This book was published on March 6, 2018. However, I read an advance reader's edition. Undoubtedly there will be some differences between the version I read and the published version.
This story is told in powerful poetry, which reminded me a lot of Jason Reynold's book, LONG WAY DOWN, which I adored! I also adored Poet X because it was such a powerful invitation to understand what it's like for a young woman to grow up in Harlem.
An amazon summary, "Fans of Jacqueline Woodson, Meg Medina, and Jason Reynolds will fall hard for this astonishing New York Times-bestselling novel-in-verse by an award-winning slam poet, about an Afro-Latina heroine who tells her story with blazing words and powerful truth.
Xiomara Batista feels unheard and unable to hide in her Harlem neighborhood. Ever since her body grew into curves, she has learned to let her fists and her fierceness do the talking.
But Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers—especially after she catches feelings for a boy in her bio class named Aman, who her family can never know about.
With Mami’s determination to force her daughter to obey the laws of the church, Xiomara understands that her thoughts are best kept to herself. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she doesn’t know how she could ever attend without her mami finding out. But she still can’t stop thinking about performing her poems.
Because in the face of a world that may not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to be silent.
“Crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice.” —Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation
“An incredibly potent debut.” —Jason Reynolds, author of the National Book Award Finalist Ghost
“Acevedo has amplified the voices of girls en el barrio who are equal parts goddess, saint, warrior, and hero.” —Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street" AMAZON LINK OF JUSTICE
Xiomara grows up in Harlem, where her curves, her gender, her age, seem to be the only things that are defining her to the world. She has to keep her silence in a lot of conversations so she can be the good daughter that her mama wants her to be. She fiercely protects her twin brother though, and her fists end up doing a lot of the talking in conversations where twin is bullied or she has been harassed.
Her mother wants her to go through confirmation at church, but Xiomara is asking a lot of big questions and she doesn't seem to have a good place to go to get answers. Her English teacher wants her to join poetry club, and her twin wants her to write/let her voice be heard. Xiomara seems to just want her mama to listen to her as she figures out the chaotic life that's pulsing all around her, but her mama doesn't seem inclined to listen. Her father is in the picture, but he's not really present and accounted for. She starts to have feelings for a boy in her class, Aman, and she wants to explore what that relationship could become, but she has to be very careful about where they go or who can see them for fear her mama might find out.
And that's enough summary.
I loved this story. It felt very unafraid with telling each aspect of Xiomara's life in a very authentic manner and I legit cried at a few of the passages. I would not recommend reading this in a public setting if you don't like people seeing you get emotional at a book...ha...ha.... (learn from my mistakes).
I also thought a lot of Xiomara's feelings and responses felt entirely realistic to her situation, as well as her character growth and how a few pivotal scenes come together. They make sense in a way that life is kind of sloppy and doesn't always fit together well.
It also showed a lot of how Xiomara grew up, how she fell in love with her own words, her own truths, and I just think there's something gravitational and beautiful about that.
Because it's a book of poetry, I think that really helped to control the pacing of the book too, and to all at once give just enough sense of the community, the environment, the situations, without it detracting from Xiomara's perspective, heart, and story.
It was just really, really good.
Happy reading!
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