Elizabeth Acevedo

A powerful novel with an unforgettable voice, perfect for fans of 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.

The Poet X

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.

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“And I think about all the thing we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them.” 

Such a relatable feeling— where nothing matters, so why should time? Or everything matters, so what’s a little time?

Joe Cloute

But in Aman’s living room time has stopped.

Can a scent tattoo itself onto your memory?

my heart feels like it’s been burned crisp,

and all I can think about are mixed metaphors.

ame 

He grins at me and shrugs. "I came here and practiced a lot. My pops never wanted to put me in classes. Said it was too soft."

And now his smile is a little sad. And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them.

The other girls call me conceited. Ho. Thot. Fast. 

When your body takes up more room than your voice you are always the target of well-aimed rumors, which is why I let my knuckles talk for me. 

Which is why I learned to shrug when my name was replaced by insults.

morgan wysocarski

"Xiomara may be remembered as a lot of things: a student, a miracle, a protective sister, a misunderstood daughter, but most importantly, she should be remembered as always working to become the warrior she wanted to be."

I was recommended this book by someone who knew my love for contemporary stories and lyrical writing, and this book of poems was absolutely beautiful, a perfect merging of those two things. I wasn't too sure what to expect before reading this book, I do love poetry, I write my own as a form of journal sometimes too, although nowhere near as often and as well as Xiomara, but I also know that some poetry doesn't read as well as it does heard spoken aloud or even in a song. But this book was just right for me and I ended up enjoying it so much, it really spoke to me in ways I wasn't expecting. We follow Xiomara, a fifteen year old Dominican American girl who is navigating a complex world: her mother is devoutly religious, her father is there but not really 

, her twin is at times distant and at times completely understanding, she's gone through puberty and is uncomfortable with how men look at her body, but she also has wants and needs, and so, so many questions. The storyline really swept me away, and I flew through it in just a few days.

The style of poetry in this book was just right for me, it didn't rhyme, although there were some hints at it, and it didn't have a specific metric pattern, but it flowed and it hit beats inside of me that just made so much sense, and the imagery was absolutely wonderful. It is a really unique way to tell a story. I was surprised at how easily the story was told through these poems, they're not very long and they're pretty briefly worded, for the most part, but they held so much substance. The way Acevedo managed to fit so much depth and emotion into these poems is masterfully done, and after a while you don't even really notice that you're not just reading regular prose, you're able to be absorbed in the world around you, and can fill in the gaps, read between the lines, as if it were fully descriptive. My heart sung, ached, broke and was uplifted again by this story. I loved X, she is soft and hard at the same time, she sees the world in ways that others don't and she truly gets people. She's a protector but she also needs someone to be strong for her. She has dark thoughts and is confused about a lot, but she is also finding herself and her calling, and is powerfully demanding respect from those around her. It was beautiful to witness.

The relationships in this book are the true backbone of the plot, X's relationships with her mother, her father, her brother, her friends, her teacher, her priest, her audience, and the boy that she likes and who listens to her. They're all interwoven to form the person X is growing up to be. The story itself is pretty simple but it deals with deep topics such as the immigrant experience, religious trauma, abuse, sexual harrassment, body shaming and a touch of homophobia. It really managed to weave together so many interesecting aspects of life that were also very authentic and realistic. Quite a few of the poems really resonated with me, even if I didn't completely understand the character's experiences, I got how X felt on many levels, especially as a young girl growing into a woman, and the awkwardness and angst of being a teenager. I did bring the rating down by half a star because I simply wanted more. I think despite this book being over 300 pages long, because the poems are mostly short, I think it could've been even longer and really dived into dealing with some of the "problematic" aspects of some of the characters, short little mentions towards therapy sessions and new understandings just didn't quite fill that gap for me. I also wish we got to read X's Slam competition entry, although the more I think about it, I think the whole book was meant to be, what I have now learned is called, a "metapoem" where the poem is about the act of writing poetry. So the entire book of poems, which tells a story and culminates in a final unseen poem, acts as or symbolises that final poem. And there is some beauty in that, but it didn't feel quite as profound as I wished for.

"I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn’t that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark."

Overall, this is a fantastic book and absolutely well worth the read, even if the format and style might not be something you've ever read before or even fully enjoy, I think it's a great book that everyone should at least give a try. I loved the main character, and I wanted so much more from her story, I could easily read poetry collections of all the phases of her life and she grows up and learns to deal with this crazy world. I will definitely be giving Acevedo's other books a go too, I looked forward to reading more of her beautiful writing. I'm very glad I picked this book up.

"I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them."

Genevieve 

"Xiomara may be remembered as a lot of things: a student, a miracle, a protective sister, a misunderstood daughter, but most importantly, she should be remembered as always working to become the warrior she wanted to be."

4.5⭐

I was recommended this book by someone who knew my love for contemporary stories and lyrical writing, and this book of poems was absolutely beautiful, a perfect merging of those two things. I wasn't too sure what to expect before reading this book, I do love poetry, I write my own as a form of journal sometimes too, although nowhere near as often and as well as Xiomara, but I also know that some poetry doesn't read as well as it does heard spoken aloud or even in a song. But this book was just right for me and I ended up enjoying it so much, it really spoke to me in ways I wasn't expecting. We follow Xiomara, a fifteen year old Dominican American girl who is navigating a complex world: her mother is devoutly religious, her father is there but not really there, her twin is at times distant and at times completely understanding, she's gone through puberty and is uncomfortable with how men look at her body, but she also has wants and needs, and so, so many questions. The storyline really swept me away, and I flew through it in just a few days.

The style of poetry in this book was just right for me, it didn't rhyme, although there were some hints at it, and it didn't have a specific metric pattern, but it flowed and it hit beats inside of me that just made so much sense, and the imagery was absolutely wonderful. It is a really unique way to tell a story. I was surprised at how easily the story was told through these poems, they're not very long and they're pretty briefly worded, for the most part, but they held so much substance. The way Acevedo managed to fit so much depth and emotion into these poems is masterfully done, and after a while you don't even really notice that you're not just reading regular prose, you're able to be absorbed in the world around you, and can fill in the gaps, read between the lines, as if it were fully descriptive. My heart sung, ached, broke and was uplifted again by this story. I loved X, she is soft and hard at the same time, she sees the world in ways that others don't and she truly gets people. She's a protector but she also needs someone to be strong for her. She has dark thoughts and is confused about a lot, but she is also finding herself and her calling, and is powerfully demanding respect from those around her. It was beautiful to witness.

The relationships in this book are the true backbone of the plot, X's relationships with her mother, her father, her brother, her friends, her teacher, her priest, her audience, and the boy that she likes and who listens to her. They're all interwoven to form the person X is growing up to be. The story itself is pretty simple but it deals with deep topics such as the immigrant experience, religious trauma, abuse, sexual harrassment, body shaming and a touch of homophobia. It really managed to weave together so many interesecting aspects of life that were also very authentic and realistic. Quite a few of the poems really resonated with me, even if I didn't completely understand the character's experiences, I got how X felt on many levels, especially as a young girl growing into a woman, and the awkwardness and angst of being a teenager. I did bring the rating down by half a star because I simply wanted more. I think despite this book being over 300 pages long, because the poems are mostly short, I think it could've been even longer and really dived into dealing with some of the "problematic" aspects of some of the characters, short little mentions towards therapy sessions and new understandings just didn't quite fill that gap for me. I also wish we got to read X's Slam competition entry, although the more I think about it, I think the whole book was meant to be, what I have now learned is called, a "metapoem" where the poem is about the act of writing poetry. So the entire book of poems, which tells a story and culminates in a final unseen poem, acts as or symbolises that final poem. And there is some beauty in that, but it didn't feel quite as profound as I wished for.

"I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn’t that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark."

Overall, this is a fantastic book and absolutely well worth the read, even if the format and style might not be something you've ever read before or even fully enjoy, I think it's a great book that everyone should at least give a try. I loved the main character, and I wanted so much more from her story, I could easily read poetry collections of all the phases of her life and she grows up and learns to deal with this crazy world. I will definitely be giving Acevedo's other books a go too, I looked forward to reading more of her beautiful writing. I'm very glad I picked this book up.

"I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them."

Bria

At this point, I can't dislike anything Acevedo writes. This is such a beautiful book.

Sarah Sammis

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo is the story of Xiomara Batista. She's a too tall twin growing up in Harlem. Her smaller, quieter twin is everything her mother wants. She on the other hand is everything her hyper Catholic mother fears.

She's interested in one boy only but because she's Black, mixed race, and buxom, she gets male attention, female scorn, and a reputation that has a life of its own.

http://pussreboots.com/blog/2018/comm...

Sonia Grgas

If you are thinking of reading this, do it on audio, so good!

An incredibly powerful piece told entirely in verse, in what appear to be the poems protagonist Xiomara (the Poet X) writes in the notebook gifted to her by her twin brother. 

These poems are raw, vulnerable, tragic, heart-rending. They evoke so many feelings, of despair and nostalgia. They tell of first love, self-discovery, religious trauma, abuse, over-sexualization. 

I adore the role spoken word plays in Xiomara's growth and healing, and watching her allow herself to take part in how powerful community can be. 

This was so beautifully written and my heart is bursting!!! And so are my tear ducts!!!! 

joana ashley

Buddy read with Cat! 

An incredibly powerful piece told entirely in verse, in what appear to be the poems protagonist Xiomara (the Poet X) writes in the notebook gifted to her by her twin brother. 

These poems are raw, vulnerable, tragic, heart-rending. They evoke so many feelings, of despair and nostalgia. They tell of first love, self-discovery, religious trauma, abuse, over-sexualization. 

I adore the role spoken word plays in Xiomara's growth and healing, and watching her allow herself to take part in how powerful community can be. 

This was so beautifully written and my heart is bursting!!! And so are my tear ducts!!!! 

But, the thing is, all my poems are personal.

I know they write about politics and school.

How can I say things like that in front of strangers?

She tells me words give people permission to be their fullest self. And aren't these the poems

He grins at me and shrugs. "I came here and practiced a lot.

My pops never wanted to put me in classes. Said it was too soft?”

And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them.

Turia L. M.

But, the thing is, all my poems are personal.

Some of the other slammers,

I know they write about politics and school.

But my poems? They're about me.

About Twin and Papi, about Aman.

About Mami.

How can I say things like that in front of strangers?

In house stays in house, right?

"Wrong," Ms. Galiano tells me.

She tells me words give people permission to be their fullest self. And aren't these the poems

I've most needed to hear?

//

He grins at me and shrugs. "I came here and practiced a lot.

My pops never wanted to put me in classes. Said it was too soft?”

And now his smile is a little sad.

And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them.

Melissa Palmer

Book #78 Read in 2018
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

This is a verse novel that high school girls will eat up. X is a tough girl who uses poetry to express the feelings that her very religious mother wants her to keep inside. Her life is not an easy one and X is a complicated girl. A quick and powerful read.

A National Book Award Longlist title! Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth. 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. But she still 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. “Crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice.” —Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation “An incredibly potent debut.” —Jason Reynolds, author of the National Book Award Finalist Ghost “Acevedo has amplified the voices of girls en el barrio who are equal parts goddess, saint, warrior, and hero.” —Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street

Raven K

*4.5. This book was everything I expected it to be: a-freaking-mazing!❤️

Marian L

Amena Elkayal

Patricia Nelson

I had heard so much about this author and WOW I'm so glad I picked up this book. I haven't read a lot of poetry or stories in verse, and the talent of Elizabeth Acevedo to be able to say so much with so few words is amazing. I found myself completely drawn in and loved this book.

Moth

I really loved this book. It lived up to all the hype it’s gotten since it’s announcement and I’m so thankful I was able to read it. Xiomara is a first generation American who is trying to balance her life as such the best she can. Her family is from the Dominican Republic and her mother is extremely religious, only having married her husband to get to America. She tries to force these beliefs on Xiomara and her twin brother. But Xio is finding herself and questioning the things she’s known all her life. She does so through poetry and is able to find her voice in it. But this doesn’t come without hardships and cruelty when her mother finds out she’s dating a boy and about the poems themselves.

The writing in this book is simply beautiful. It’s done through poetry as Xio tells us the events that are some of her hardest to deal with. It makes these events more personal and brings you closer to her as a character. Though this book is something that is more focused on other first generation Americans that have to deal with finding a balance between their culture and the world they live in, I think a lot of people can still relate to different parts of this, such as questioning things your told to believe such as God and different things such as rules set by parents at this age.

I do warn that there is a lot of difficult subjects in this book such as abuse, sexual harassment and assault, sex, and a little bit about drugs. Sadly it’s something that a lot of people have to face, more so now it seems then ever. I think this book handled it well though and more than once I couldn’t help thinking how important this book is on subjects that are currently in the focal point of our news.

I highly recommend this book. It might not be for you, but it’s not written for you. This book is for all the first generation teens and adults out there. It’s about culture and finding balance. Even if it isn’t for you, I recommend it to better understand such issues people face.

eve 

This was such a beautiful read. I’ve known about The poet x ever since it came out, I wanted it for every birthday and Christmas, but I guess it got lost in my wishes. Whilst reading this I thought a lot about my younger self and how much she would’ve loved this book. How much it would make her, me, feel understood and seen. But I suppose everything happens for a reason and I’m glad I could find a way to this book even now, with some of my lessons learned. Elizabeth Acevedo simply never disappoints me, her poetry, just as her prose, is captivating and pure; astounding. The world of poetry slam is just now opening to me, more and more everday. I love it, expressing your words, feelings in a spoken word poem, wow. 
I have found church in poetry a long time ago; it amazes me how much power there is in word.

Maya Johnson

The writing style of this was really interesting and I loved how the story just flowed. This was enjoyable and at one point I even got emotional thinking about similar issues I had with my parents when I was Xiomara's age. This is a coming of age story worth reading and I'm glad that I read it. I'm even interested in reading more poetry because of this book. The author narrates the audio book and she did a fantastic job, I don't think anyone could have read her book better.

But besides that, this book was pretty cool.

My biggest two issues:

X listens to To Pimp a Butterfly, one of the greatest and most influential albums of the past decade, and all she can think to say is “it was pretty cool” (she is a poet, mind you).

X puts Drake in the same category as Kendrick and J. Cole.

But besides that, this book was pretty cool.

Lektüre. Ab 10. Schuljahr. Stufe 2.

A great, quick read. I loved what it did, especially that it was written in verse was amazing.

Midori Kobayashi

4/5stars


And I think about all the things we could be
if we were never told our bodies were not built for them.



I'm not big on YA and I am a little hesitant to pick poetry BUT HOLY SHMOLLY THIS BOOK. OH GOD I LOVED IT SO MUCH. This book is heart-wrenching. This book is so beautiful, so powerful. This is a journey of a YA character named Xiomara who is trying to come to terms with her body, her sexuality, her ways of coping with extremely conservative family who make her pray to the Virgin Mary. 



Xiomara (or The Poet X) talks about her everything she experiences in verse, through her poems. That's her only way to let it out, to share what she is going through. she talks about her attraction to guy(s) to her love and protectiveness for her brother, to her classes, pastor, church and everything in between. She displays a complex range of emotions-- desire, shame, fear, anger, doubt, and pleasure, all rendered beautifully and effectively through this lyrical format.



I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn't that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark.



The only reason I didn't bump it upto five stars was because I felt that certain aspects of the book could have been explored a little more, it did bring up those things but didn't dive further into them. (view spoiler)[i mean the whole conversation around her brother being gay and coming out, that part didn't play out much and I know this is supposed to be her story and that's okay but I really wanted to see that part of the story to develop further too i guess, their parents coming to terms and accepting him for who he is. (hide spoiler)] But overall I really loved it, would HIGHLY RECCOMEND THE AUDIOBOOK FOR THIS which has been narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo herself. 



My parents probably wanted a girl who would sit in the pews wearing pretty florals and a soft smile. They got combat boots and a mouth silent until it’s sharp as an island machete.



CWs for the book: Racism, Misogyny, slut-shaming, Body shaming, Sexual harassment & unwanted touching, Parental abuse, & parental abandonment, Cheating, Panic attacks, Recreational drug use, Alcohol abuse recounted, Minor physical injuries, Infertility themes & difficult childbirth mentioned, Bullying, Religion being used a justification for all the above

Jantien 

I combined the e-book with the audiobook (read by E. Acevedo herself) and it was quite the experience!! Wonderful writing, loved her voice. I am not at all into poetry, but this book I loved.

tina

3.5 stars

This was an excellent and powerful book and I understand why it has received such high praises. Objectively, this is a five out of five. But this just wasn’t my cup of tea because I don’t really enjoy contemporary poetry. It still was a great read tho.

Izza

eliz

part I was terrifyingly relatable. it highly takes emphasis on traditional and religious beliefs of a certain person (Xiomara's mom) and how they try to compel their child into something they (Xiomara) disfavor, until there comes the day more and more questions starts to form and pile up until these collective thoughts turned into merely antipathy for their conflicting faith and beliefs, but what can a child do over their own parent's abusive behaviour when every.single.thing. should be under their control as long as you live under the same roof?

part II was a bit dreary probably because of the romance (view spoiler)[(I also didn't like how they still ended up together. X and Aman's relationship...that I won't acknowledge. seeing your partner get sexually violated in public and choosing to ignore? yeaaa enough for me. please.) (hide spoiler)]

part III is when I shed tears, particularly because of the passage written below. but the rest were a bit of a letdown honestly, wrapped up way too quickly. (view spoiler)[there was an attempt to reconstruct her mother's attitude squeezed into the last five pages. (hide spoiler)]

excerpt:
"Going Home / Is one of the hardest things I've ever done. / Hands trembling at the thought / of what will happen when I walk through the / front door. / Because my mother's ears are soundproof when / it comes to me. / The only one she ever listens to is God." — part III, going home

Montgomery Pierce

An absolute perfection of a novel. I don't think I can adequately say much else immediately after reading, but every verse, each line down to each word, is so emotionally and mentally nourishing, and listening to the audiobook while reading my physical copy made the entire experience that much more rewarding.

This book is the best I've read all year. This story about religion, sexism, and growing up as a teenage girl was invaluable to me, with many struggles I could relate to. The Poet X made me feel understood. The poetry was beautiful and breathtaking, and heartbreaking at times. and I couldn't recommend this enough. 

Sophie 

Chloe Verhoeve

4,5/5🌟

I listened to this on Scribd and to be honest, I really recommend it! The author herself tells the story and she knows it better than anyone else. You can tell she knows when she needs to speed up and when to talk in a different tone. 

I also enjoyed the way it was written, with all the poems and personal information! I was so invested in the story, so when X was angry, I was angry. Authors who can do that are the actual best!

The Poet X

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