The Poet X Review
By Celeste Daniels
TW: Religious Trauma
Hello, audacious readers!
I hope you’re keeping yourself warm as it gets chilly. While many are looking forward to 2025 (and its shenanigans) ending, I still have a couple of books and a surprise left to share. Last month’s read was a tale of rage and vampires in Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma. This month, we are celebrating finding our voice with The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo.
The world is determined to make Xiomara Batista seen and not heard. As her body develops, she’s gains more attention from men, forcing Xiomara to go on the defense and push away any sign of weakness. At home, she is forced to keep her opinions to herself as her mother raises her to be a God-fearing and obedient woman.
The only place where Xiomara can fully express herself is in a secret notebook where she writes poetry. Xiomara doesn’t plan to share her words until she’s invited to join her school’s slam poetry club. She knows her mother would never approve but between confirmation classes, familial pressure and the world sexualizing her, it’s a refuge she can’t ignore. But the more she discovers about herself, the harder it is for her to remain silent and soon, she’ll she no other path but to speak up.
Many may find Acevado’s use of poetry over prose an odd choice, but I think it gives the reader a more personal look at Xiomara’s experience, forcing us to embody her journey. It puts us in the front row of her daily trials and tribulations, getting straight to the issues.
The book brings up a myriad of topics, but the heart of the story revolves around Xiomara, her mother, and what each represents to the other. For her mother, Xiomara and her twin brother represent a miracle, return her Catholic faith after being forced to marry Xiomara’s father to be able to emigrate to the United States, giving up her dream of being a nun. Therefore, anytime Xiomara seems to challenge this mental image, it’s not only an affront to her but to God.
For Xiomara, her mother represents authoritarianism and proof that God doesn’t care for her like her mother says. Otherwise, why would strangers harass her, her mother silence her, and the men that are supposed to love her not protect her? Society’s expectations demand that she stay quiet and suffer silently and I like how the book shows how even the smallest doses of freedom can makes it hard to supress one’s true self. One way or another Xiomara was going to break out of the mold created for her.
But my favorite part of the book was seeing Xiomara’s community help her challenge her mother’s expectations and her father’s indifference. Her English teacher, Ms. Galiano, gives her a safe place to express herself. Her best friend, Caridad, encourages her to get on stage. Her brother, who’s hiding the fact that he’s gay, gives quiet encouragement and does his best to protect her from their mother’s wrath. And Father Sean becomes a surprising voice of reason when it’s clear that Xiomara needs to discover her own path to faith.
Because at the end of the day, those in your community are the ones that help you become brave. Brave enough to defy expectations; brave enough to discover your dreams; brave enough to fight back; and—most importantly—be brave enough to be exactly who you were meant to be, no matter who tries to knock you down.
I hope you enjoyed The Poet X! If you’ve made it this far, you get a surprise: the Audacity Book Club officially has merch! Get your “Not ya mama’s book club” hats today and look out for the “Not ya mama’s book club” sweatshirts, launching soon.
Until then, comment your thoughts below and make stay tuned for November/December’s book club read. And of course, don’t forget to read audaciously!
