bc I read in a Book Riot article that some parents in North Carolina were suing a charter school to have The Poet X banned bc they think it's a “frontal assault on Christian beliefs and values”, which seriously, joke's on them bc they're literally acting like Xiomara's strict af, fanatical mom. But thanks to that I got to read this amazing book so their book banning crusade already backfired lmao.
I'm not a fan of poetry, I don't know much about the intricacies and technicalities of writing a poem and I dreaded the task of attempting to write one in school, the most I got was a C lol. My interest has always been in prose, but these poems, the emotions so clearly expressed, the thoughts so vividly told, the narrative is definitely some of the best and most truthful writing I've read. Some believers might be offended at the very real doubts and ideas toward religion X expresses but their being offended doesn't make this any less real and important. I was like Xiomara at that age. I doubted my mom's faith and beliefs. I had a hard time coming to terms with the punitive preaching and beliefs of Christianity while always hearing that “God is love” and loves everyone but is also ready to send people who don't believe, or don't believe how preachers and pastors want them to believe, to hell for all eternity when supposedly He gave us free will to choose any way and supposedly doesn't force us to believe. The constant contradictions and sometimes flat out nonsense in beliefs make someone, especially a teen who's trying to make sense of the world around them, at their place in it, and battling with hormones and mental and physiological changes that come in direct confrontation with said beliefs/religion, go absolutely bonkers at times. The parents suing think that if their kid reads this book their faith will crumble like the walls of Jericho at the sounding of the raw, authentic trumpet of a voice of X but truth is, most teens already start doubting on their own. I did. My own mind was always the one trying to find logic in a religion that renounces it. What finding a book like does is finally make you see you're not alone. That you aren't wrong. That most importantly, it's okay to have these doubts and deal with them. And if reading a book does make you doubt, then that should be encouraged not made hidden away. These parents, who discourage questioning and want blind faith, make the best case for Christianity and most believers being weak. If reading someone questioning faith erases theirs, it wasn't much there to begin with.
I hope these parents don't succeed in their challenge of this book bc I truly believe this book is one of the most important reads for people of all ages. Non-latinx kids and other readers can have an insight to the life of many a latinx household, and how exhausting, terrifying, empowering, beautiful, degrading, constricting and freeing being a cis latina daughter and person in general can be. How no matter how loud or big we are our parents refuse to listen, no matter what we say, even if it's for their own good, for a better relationship, to start healing. How our bodies are seen as men's enemies, becomes our own enemy, have been religious people's enemy when at the same time they tell us our bodies are our temples. And for us latinx folks, we can see ourselves in these verses. I see the trauma of latinx machismo inherited and handed down from one generation to the next, how latinx patriarchy and religious fundamentalism has made enemies of and between women, starting with our mothers sometimes. Reading these verses, Xiomara's mom, I see some things of my own mom, though thankfully she's never been fanatical to the point Altagracia is. But I see the hurt of being married to a man who didn't value them, who was always unfaithful, “vago”, selfish, and stole from them the plans they had already made before coming to the United States. I see the same idea they think that only their children could ever be capable of loving them, unconditionally, forever. How they see their children as their anchors to this life, and their salvation. And their hope.
This book is seriously so powerful and I loved how Xiomara's voice and verses hurt and at the same time healed her parents. And that it birthed a new relationship and love with her parents, especially her dad. I don't know how much is made up and how much is semi-autobiographical in this tumultuous ocean of emotions of a book, but I'm still shook to see scenarios almost played out word for word in my own life (the tampon incident, but with no violence though, happened with me, too), even though we have different backgrounds and I don't have Caribbean descent. I loved how stereotypes are broken but also embraced and dealt with “ternura”.
God, I just can't accurately say all the things this book made feel even though this review is long enough, I just sincerely love this book and I'm glad this book is being read and discussed in schools. I can't imagine how validating, how exhilarating it must be to be a latinx kid going through something similar to Xiomara's life and find out you're not alone and you're not wrong. I would've freaked out and cried had I read this as a 15 year old. It would have been so nice. But this book is so important and impacting, it still moves you at any age. And what can I say about Xiomara? I wish she was MY twin sister. A beautiful, intelligent, talented, strong yet vulnerable and loving role model, for real. Seriously, everyone read this book, you'll be a lot richer emotionally, spiritually and culturally doing so.
And p.s.: I hope them parents lose their lawsuit and get laughed out of the room and get called Altagracias (even though even she comes around). White people keep trying to ruin things.
Edit: 11/10/20: so I found out that the judge denied the parents' request to remove The Poet X! As he should.
I'm not a fan of poetry, I don't know much about the intricacies and technicalities of writing a poem and I dreaded the task of attempting to write one in school, the most I got was a C lol. My interest has always been in prose, but these poems, the emotions so clearly expressed, the thoughts so vividly told, the narrative is definitely some of the best and most truthful writing I've read. Some believers might be offended at the very real doubts and ideas toward religion X expresses but their being offended doesn't make this any less real and important. I was like Xiomara at that age. I doubted my mom's faith and beliefs. I had a hard time coming to terms with the punitive preaching and beliefs of Christianity while always hearing that “God is love” and loves everyone but is also ready to send people who don't believe, or don't believe how preachers and pastors want them to believe, to hell for all eternity when supposedly He gave us free will to choose any way and supposedly doesn't force us to believe. The constant contradictions and sometimes flat out nonsense in beliefs make someone, especially a teen who's trying to make sense of the world around them, at their place in it, and battling with hormones and mental and physiological changes that come in direct confrontation with said beliefs/religion, go absolutely bonkers at times. The parents suing think that if their kid reads this book their faith will crumble like the walls of Jericho at the sounding of the raw, authentic trumpet of a voice of X but truth is, most teens already start doubting on their own. I did. My own mind was always the one trying to find logic in a religion that renounces it. What finding a book like does is finally make you see you're not alone. That you aren't wrong. That most importantly, it's okay to have these doubts and deal with them. And if reading a book does make you doubt, then that should be encouraged not made hidden away. These parents, who discourage questioning and want blind faith, make the best case for Christianity and most believers being weak. If reading someone questioning faith erases theirs, it wasn't much there to begin with.
I hope these parents don't succeed in their challenge of this book bc I truly believe this book is one of the most important reads for people of all ages. Non-latinx kids and other readers can have an insight to the life of many a latinx household, and how exhausting, terrifying, empowering, beautiful, degrading, constricting and freeing being a cis latina daughter and person in general can be. How no matter how loud or big we are our parents refuse to listen, no matter what we say, even if it's for their own good, for a better relationship, to start healing. How our bodies are seen as men's enemies, becomes our own enemy, have been religious people's enemy when at the same time they tell us our bodies are our temples. And for us latinx folks, we can see ourselves in these verses. I see the trauma of latinx machismo inherited and handed down from one generation to the next, how latinx patriarchy and religious fundamentalism has made enemies of and between women, starting with our mothers sometimes. Reading these verses, Xiomara's mom, I see some things of my own mom, though thankfully she's never been fanatical to the point Altagracia is. But I see the hurt of being married to a man who didn't value them, who was always unfaithful, “vago”, selfish, and stole from them the plans they had already made before coming to the United States. I see the same idea they think that only their children could ever be capable of loving them, unconditionally, forever. How they see their children as their anchors to this life, and their salvation. And their hope.
This book is seriously so powerful and I loved how Xiomara's voice and verses hurt and at the same time healed her parents. And that it birthed a new relationship and love with her parents, especially her dad. I don't know how much is made up and how much is semi-autobiographical in this tumultuous ocean of emotions of a book, but I'm still shook to see scenarios almost played out word for word in my own life (the tampon incident, but with no violence though, happened with me, too), even though we have different backgrounds and I don't have Caribbean descent. I loved how stereotypes are broken but also embraced and dealt with “ternura”.
God, I just can't accurately say all the things this book made feel even though this review is long enough, I just sincerely love this book and I'm glad this book is being read and discussed in schools. I can't imagine how validating, how exhilarating it must be to be a latinx kid going through something similar to Xiomara's life and find out you're not alone and you're not wrong. I would've freaked out and cried had I read this as a 15 year old. It would have been so nice. But this book is so important and impacting, it still moves you at any age. And what can I say about Xiomara? I wish she was MY twin sister. A beautiful, intelligent, talented, strong yet vulnerable and loving role model, for real. Seriously, everyone read this book, you'll be a lot richer emotionally, spiritually and culturally doing so.
And p.s.: I hope them parents lose their lawsuit and get laughed out of the room and get called Altagracias (even though even she comes around). White people keep trying to ruin things.
Edit: 11/10/20: so I found out that the judge denied the parents' request to remove The Poet X! As he should.