Review: The Poet X

Image Source: Harpercollins

Elizabeth Acevedo’s eye-opening The Poet X highlights the struggles of Xiomara Batista, a Dominican girl born and raised in Harlem balancing her religion with her poetry. Reaching the tops of multiple bestsellers lists, The Poet X is definitely a must-read for those who feel unheard.

Xiomara Batista is having trouble reconciling her two worlds and growing up with a big body and a sharp tongue has left her to go through life fighting. Relationships, religion, race—it’s all too much for a young girl to handle, but that doesn’t stop the world from thrusting it upon her. The Poet X gives a wonderful insight to the familiar struggle of first-generation children who must attempt to find common ground with both their homes.

Acevedo does a wonderful job narrating the story through a series of poems, all written from Xiomara’s perspective about her family and neighborhood. With a healthy mix of Spanish and English, interspersed with culture clashes and free-verse poetry, Acevedo is creating a new avenue of literature.