The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (review)

In this free-verse novel, fifteen-year-old Xiomara Batista is everything her devout Catholic mother prayed she wouldn’t be—a combative, sharp-tongued girl who kisses boys on the train and questions the very existence of God. Why, though, wouldn’t she question a God that blessed her early with the curves of a woman’s body, a body that speaks louder to boys than her own voice? Her twin Xavier, known as Twin, never has to deal with this, although he has devastating secrets of his own. Pouring thoughts, dreams and frustrations into her notebook is Xiomara’s only escape, so when Ms. Galiano invites her to the school’s poetry club, she considers going behind Mami’s back to participate. But will she ever be able to speak the vulnerabilities of her poems out loud? This title seamlessly weaves the intricacies of adolescence with the nuances of Dominican culture in New York City. Acevedo plays with language, form, and space in a way that commands attention, pulling readers from one emotional extreme to the next without pause or remorse. Xiomara’s complex character—her strict religious home life, her fiery resistance to unwarranted sexual attention, and her curiosity about boys—is developed with care. Readers will applaud Xiomara as she journeys from a place of cautious defensiveness to being confident in the power of her voice.