Elizabeth Acevedo brings her skills as a slam poet to her fantastic new endeavor as a novelist. This novel in verse is a beautifully told coming-of-age story about a Latina young woman from a very religious family. What is it like to live in a country you call your own, but your parents call their second home? What is it like to be caught between two cultures? What is the role of “old country” faith in a new world? Xiomara is a quiet, thoughtful, “good” girl who is constantly accused of being bad. 

Novels in verse are sparsely written, and this format is perfect for Xiomara’s story. She can’t completely express herself, so she resorts to a type of writing that forces her reader to read between the lines. It’s a pleasure to try to visualize her life experience through her own words. The reader feels Xiomara’s emotions deeply as they are caught up in her story.

Acevedo is definitely deserving of the recognition she has received for The Poet X. She has given us another important option in the growing genre of diverse literature for young people.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  11 mild obscenities; 2 religious exclamations; 20 anatomical terms; 13 scatological words; 3 derogatory names; 2 f-word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  A character gets in a fist fight; menstrual blood is discussed; secondhand reports of fist fighting; a character shoves another character, no injuries; a character is slapped by a parent.

Sex/Nudity:  A character is asked for texts of nude photos; masturbation is mentioned; characters discuss kissing and petting; teen pregnancy is discussed several times; sex addiction is mentioned*; a character makes suggestive hand motions; a character is bumped against and touched suggestively several times (unwanted); virginity is discussed several times; a character is known to have had illicit affairs; a character has a suggestive dream (some detail, no actual sex); characters sit next to each other flirting, touching arms, legs, etc.; characters hold hands several times; a character thinks about undressing another character (no details); a character masturbates while alone (vague details); characters lean their bodies together; characters French kiss (details); a character moves hands underneath a shirt (no touching of breasts); a character wears tight clothing; characters dance suggestively; characters kiss several times; a character is accused of “opening her legs” for boys; in an extended scene (4 pages), characters kiss, removing clothing–sexual arousal is mentioned; a character is known to be homosexual.

*Almost all of the sexual discussion, including accusations, comes from an overprotective parent making unfounded assumptions that their child is engaging in risky behaviors.

Mature Subject Matter:

Homosexuality, family problems.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

Alcohol use by adults; marijuana, minors; social drinking, minors.