Review of The Poet X

Summary

        Dominican American teen Xiomara Batista just wants to hang out with her Twin and best friend, listen to good music, and write poems. Unfortunately for her, her relationships with her family, especially her mother, are complex and difficult to navigate. Xio finds herself in new situations at school, the same old situations in life, and her poetry becomes more of a refuge, in addition to a cause of conflict. 

Thoughts/Review

When I first started reading The Poet X, my reasons were simply that I’d heard of it before, it had won awards, and it was a poetry book, so it was shorter and less intimidating than some denser books are when I haven’t gotten into them yet. However, I ended up really liking the story. It wasn’t lighthearted or sweet, it was almost harsh at times, but it seemed real. The book touched on a lot of topics, from catcalling and groping that Xio faces, religious enforcement, homophobia, gender norms, shame, to strict family expectations and abuse. The Poet X dealt with these issues well in my opinion, showing difficulties in processing them and changing ways through the relatable perspective of a 15 year old living in Harlem who deals with life through her poetry.

Overall I would give The Poet X a 9/10, because it involved some romance that I didn’t personally like, and I don’t think many books are a full 10/10, but it was an otherwise touching story conveyed through poems, an artistic form of storytelling that I haven’t experienced very much.

    -Marina