Elizabeth Acevedo

They tell me to “fix” my hair.

And by fix, they mean straighten, they mean whiten;

but how do you fix this shipwrecked

history of hair?

In her most famous spoken-word poem, author of the Pura Belpré-winning novel-in-verse The Poet X Elizabeth Acevedo embraces all the complexities of Black hair and Afro-Latinidad—the history, pain, pride, and powerful love of that inheritance.

Paired with full-color illustrations by artist Andrea Pippins in a format that will appeal to fans of Mahogany L. Browne’s Black Girl Magic or Jason Reynolds’s For Everyone, this poem can now be read in a vibrant package, making it the ideal gift, treasure, or inspiration for readers of any age.

A Visual Poem

Inheritance

Sven Test

Inheritance hit me deep. It's so relatable. As I kept passing the pages, all I could do was nod at everything Elizabeth Acevedo wrote. I'm thankful that nowadays in Puerto Rico, people are more accepting and loving of the curly hair. But as I was growing up, all I kept told to do was to straighten my hair.

The only person in my life who always rooted for me to leave it curly was my grandpa. "You're burning your hair!", he'd exclaim every single time he'd see me with my hair straightened.

It even was hard for me to love my natural 3C-type curls. And I always vowed that if I ever had kids with curly hair, I'd teach them to embrace them and love them for it gives them personality and culture and uniqueness. Seeing Elizabeth Acevedo wanting the same thing filled my heart.

"Oh, how I will braid pride down their backs"
But the quote that made me want to re-read the book over and over was:

"Some people tell me to
fix my hair. 
And so many words 
remain unspoken, 
because all I can reply is, 
you can't
fix 
what 
was 
never 
broken."

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Inheritance hit me deep. It's so relatable. As I kept passing the pages, all I could do was nod at everything Elizabeth Acevedo wrote. I'm thankful that nowadays in Puerto Rico, people are more accepting and loving of the curly hair. But as I was growing up, all I kept told to do was to straighten my hair.

The only person in my life who always rooted for me to leave it curly was my grandpa. "You're burning your hair!", he'd exclaim every single time he'd see me with my hair straightened.

It even was hard for me to love my natural 3C-type curls. And I always vowed that if I ever had kids with curly hair, I'd teach them to embrace them and love them for it gives them personality and culture and uniqueness. Seeing Elizabeth Acevedo wanting the same thing filled my heart.

"Oh, how I will braid pride down their backs"

But the quote that made me want to re-read the book over and over was:

"Some people tell me to
fix my hair. 
And so many words 
remain unspoken, 
because all I can reply is, 
you can't
fix 
what 
was 
never 
broken."

Inheritance A Visual Poem

Reviews