Book Review: The Poet X, by Elizabeth Acevedo

Why I Picked It Up:

I fell victim to peer pressure. All my favorite bloggers told me to, so I did. Also, The Poet X is on the TAYSHAS book list (a great book list that includes a wide variety of selections for grades 9-12 that is put out annually by the Texas Library Association).

Why I Finished It:

The Poet X is beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time. It’s a deep and REAL look into a teenager’s view of herself, her relationships, and her family drama. This first-person novel in verse is about a high school girl who is confused about her feelings on boys, her body, her relationships, and religion.  She is a budding poet and shares her struggles through her poetry, which helps her deal with the pressures of life. The story presents very real struggles that kids (and sometimes adults) are dealing with and it does not hold back. The disclaimer is that this book is real. Kids will love it if given the chance to read it. I listened to an interview with the author and she talked about how as a high school teacher, her students felt as if their voices weren’t heard and they didn’t see themselves in what they were reading. This is her gift to those students. As a former teacher of very similar students, I am thankful for authors like Elizabeth Acevedo.

Who I Would Give It To:

I really think all high school libraries should have this as a choice, but I know quite a few adults who enjoyed this book just as much as the kids. The Poet X is a TAYSHAS Top Ten Book, meaning it was unanimously voted to have it on the list!

Integration Ideas:

Theme:

Honestly, with this story, you can focus on identity and X’s struggle to find her voice and identity. You could also focus on how relationships affect your identity or even help you find it. In this story, X’s boyfriend, friend, and brother are all helping and supporting her through her personal struggle and journey. Her acceptance of the messages they are giving her is shaping and forming her identity and her ability to be comfortable in her own skin.

Essential question possibility: “How do our relationships alter our identity?”

Vocabulary:

One of my favorite sites for having students look up words Vocabulary.com. They refer to themselves “as a dictionary with a heart”! 💚 I linked the first word for you.

blasphemous (13)

shackle (20)

coaxing (25)

assumptions (37)

depictions (59)

repentance (66)

parable (119)

nostalgia (187)

facade (237)

fervent (238)

parasitic (254)

Poetry Elements (figurative language, style, description, etc.)

Like all great novels in verse, there are plenty of places in this novel where students can think about a figurative and literal meaning of the text. I will pull pieces of the text out in our reading conferences and ask them what they think it means and why and then ask them what picture it stirs up for them. Lastly, we talk about the author’s moves and try to emulate it in our own writing.  It makes for a powerful conference.

One example is on page 3, stanza 3:

Watch the old church ladies, chancletas flapping

against the pavement, their mouths letting loose a train

of island Spanish as they spread he said, she said.

Another example on page 8, stanza 1:

They got combat boots and a mouth silent

until it’s sharp as an island machete.

There are  other examples throughout, here are some I collected for you:

p16 s1; p20 s2; p34 s3; p45 s3/4; p62 s5; p68 s3/4; p99 s3; p112 s1; p114 s4; p149 s1; p176 s1; p210 all; p232 all; p234 s3; p256 s1; p301 s8; p317 s1

Technology and Reading Strategies: Book Snaps

Have your students make book snaps in this book. Basically, have them take a picture of part of the book that made them think, and write what they are thinking, and add symbols too. Read about book snaps here.

How have you used The Poet X in class?