The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
February 8, 2026 - دسته
On the surface, this is a coming of age story. Xiomara Batista is a fifteen-year old New Yorker struggling with her parents' expectations, her changing body and the attention it brings, and finding a way to express all of her conflicting feelings.
Xiomara's highly religious mother pushes hard for her to avoid men so Xiomara does not fall in to the same trap she did. Her father is a former womanizer that gave up drinking and running around for his kids. Her twin brother is fighting with the hardships of being closeted in a religious Latin family. Xiomara is also fumbling through her first love and trying to keep peace with her family at the same time. She eventually finds poetry as an outlet and comes alive.
The book is full of the mastery of language and flow of a poet writing a full book. The verse is easy to read, but still powerful and immersive. Acevedo lets us feel all of the conflicts without cheapening any of them by going too far. Xiomara feels the pull of sensuality and rebellion, but doesn't just blindly give in to them.
Well-deserving of the awards it won. Although I am trying to read less young adult fiction this year, this book was worth the addition to this year's list.