A powerful novel with an unforgettable voice, perfect for fans of Rupi Kaur, The Hate U Give and Sarah Crossan's One.
Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. When it comes to standing her ground in her Harlem neighbourhood, she lets her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But X has secrets - her feelings for a boy in her bio class, and the notebook full of poems that she keeps under her bed. And a slam poetry club that will pull those secrets into the spotlight.
Because in spite of a world that might not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to stay silent.
A novel about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in, no matter how hard it is to say. Brave, bold and beautifully written, this is perfect for fans of Orangeboy, Nicola Yoon's Everything Everything and Zoella Book Club choice Moxie.
ELIZABETH ACEVEDO was born and raised in New York City and her poetry is infused with Dominican bolero and her beloved city's tough grit.
She holds a BA in Performing Arts from The George Washington University and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Maryland. With over twelve years of performance experience, Acevedo has been a featured performer on BET and Mun2, as well as delivered several TED Talks. She has performed internationally and her poetry has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post and Teen Vogue.
Elizabeth is a National Slam Champion, Beltway Grand Slam Champion, and the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam representative for Washington, D.C, where she lives and works.
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I am not going to lie, I cried for the last maybe 40 minutes of The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. Like heavy, deep crying. I’m so lucky that I was listening to it on audio because if I was reading a physical copy I would have not been able to see. The Poet X is a stunning debut and if you have the chance, please read it on audio.
The Poet X follows Xiomara Batista, or simply X as she tries to navigate where she fits in life. And she pours all her thoughts and passions into a leather notebook, she words turn into something more. But, X doesn’t know what to do when she is invited to join her schools Slam Poetry Club. Her mother won’t let her, she won’t let her do anything that goes against anything to do with the church. Thrown in new feelings for a boy in her bio class, X is now facing decisions that might tear her apart.
I loved Xiomara, she has to be one of my favourite protagonist I’ve read so far this year. Her passion and determination were strong and bold. I loved that she questioned things in her life, but also understood the importance of those things in other peoples lives. At times I just wanted to give her a big hug and just tell her everything is going to be alright. I’ve seen a few reviews that call X angry and why wouldn’t she be? Why is that a bad thing? I found X honest and so relatable.
There was a big focus on faith throughout the whole of The Poet X and especially regarding her mother and her connection to faith. At times some of these scenes were hard to read because X not only question her connection to faith but herself as well. Her relationship with her mother is another major focus of the novel. It’s not a good or healthy relationship and that is explored throughout The Poet X. I thought the romance was hella adorable and I enjoyed seeing both X and Aman grow both together and apart.
The Poet X is an emotional book. As I said I cried for the last 40 minutes or so of the book. It was hard-hitting and did take a lot out of me. The reader is truly able to feel X’s pain, her troubles and everything in between. There were also times throughout the book that were telling and I loved it, so much.
Overall, I can’t even begin to explain how beautiful and stunning The Poet X is. The passion and thought that went into every word, every poem was just perfect. I love how each poem intertwined, everything felt like it belonged. I don’t read a lot of modern poetry, but I love spoken word and slam poetry. It just sounds beautiful. And I loved how Elizabeth Acevedo presented it here. - Angelique (QBD)
Guest, 19/06/2020
