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A review by kathsaph
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
emotional
inspiring
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? No
4.75
"The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo is the story of Xiomara Batista, a teenage girl living in Harlem who keeps a journal of her life in the form of poems. Throughout the novel she discovers her love of slam poetry and uses art to find her voice.
This book was powerful and vulnerable all at once. Xiomara's struggle to find her own identity while others in her life push their narratives on to her is both familiar and authentic. Her struggles with being a first generation American, a girl, Dominican and having a very religious family are all met with her relentless passion for writing, it gave me chills. Acevedo's writing cuts out all the unnecessary chatter and takes you to the heart of each character instantly. This was a story about love, forgiveness, voice and poetry, it took me about 3 hours to read, and I could not put it down.
This book was powerful and vulnerable all at once. Xiomara's struggle to find her own identity while others in her life push their narratives on to her is both familiar and authentic. Her struggles with being a first generation American, a girl, Dominican and having a very religious family are all met with her relentless passion for writing, it gave me chills. Acevedo's writing cuts out all the unnecessary chatter and takes you to the heart of each character instantly. This was a story about love, forgiveness, voice and poetry, it took me about 3 hours to read, and I could not put it down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Body shaming