Book Review: Poet X

 


1. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acevedo, E. (2020). The poet x. Quill Tree Books. ISBN: 0062662813

2.  PLOT SUMMARY

This story is about a young fifteen-year-old Dominican, Xiomara Batista, from Harlem who encounters several challenges.  Her Catholic mother is only concerned with her confirmation and with her staying pure. Xiomara though isn’t sure she wants to get confirmed, as she sees the church as being very politicized and doesn’t feel that faith should be forced on her.  At school, Xiomara decided to join a poetry club.  Her writing is deep and shares family secrets. Eventually Xiomara is paired with Aman as a lab partner and she slowly begins to develop a deep love for him. Aman slowly begins to push her boundaries, and they are eventually seen kissing by Xiomara’s mother who is infuriated. To make matters worse, Xiomara leaves her poetry notebook at home and when her mother reads it, she is furious by Xiomara’s writings. After Xiomara and her brother, Twin, seek help from Father Sean, he counsels the family who finally go and she Xiomara during a poetry slam. This makes Xiomara feel supported by her family.

3.CRITICAL ANALYSIS

I loved this novel! Written in first person point of view through a verse, this novel shares so much with readers, from dealing with family relationships, to self-image. Xiomara is a real character who faces some of the same issues teenage girls are facing today. It is easy to see why readers love this book. In this poetic novel, Xiomara is depicted perfectly as a fifteen-year-old girl, who is coming of age. She beginning to be curious about boys, she has issues with the church because she doesn’t believe faith should be forced on her and her relationship with her mother is rocky. Acevedo did such an excellent job of developing Xiomara’s character, every detailed was considered from selecting her name, which means warrior. This is something we saw in her character as she faced each challenge and never backed down. As the story evolved, readers began to see how Xiomara used poetry as a way of expressing her thoughts and feelings. Readers began to see Xiomara’s passion for poetry writing. After an explosive fight with her mother, which is very relatable, we began to see the changes in her family and how they became more supportive towards her. I also want to mention, that her twin brother, was also a character worth mentioning. He was a huge part of her life, and although he was not mentioned a lot, his portrayed as the family favorite added to the story line. The way he navigated through his sexuality was something teenage boys may relate to. This is definitely a must read!

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

National Book Award Winner

Michael L. Printz Award

Pura Belpré Award

Starred review in Booklist: “A powerful, heartwarming…”

Starred in Kirkus Review: “Poignant and real, beautiful and intense.”

Starred review in Publishers Weekly: “Debut novelist Acevedo’s free verse gives Xiomara’s coming-of-age story an undeniable pull, its emotionally charged bluntness reflecting her determination and strength.”

Starred review in Horn Books: “In nearly every poem, there is at least one universal truth about adolescence, family, gender, race, religion, or sexuality that will have readers either nodding in grateful acknowledgment or blinking away tears.”

Starred in School Library Journal: “The Poet X is beautiful and true—a splendid debut.”

5. CONNECTIONS

*Engage students in a Think/Pair/Share activity where they think about different themes presented in the share, they discuss the themes with a partner and then share the themes they found with the class.  

*Stage a Poetry Slam in your classroom. Engage students in poetry writing using different literary forms and most of all, encourage them to share their feelings. Once the poetry writing is complete, host a poetry slam, where they share their writing.   

* Group students together and have them complete a character analysis of Xiomara and how her character evolved from the beginning of the story to the end. Remind them to cite specific examples from the text to support their analysis. Ask students to present their findings to the class.

*Other book by Elizabeth Acevedo

Acevedo, E. (2022). Clap when you land. Quill Tree Books, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.

ISBN: 0062882775

Acevedo, E. (2023). Family lore. HarperCollins. ISBN: 0063207265

Acevedo, E. (2021). With the fire on high. Quill Tree Books. ISBN: 0062662848

Review written for SHSU's MLA course. 

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