Details

Length: 357
Story Build: quickly paced 
Character development: solid  
Age Recommendation: 7th/ 8th grade (with parent knowledge), high school 
Reasoning: language, drug references, BRIEF sexual content (references but no description) 

Summary and Review

The Poet X is a quick read and not only because it is written in verse. You are immediately drawn into Xiomara’s world of religion, poetry, rap, and parental disappointment. It does help, though, that the novel is written in a non-traditional verse format, so you fly through pages quickly; I admit that sometimes I needed to reread to make sure I took everything in about the plot. 

Xiomara’s story begins before she turns 16; she is a twin daughter born to immigrant parents who speak Spanish and who have their own struggles both as parents and as marital partners. X is close to her twin brother who she constantly just refers to as Twin. 

X struggles against her mother’s traditional values and religious views while also battling the constant criticism and cat calls due to her curvaceous body. Quite often she feels alone except for her friend, Caridad, who provides a voice of reason at times. 

Xiomara is relatable in many ways. First, she begins to question her faith, which is a tremendous issue for her mother, who finds solace and meaning in life from the church. Furthermore, she is finally curious about boys, particularly one named Aman, who she meets in Biology class. She and Aman share a love for rap, and X is able to gain enough confidence to allow Aman into her world of poetry. 

X’s poetry and writing also draws the attention of her English teacher, Ms. Galiano, who consistently encourages Xiomara to come be a part of a poetry slam club. However, X’s fear of disappointing her mother’s desire for her to be confirmed at church causes this to be a conflict. Can she push aside her questions about God and continue down the path her mother wants? Will she, instead, continue to question and also forge her own way as a poet? Can she have both? 

These questions guide much of the story as well as those surrounding expectations we have for ourselves versus what our families have. The novel also deals with family acceptance of children within immigrant families. X and Twin are both growing in ways that their mother does not approve of, but does that mean they are wrong? Does it mean their mother is wrong because of her upbringing and culture? Again, Elizabeth Agevedo raises these questions, which help drive the novel quite quickly and with a sense of relatability.

Celebrations

 I really enjoyed the fact that the novel was written in verse form. It proved to be a quick read, but even better, the novel was so descriptive and flowed in this really natural way. The text was beautiful because of the word choice and the purposeful clip of the poetry. Furthermore, I really liked Xiomara’s insights and personal struggles. They were real, and she is a strong character, especially a strong female.

Hesitations

I really have no hesitations. I feel as though some people might be hesitant by the non-traditional text of the novel, but it really shouldn’t deter people. You should feel privileged that this poet, Elizabeth Agevedo, has allowed us into her world of verse.