Book Review: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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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.

Review:

I’m not really a fan of poetry but a book friend of mine couldn’t stop raving about this story. So I borrowed a copy from my library and I ended up reading it in 4 hours. It’s been a while since I devoured a book. I felt like the author was talking to my soul. I found myself shaking my head and relating to several topics in this story. I loved Xiomara and how strong she was and everything she went through tugged at my heart. This was a well written book about finding yourself and your voice. Acevedo sucked me in from page one with her powerful words. I’m still on a high from reading this story. The way it flowed, the power it packed. The messages. The meanings. I highly recommend this book.