The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo
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."
"There is power in the word."
My oh my, what a book. I'm only sorry I hadn't come across The Poet X before now!
If you've read any of my other reviews for Suffolk Libraries you will know I'm a huge fan of the verse novel. I picked this up off the shelf purely on a whim, and on realising it was a verse novel I devoured it in a matter of days.
This is a quick but powerful read. It has it all: first romances, friendships, relationships with parents, siblings and even teachers, matters covering LGBT, body image, religion and culture and, most importantly, confidence in ourselves and having the strength to stand up for what we desire.
I clung to every word Xiomara said. I felt for her twin brother 'Twin' and her Mami and Papi, who struggle to deal with two teenage children and stop them making the same mistakes that they did.
I loved this novel and I urge you all to pick up a copy and read it. This will be a strong contender for my favourite book of the year and we're only just getting started...