The Poet X

Title: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo

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Genre:  Poetry

Justification:

           This book is the winner of the Printz award, Pura Belpre award and the National Book Award for 2018. This award has received numerous accolades and awards. When choosing a book, the synopsis seemed interest and it showed up on multiple award lists. It was also interesting to read this novel that is told though poetry. The book also had an interesting cover. It showed a woman with poems flying from her. This cover reminded me of when I did spoken word poetry for

Speech and debate in high school.

Evaluation of the book:

Acevedo does a great job of building her characters. She dedicates certain poems to them.  Her introduction to her mother is called “Mami works” (Acevedo, 2018, p. 11). This poem talks about what her mom does for a living and how her mom lives “Her fingers rubbing the material of plastic gloves like the pages of her well-worn Bible” (Acevedo, 2018, p. 11)This simple 16 lines gives a heap of information about her Mami and the relationship they share. The way she introduces Ms. Galiano also has a lot of details and important information. The last stanza however gives the reader a crucial line. “I have a feeling Ms. Galiano actually wants to know my answer” (Acevedo, 2018, p. 38). This simple line tells the reader how much Ms. Galiano cares about her students and the way Xiomara trusts her. As the poems progress the reader learns about how Xiomara finds herself and builds the confidence to express herself.

The book is made up of different designs and layouts. Some of the poems are brief while others are long. There are narrative elements when Xiomara shows what she wrote for Ms. Galiano’s class. Each poem is formatted a different way to help express the meaning. Her messages are justified on the right side like in the poem “Communication” (Acevedo, 2018, p. 102). This helps the reader envision the poem is a text message. The post it is shaped like a post it to help spread the meaning (Acevedo, 2018, p. 109). Some of the poems are short like the poem “Haiku” (Acevedo, 2018, p. 27). Each poem is designed and laid out a certain way to spread them meaning. Father Sean is a static character, so he gets a short poem. After is a series of shape poems to show the downward spiral she is feeling (Acevedo, 2018, pp. 52-53). The words make an arrow down as she talks about her distress and her feelings. The changes and variety help the read understand her emotions and feelings.

The book is fast paced. At the front of the book it talks about the advanced praise. Ireland describes the pacing of the book perfectly “Elizabeth Acevado crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice” (Acevedo, 2018). The pace is quick. Each poem sparkles and makes the reader want to read it aloud. Each poem is intentional and leads into the next. X is able to talk about how parents have their own expectations for their child. It also talks about how we all have ways we express ourselves. The book can go through tricky situations quickly while stressing the big picture with longer poems.  When Aman and X almost have sex the poem briefly states he does not turn her away but respects her decision. However, when her poetry journals are set aflame the reader has time to process this tragic monumental piece. The pacing makes the reader feel like they are there watching the journal burn. The reader also feels the slow pain of the rice as X is forced to kneel on rice. Each word is a single line. This helps slow the time as the pain grows one small piece at a time (Acevedo, 2018, pp. 198-203). The intentional pacing helps the tell an amazing story of how Xiomara grows and learns.

Response:

          (g) Wow! Wow! When I closed the book at the end this one word “wow” was all I could say and think about. I am not a writer and have never been a writer. I do not enjoy it but love to read. When reading this book the words became so profound and meaningful. Her use of different poem types and the story she told were unforgettable. This is the first book I have even taken a snap to send to a friend. This is the first book where my first response was going to the computer and write. Write because everyone deserves and needs to read this book.  This book had so much depth and meaning. I admire her bravery, her desire to share, and the strength it takes to let those inner emotions out.

          (f) This book is a novel written though poems. Each poem builds on the story. As the poems progress you can feel the shifts and changes in her emotions. She begins unsure of herself and then becomes braver and braver. The reader can fell her inner insecurities and how she becomes bolder and believes in herself. The reader also learn how she handles the judgement and expectations thrown on her. The readers can also feel her heartbreak when her book is destroyed. The poems are art. They use different forms and styles. All intertwined to develop the characters.

          (d) People tell us we are hard on our daughter. We have high expectations and expect her to be kind and always do her best she can do. This book made me rethink how hard I am being on her. We are hard on her so that she can succeed and learn. We do not want her to feel it is ever ok not to be kind. The mom had good intentions but was forcing her own desires and beliefs on her daughter. The pressure she was asserting pushed both her children away and made they lie to her. This made me think I need to be lighter on my daughter and listen more. Last night instead of reading our normal 20+ board books we just sat together, and she laid in my lap and I just listened to her babble until she decided she wanted story time. She chooses the books and there was not rush, or urgency. This might not seem like a large change but to her it made my little 17-month-old feel heard. This book caused me to rethink and will help other kids rethink their desires and relationships.

Conclusion:

          Poetry might not be my go-to genre, but this book was very powerful. After reading this book it has inspired me to read more poetry. It is amazing to see how broad of a range of poems can be used in one text. It also shows how everyone has an outlet to let their voice be heard. This book does a wonderful job of discussing issues in society and how we all need to be heard. The characters are well written and developed, the book uses an interesting design and layout and a quick pace to develop the story.

Citation:

Acevedo, E. (2018). The Poet X. New York: HarperCollins Children's Books .

The University of Texas at El Paso. (n.d.). How to Write a Reaction Paper or Reader Response. Retrieved from Reader Response: http://utminers.utep.edu/omwilliamson/engl0310link/readerresponse.htm