A review by amandalorianxo
The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

emotional reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

One of the few novels but I hope not the last where I felt seen. It centers around Xiomara and her growing up in New York as an Afro Latina who doesn’t feel completely in control when she has a religious mother who seems to be overly concerned with a lot more than a typical non immigrant mother should be. A lot of people don’t fully understand the feeling of being trapped when you are a teenager growing up in a household where both your parents left their home country to give their kids a better life. They tend to assume it can’t be that bad yet more than half the time, these same parents have religion used as a tool for suppression to their offspring. Xiomara understands that her and her mother will not be best friends but this is where poetry comes to life in the form of her notebook and the encouragement of one of her teachers. Heart strings tugged on me the whole entire time and this is one I will cherish forever. 
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