Poet X
Poet X (Original title: The Poet X ) is a youth and educational novel by the American writer Elizabeth Acevedo.
The book tells in verse the fictional story of the 15-year-old Dominican American girl Xiomara, who finds her own voice by writing poetry and performing as a poetry slammer. Topics such as love, family, friendship, sexuality, poetry and coming-of-age are dealt with.
The Poet X appeared in 2018 with the US publisher HarperCollins in English language and in August 2019 under the title Poet X at Rowohlt in German translation. The translator was Leticia Wahl.
The book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature (2018), the Michael L. Printz Award (2019), the Pura Belpré Award (2019), the Boston Globe Horn Book Award (2019) and the British Carnegie Medal (2019) excellent. The book has been described in the press as "powerful" ( The New York Times ), "overwhelming" ( Entertainment Weekly ), "highly moving" ( School Library Journal ), "breathtaking portrait of a young poet" ( The Horn Book Magazine ) and " moving and realistic, admirable and intense «(Kirkus Reviews).
content
Part 1
Xiomara has to deal with the expectations of her strictly Catholic mother. This forbids her to date and she is not allowed to have a boyfriend until she goes to high school. Above all, it is important to the mother that Xiomara goes to confirmation class. Xiomara finds refuge in writing poetry to express her true feelings. Xio meets with Aman illegally.
Part 2
In the second part of the book the conflicts come to a head. After Aman and Xiomara go on a date, her conscience gnaws at her. Because of the secrecy, she leads a different life at home than at school. The confirmation class, which she is supposed to attend against her will, does not resolve the emotional chaos in her. She would rather go to the school's afternoon poetry club recommended by her teacher, Ms. Galiano. Her twin brother is not developing as the mother would have asked him to. However, he can keep his love for a boy from his school a secret.
When Xio is out on the subway with Aman one afternoon, her mother sees the two of them kiss. Her mother punishes her, whereupon she breaks off contact with Aman.
part 3
The last part of the book begins with Xiomara bowing to her mother's expectations. She is supposed to make a confession to the pastor of the parish, has house arrest and is not allowed to use cell phones.
When her mother finds her poems, the situation escalates. Her mother burns her laptop and notebooks and Xiomara runs away from home. She escapes to Aman, with whom she gets along, and lives with him for a few days. With the help of her English teacher Ms. Galiano, her twin brother and her best friend Caridad, Xiomara realizes that she needs to resolve the conflict with her mother. Since she cannot cope with it alone, she consults the pastor, who is the only one who can influence her mother.
The family works together to find a solution and the mother and daughter work on their relationship with one another. Xiomara joins the school's poetry club and performs her poetry.
characters
main characters
Xiomara
The 15-year-old Dominican Xiomara lives with her family in Harlem . She is the only one in the family who does not have a Biblical or Dominican name. Xiomara's name means something like "one who is ready for war". She has been struggling all her life - for example when she was born, when she wanted to be born feet first and was brought to life by caesarean section an hour after her twin brother was born. Xiomara describes himself as brown, tall and angry. She is also called Xio by others and later becomes Poet X. On her twelfth birthday, her brother gives her a laptop, on which she writes her poems and finds fulfillment in writing a poem diary. Her havens are a poetry club, of which she becomes a member, and her science partner, Aman, with whom she has an affair. Due to the secret relationship, she repeatedly questions her mother's strict rules and religion in general.
Mommy - Xiomara's mother
Xiosmara's mother worked as a cleaner in an office building in Queens. On the way home, she reads the Bible to prepare for the evening service. Her strict Christian convictions and thus her strict expectations of her daughter repeatedly lead to conflicts with Xiomara. She is very concerned about the salvation of her daughter's soul and thinks that her hands, eyes and also the writing on the laptop incite her to sin.
Xavier - Xiomara's twin brother
Xavier was named after a Christian saint. Xiomara only calls him "twin" because she does not find his real name appropriate. His real name is used by his mother, teacher and pastor Sean. Xiomara calls him that as a reminder of the couple they will always be. Xavier is an hour older than Xiomara. According to Xio, he doesn't act like he's older, but he looks a lot gentler than Xiomara ever will be. He never fights, his sister does that for him. He embodies everything that Xiomara is not. When he has a boyfriend, however, he also breaks the restrictive rules of his Catholic parents. However, unlike his sister, he can keep this a secret and does not expose himself to the anger and punishment of his parents.
Aman
Aman is Xiomara's laboratory partner on the biology course, the first they both have together. Accidentally touching her arms changes everything. Xiomara becomes aware of him. One afternoon the two of them go to the park together and listen to music. After that first date, they meet more often and eventually become a couple.
Minor characters
Papi
The first words Xio hears are those of her father when he holds her in his arms after the birth: “Pero, tú no eres fácil.” He is said to be a “mujeriego”, a womanizer. He goes to the hair salon, get drunk there and grabs any woman in the face who gets too close to him. Within the family, Xio's father appears reserved and calm. He always watches television in the afternoons and does not interfere much in bringing up the children. Just because the Father is there doesn't mean he's not absent.
Pastor Sean
He is the parish priest. In the confirmation class he answers Xiomara's questions critical of religion with counter-questions. In a one-on-one interview after class, he tries to find out what is really going on in the teenage girl. She only confides in him in the last part of the book. Xio knows that the pastor is the only one her mother listens to. In order to resolve the conflict between mother and daughter, the pastor takes on the role of mediator.
Ms. Galiano - your English teacher
Ms. Galiano suggests that Xio visit the school's poetry club on Tuesday afternoon. She believes in Xio's talent and continues to encourage her to poetry.
Caridad
She is Xio's best friend. She goes to another school, but they attend confirmation class together. You text and do a lot with Xavier.
Nominations and Awards
| date | Nomination / award |
|---|---|
| 2018 | National Book Award |
| 2019 | Boston Globe Horn Book Award |
| 2019 | Michael L. Printz Award |
| 2019 | Pura Belpré Award |
Web links
- About the book (English)
- Data on the digital audiobook at harpercollins.com
- Author's website
Individual evidence
- ↑ Speaking Truth, Beautifully, to Shattered Young People The New York Times Book Review, April 13, 2018 (accessed May 15, 2019)
- ↑ The Poet X is a stunning amplification of the Latina experience: EW review Entertainment Weekly, March 14, 2018 (accessed April 12, 2019)
- ↑ The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo | SLJ Review School Library Journal, March 15, 2018 (accessed April 17, 2019)
- ↑ Review of The Poet X The Horn Book, 03/04/2018 (accessed May 17, 2019)
- ↑ The Poet X Kirkus Reviews, March 6, 2018 (accessed May 17, 2019)