Welcome to Windows & Mirrors, where we feature books that provide us windows to lives outside our own and mirrors to our shared common human experiences.
Today we’re featuring The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
Fifteen-year-old Xiomara longs for the simple relationship she had with her mother before she became a curvy Afro-Latina, turning neighborhood boys’ heads despite wanting to be invisible to them. Burdened by her immigrant Catholic mother’s excessive devoutness, there’s no room for Xiomara to question her faith or wonder how she feels about Aman, a boy who encourages her interest in writing poetry and dubs her Poet X.
Gutsy, yet vulnerable Xiomara finds her voice and tells her powerful truth in this stirring free-verse story about becoming comfortable with oneself, finding your inner power, and learning how to wield it.
Acevedo makes every word count and her extraordinary use of metaphor adds dramatic dimension to this roller coaster ride of emotions.
It’s not often that I read a book in one sitting, but THE POET X dazzled me. I didn’t want the magical power it had over me to end. Ever. The power of finding one’s self and finding one’s voice. I admit I had a brief pity party for myself. Why didn’t they have books like this when I was growing up? But then, I ran up to my youngest daughter’s room and thrust it in her thirteen-year-old hands. She smiled. She’d been eyeing this book since the second it came home with me.
It had the same effect on her. She set Turtles All the Way Down to the side and started it immediately, right before bedtime. Her dad went in her room twice and told her it was time to sleep. I said, “Let the girl read.”
At breakfast, she couldn’t take her eyes off the book. On the car ride to school, we talked about Xiomara. The tempest brewing insider her. The power of her parents’ expectations. The power Xiomara was trying so desperately to find within herself. The beauty of her identity and her voice.
Not only is this a fantastic read for all women, but it’s the perfect mother-teen daughter discussion book, great for bonding/understanding one another.
The Poet X has earned FOUR STARRED REVIEWS: Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, School Library Journal, and The Horne Book! 🌟🌟🌟🌟
After reading The Poet X, I’ve developed a slight obsession with Elizabeth Acevedo. I suspect you might too, so here’s one of her many poetry videos that gave me billions of feels.
Here’s another one where she explains why she wrote The Poet X.
To learn more about Elizabeth, check her out at her website, on Twitter, or on Instagram. This important book about female identity is a great choice for donating to middle schools and high schools. Find The Poet X at a bookstore near you!
Posted by Michelle Leonard.
