Audacity Book Club: October Read
By Celeste Daniels
Hello, audacious readers!
Hope your autumn is going well. As always, there’s a lot going on and I may be a little late to the party but I’m still catching the beat. Last month’s read was a enticing tale of rage and vampires in Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma. This month, we’re coming back to the real world to celebrate a banned book, The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
The world is determined to make Xiomara Batista be seen and not heard. As her body develops, she gains more attention when she goes out and it forces her to go on the defense. Instead of enduring it, she’s quick to snap back, whether with her words or her fists. At home, she knows better than to voice her opinions to God-fearing her mother raises her to be an obedient woman.
The only place where Xiomara can be honest is in a leather notebook she keeps tucked away. She has accepted that she may never be able to fully express herself out loud until she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club. She knows her mother will never approve but the temptation to perform her poems pushes her to take a risk.
Told in the verse and journal entries, Xiomara slowly discovers her voice one poem at a time. And while it would be easier for her to be silent, she learns that some things are worth making noise for.
A rebellion in the making, The Poet X is a reminder to make your voice heard at all costs. This book is available online, at your local bookstore, Bookshop.org. If it is not immediately available at your local library, request it at the branch and check if its available to you through the Libby app.
Also make sure to get your tickets for Friendsgiving on Friday, November 14th. Enjoy music, shopping, and readings from local Atlanta business. I will also be reading a excerpt from my debut novel, Only You. I hope to see you there, and we’ll be back in November for the full review of The Poet X.
As always, make sure to read audaciously!
Audacity Magazine & Events is an affiliate partner of Bookshop.org. If you click the link and make a purchase, we receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. All books are selections of the Audacity Book Club curator.
