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A review by quirkybibliophile
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
5.0
The Poet X is a coming of age story told through poetry about a girl, Xiomara, who is struggling with her relationship with her mother and her relationship with her religion. Xiomara uses slam poetry as a way to understand others, begin to discover who she is and make sense of her feelings, and how to explain her feelings to others. Xiomara's mother is a devout Catholic and wants her daughter to obey the rules of the church. The actions and words of Xiomara's Mother cause conflict for Xiomara because she refuses to stay silent.
I really enjoyed this book because there were moments that I was able to relate to and there were moments that I couldn't stop laughing. I loved the way that the author portrays religion and family and the importance of both of those in the Latinx culture. I loved being able to see that for most Latinx families you weren't going to have a relationship with your family without religion and God playing a large role in that relationship.
While the mother's ties to Catholicism are many of the sources to Xiomara's problems there is never a time where you see the mother as a villain. At least there was never a time in which I disliked the mother and I think part of that was because I could see my family in her. This was something that I really enjoyed and is why I gave it 5 stars. I loved that I could see my family in this book and I could see myself in not just the main character but also in twin.
I really enjoyed this book because there were moments that I was able to relate to and there were moments that I couldn't stop laughing. I loved the way that the author portrays religion and family and the importance of both of those in the Latinx culture. I loved being able to see that for most Latinx families you weren't going to have a relationship with your family without religion and God playing a large role in that relationship.
While the mother's ties to Catholicism are many of the sources to Xiomara's problems there is never a time where you see the mother as a villain. At least there was never a time in which I disliked the mother and I think part of that was because I could see my family in her. This was something that I really enjoyed and is why I gave it 5 stars. I loved that I could see my family in this book and I could see myself in not just the main character but also in twin.