Book Review: The Poet X By Elizabeth Acevedo

 The Poet X

By Elizabeth Acevedo

Release Date: April 7, 2020

Source: Personal Copy

Goodreads

A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.

Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into 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 bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about. With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself.

So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out, much less speak her words 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 loved this book. I loved the thread of religion that flowed through the book. And how the author showed the struggles that women have to go through on a daily basis. All of the characters in this story were so flushed out and amazing. 

This book follows X who doesn't really know where she belongs. She loves to write poems. But she has a deep whole in her heart where her religious beliefs lie. Her mother twists and turns catholicism to her own gain. She tells X that normal things teenagers do is not ok for her to do. This puts a big divide between X and her mother.

Throughout this story we see X grow as a woman. She finds her own way of standing up for herself. This book really hits hard on the fact that there are different ways to fight your battles. Whether that be with words, actions, or physically. 

After I read this book I can say without a doubt that this will be one of my favorites of 2021!

Please go pick this book up, you will not regret it!