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A review by katykelly
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
5.0
The power of words (and love). Strong female lead and stirring narrative of one contemporary adolescence.
Reminding me of Sarah Crossan's work in verse (both Carnegie winners), The Poet X gives us a story that flows like the language Xiomara lives and breathes. A very relevant look at the life of one talented young woman, with barriers, dreams and hopefully some courage to overcome one to reach out to the other.
Xiomara is a Harlem teenager who hides her talent for slam poetry in her own writing, secreting her thoughts and experiences in her own private writing journal. Her religious mother, determined to control her blossoming daughter and mould her into a good church-going girl. She cannot speak her mind at home. Her own womanly body gives her unwanted attention and forces X to push back physically. Her fists do the talking for her.
The budding rapport that grows between X and her lab partner in biology, Aman, brings a rather lovely aspect to the story - of course most stories of teenagers will feature some sort of love interest. This one is very understated, sometimes very little is said between the pair, or simply the bonding over favourite song lyrics and artists. The developing respect and closeness is touching to watch, even as - as ever - much is wordless.
X is invited to join a slam poetry club by her English teacher, something her mother would not allow, but which is close to her heart and desires, and something she will need to courage to do to make her voice, her thoughts, her feelings be heard.
The author, a slam poet herself, imbues X with a gift for articulation, for expression and imagery. The multi-pronged story gives us the highs of a first love and the fears and danger of a repressive and precarious mother-daughter relationship. X's brother is also given a plot arc that the reader guesses at, a dangerous leaning for the child of a religious zealot.
The style of the book worked so well, both as an insight into X's mind and love for poetry, but also as a modern-feeling method of conveying a plot. For me, it wasn't at all intimidating, though I can imagine a reader with no experience of this would find it disconcerting. It's very easy to read though, and feels like you're inside X's thoughts.
Uplifting, emotional, and a wonderfully strong female lead surrounded by memorable supporting characters, covering a wealth of contemporary issues. A worthy Carnegie winner, and I hope is given shelf space in secondary schools.
Reminding me of Sarah Crossan's work in verse (both Carnegie winners), The Poet X gives us a story that flows like the language Xiomara lives and breathes. A very relevant look at the life of one talented young woman, with barriers, dreams and hopefully some courage to overcome one to reach out to the other.
Xiomara is a Harlem teenager who hides her talent for slam poetry in her own writing, secreting her thoughts and experiences in her own private writing journal. Her religious mother, determined to control her blossoming daughter and mould her into a good church-going girl. She cannot speak her mind at home. Her own womanly body gives her unwanted attention and forces X to push back physically. Her fists do the talking for her.
The budding rapport that grows between X and her lab partner in biology, Aman, brings a rather lovely aspect to the story - of course most stories of teenagers will feature some sort of love interest. This one is very understated, sometimes very little is said between the pair, or simply the bonding over favourite song lyrics and artists. The developing respect and closeness is touching to watch, even as - as ever - much is wordless.
X is invited to join a slam poetry club by her English teacher, something her mother would not allow, but which is close to her heart and desires, and something she will need to courage to do to make her voice, her thoughts, her feelings be heard.
The author, a slam poet herself, imbues X with a gift for articulation, for expression and imagery. The multi-pronged story gives us the highs of a first love and the fears and danger of a repressive and precarious mother-daughter relationship. X's brother is also given a plot arc that the reader guesses at, a dangerous leaning for the child of a religious zealot.
The style of the book worked so well, both as an insight into X's mind and love for poetry, but also as a modern-feeling method of conveying a plot. For me, it wasn't at all intimidating, though I can imagine a reader with no experience of this would find it disconcerting. It's very easy to read though, and feels like you're inside X's thoughts.
Uplifting, emotional, and a wonderfully strong female lead surrounded by memorable supporting characters, covering a wealth of contemporary issues. A worthy Carnegie winner, and I hope is given shelf space in secondary schools.