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    The Poet X – WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019
    Unavailable
    The Poet X – WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019
    Unavailable
    The Poet X – WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019
    Audiobook3 hours

    The Poet X – WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019

    Written by Elizabeth Acevedo

    Narrated by Elizabeth Acevedo

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    WINNER OF THE THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019
    SHORTLISTED FOR THE WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE 2019
    THE WINNER OF THE 2018 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD
    THE WINNER OF THE MICHAEL L.PRINTZ AWARD
    THE WINNER OF THE PURA BELPRÉ AWARD
    THE WINNER OF THE BOSTON GLOBE-HORNBOOK AWARD

    'I fell in love at slam poetry. This one will stay with you a long time.' – Angie Thomas, bestselling author of The Hate U Give

    'This was the type of book where "I'll just do 50 pages" turned into finishing it in 2 reads. I felt very emotional, not just because the story and the words themselves were so beautiful but because I knew it was going to make so many teens who felt like no one cares about them or listens to them feel seen.' – Tomi Adeyemi, bestselling author of The Children of Blood and Bone

    THE POET X – THE WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL. A stunning New York Times bestseller with a powerful and unforgettable YA voice. Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi's The Children of Blood and Bone, Angie Thomas's The Hate U Give and Sarah Crossan's One.

    Xiomara has always kept her words to herself. When it comes to standing her ground in her Harlem neighbourhood, she lets her fists and her fierceness do the talking.

    But X has secrets – her feelings for a boy in her bio class, and the notebook full of poems that she keeps under her bed. And a slam poetry club that will pull those secrets into the spotlight.

    Because in spite of a world that might not want to hear her, Xiomara refuses to stay silent.

    A novel about finding your voice and standing up for what you believe in, no matter how hard it is to say. Brave, bold and beautifully written – dealing with issues of race, feminism and faith.

    “Crackles with energy and snaps with authenticity and voice.… Justina Ireland, author of Dread Nation

    “An incredibly potent debut.… Jason Reynolds, author of the National Book Award Finalist Ghost

    “Acevedo has amplified the voices of girls en el barrio who are equal parts goddess, saint, warrior, and hero.… Ibi Zoboi, author of American Street

    'A story that will slam the power of poetry and love back into your heart.' – Laurie Halse Anderson, author of Speak and Chains

    'Acevedo breathes words instead of air' – Lisa Heathfield, author of award-winning Paper Butterflies

    ‘Powerful, finely crafted verse … Readers will yearn to finish this verse novel in a single sitting, but its echoes will remain with them much longer’ Guardian

    ELIZABETH ACEVEDO was born and raised in New York City and her poetry is infused with Dominican bolero and her beloved city’s tough grit. The Poet X is her debut novel and a National Book Award winner. With over twelve years of performance experience, Acevedo has been a featured performer on BET and Mun2, as well as delivered several TED Talks. She has performed internationally and her poetry has been featured in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post and Teen Vogue. Acevedo is a National Slam Champion, Beltway Grand Slam Champion, and the 2016 Women of the World Poetry Slam representative for Washington, D.C, where she lives and works.

    Editor's Note

    Packs a punch…

    First-generation Dominican American Xiomara Batista is trying to grapple with gender and race and religion and sexuality and parents who think of her as trouble. Written in verse, every vignette packs a punch, every image painted is so vivid.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins Publishers
    Release dateSep 25, 2020
    ISBN9780755502547
    Unavailable
    The Poet X – WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019
    Author

    Elizabeth Acevedo

    ELIZABETH ACEVEDO was born and raised in New York City and her poetry is infused with Dominican bolero and her beloved city’s tough grit.

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    Reviews for The Poet X – WINNER OF THE CILIP CARNEGIE MEDAL 2019

    4.5/5

    933 ratings72 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Sensacional. Achei ótimo que é a própria autora que narra o audiolivro. E fiquei com vontade de comprar físico pra ter a experiência de ler o último poema.
    • 5/5
      Gorgeous. Important, and utterly moving. Acevedo delivers the story in such a way that you can tap into your own emotions and feel what Xiomara feels. I truly love and recommend this.
    • 5/5
      Beautifully written!!! Acevedo wins over her readers with her mesmerizing narrative and purposeful storytelling.
    • 3/5
      I really like that the autor was also the narrator.
    • 5/5
      Delicious and impactful novel in verses. Love that the author reads it herself too!
    • 5/5
      This is definitely one of my favourite books I have read this year. It struck me so deeply, I will keep it in my heart forever. Xiomara’s story made me laugh and cry, and cry some more, and listening to Elizabeth Acevedo herself read her own novel just made it way better. It’s a coming of age novel at its best, and the words were so so beautiful... I believe it’s a very important book. It’s so real, and she’s so relatable and I felt so much for her... I got my heart broken and I was happy and hopeful and scared just as Xiomara was. And I cannot picture this story without listening to it, so if you go for it please listen to the audiobook.
    • 4/5
      The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo scoops the Carnegie Medal for writing, whilst The Lost Words illustrated by Jackie Morris and written by Robert Macfarlane takes the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration.https://buyozempiconlinemexico.com/
    • 4/5
      So shocked that this audiobook was only 3 and a half hours because I felt like I watched a full blown movie in my mind, a beautiful, captivating and gripping movie. Wow, what a gorgeous piece of art ??Acevedo has an amazing talent in story telling and soul reaching!
    • 5/5
      This was a beautifully, poetic, and moving story. I'm so glad I listened to the author's narration while following along with my personal copy. Somehow the words truly jumped off the page evoking so many feelings. It was inspirational, which I'm always so thankful for. I will certainly continue to remind my own students that their words are important - that even when life isn't always easy, they are worthy of love and to be seen, just like Poet X.
    • 5/5
      Woah! This book is so beautiful and powerful. Everyone needs to read this.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely Mind blowing!! Can't quite figure out whether the tears are for joy or heartbreak... Or both.
    • 4/5
      My heart… this was good and I felt it in my bones.
    • 4/5
      This book is so beautifully written. I have recently started listening to poetry and books told in verse and this didn't disappoint. It made me feel so many emotions from happy and hopeful to sad and angry. The topics that this book covers are written and approached so beautifully. They were so many times that I could relate to this complex story and I fell others will be able to as well.
    • 5/5
      Sooo good 5 star felt every word that was spoken.
    • 5/5
      Stunning. Reading while listen to audiobook really put this book on next level. One moving story. At some point, you cant hold your tears anymore.
    • 5/5
      A novel in verse, this is one of those books that gains so much as an audiobook. Xiomara (the poet X) is a high schooler, the child of Dominican immigrants, a twin (her brother is "the smart one"), and a poet.One of her high school teachers suggests she join the poetry club, and to sign up for a slam poetry event--which conflicts with confirmation class. She decides to go anyway. As expected, her very Catholic and strict mother finds out.I am far removed from high school, but some of the things Xiomara is struggling with are things I remember well. (Others were never my thing--like performing LOL). Her struggles very much ring true.Acevedo narrates this book herself, and it is fantastic. She reads it as slam poetry, and it feels like sitting in a cafe, listening to Xiomara perform. I do not think I would have enjoyed this nearly so much on paper.
    • 4/5
      “I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn’t that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark.” – Elizabeth Acevedo, The Poet X

      Poetry that reads like a novel. This book provides a tender portrait of a sixteen-year-old young woman, the daughter of Dominican immigrants, struggling to find her identity and assert her independence. Her mother is a devout Catholic and her father is a reformed womanizer. She wants to please her mother but feels constrained by her many rules for proper behavior. Protagonist Xiomara, aka the Poet X, writes poems and thoughts in a journal given to her by her twin brother. The story revolves around how she becomes a performer of slam poetry.

      It touches on a wide variety of topics, such as frustration, guilt, first love, body image, power of language, mother-daughter relationships, sexism, questioning of religious beliefs, sexuality and self-acceptance. There are a few instances where Xiomara writes “Drafts” and then we see the final version, illustrating what she thinks to herself versus what face she is willing to show to the world. I found it an expressive book that delivers an uplifting, relevant, and empowering message.
    • 5/5
      5 stars

      A NEW FAVORITE!!

      This was relatable on so many levels. As a poetry writting Latina child, born of a mother who wanted to be a nun and whose strict cultural and religious rules divided us in places only poetry could heal, in ways God promised. Man...I felt this in my bones.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book! I've read some poetic fiction before and enjoyed the format. In this case, the format really added to the book - Xiomara is a poet expressing her inner thoughts through poetry. The "teenage" topics were dealt with in a realistic and nonexploitative way. I also appreciated that the ending also wasn't wrapped up in a neat bow, instead it emphasized that relationships need continual work.
    • 5/5
      Powerful, and the audio version is outstanding. Xiomara's fierce, wounded, protective, complicated, beautiful character shines and shines and shines.
    • 4/5
      Xiomara is a high school sophomore who lives with her twin brother, who she calls Twin, and her Mami and Papi, who are an older couple that came to the US from the Dominican Republic. Xiomara's Mami is old fashioned and religious, so she pushes Xiomara to devote her life to God, but Xiomara has questions and uses her writing as a way to seek answers. She begins to notice boys, and she knows that her Mami will see this as a sin, so when she starts spending time with Aman, she hides it from Mami. At the same time, Xiomara's teacher has asked her to join a writing club because she sees potential in the work Xiomara turns in for class. Xiomara would like to go, but knows that this is another thing Mami will not approve of. How long can Xiomara hide who she really is?

      Poet X is written in verse which is a style of writing that I will probably never be very comfortable with, but it does tell a modern tale of family life. The contrast between what Xiomara wants versus what her Mami wants for her is sharply drawn, showing questionable decisions made by both characters that cause pain for the entire family. With neither character willing to give in, a boiling over point is inevitable. The strength of this novel is in its unwillingness to back down on issues of religion and family, however it does fail in addressing other social issues raised in the book. Overall, Poet X is a well written, thought provoking story told in a writing style that is enjoyable for many but off-putting for some.
    • 5/5
      Trigger Warnings: Sexism/Misogyny, Slut-Shaming, Abuse (both physical and emotional), Sexual Assault/Harassment, Homophobia

      The Poet X follows Xiomara as she discovers pieces of herself. Religion also plays a key role in this novel as Xiomara battles with figuring out what she believes in.

      I felt all the emotions while reading about Xiomara. It grasped at my heart and squeezed, it made me make my own fists, ready to fight; it was powerful. I can see why it won all the awards it has received. I was a little iffy about reading this book, but only because I don't read poetry - I can count on one hand how many poetry books I've read. But, I'm glad I read it because I feel like this is a book everyone should read.

      Reading verses with Xiomara's mother was challenging. Her mother loved her religion more than she loved her children and was so outwardly cruel to her daughter because of how she was growing. Xiomara obviously had no control over how fast or large her body developed. She wanted Xiomara to be the Nun she couldn't be. She was also so demanding of her but not her brother, especially when it came to how she acts and how she helps out around the house. The way she disciplined her was heartbreaking.

      Xiomara is a voice for so many youth and Elizabeth Acevedo had written this amazingly. This books deals with family, first love, religion, self-acceptance, sexuality, sexual harassment, and friendship. It's a quick read that's written beautifully. I would highly recommend this book to anyone (even those that don't read poetry).
    • 4/5
      This is a short book about the life of an American Dominican teenager, and her development into a promising poet. It is written in short poetic journal entries over the period of a few month of her life.

      The narrative is unique in its form and the story pull you with it. I could relate very much to Xiomara's strict upbringing, her mother's overblown piety that translated into forced attendance of catholic church confirmation lessons. Mother's piety also imposed limitations on Xiomara's emotional life, inquisitiveness and creativity. The author has given X quite a distinct voice, she writes powerful verses both in Spanish and English. She deposits in her journals all her questions, doubts and experiences. She has started opening up to first love and to an understanding of her twin brother, her family, her heritage and her place in the world. There the inevitable conflict ensues with her family and strict catholic upbringing.

      The book works very well as a YA novel of hope and growth, yet it succumbs to some elements of fairy tale writing where everything falls into place in the end without too much need for explanation or justification. This is a small gripe for sure and does not take away from the overall power and innovation of the story.

      The audio book is read by the author and is highly recommended because she reads Xiomara's poetry the way it should be read with the emotional charge behind it.
    • 5/5
      This book was so beautiful — the writing, the voice, the reflection it leaves you with — and I think it was made even better by the audiobook which was read by the author, although I want to sit with the words for longer and read it in print too.
    • 4/5
      teen fiction (novel in verse - diverse main character living in Harlem, belonging to a devout family from Dominican Republic and dealing with her very first crush while learning to express herself to her classmates and to her own family)
      If you are at all into slam poetry or novels in verse, pick this up right now. I've seen quite a few novels in verse for teens and kids, but Acevedo (not surprisingly) proves herself superior. Even someone who doesn't really dig poetry that much can see her skills in pacing, in word choice, in [insert 5 other poetry things here].
      I only read to p. 116 (less than halfway), but I am wholly impressed. I think people will want to read more from this author.
    • 4/5
      Well paced, "novel-in-verse" coming-of-age story for young teen Xiomara, the only girl, with a twin brother, part of a very devout, strict Dominican family living in NY City. Xiomara is uncomfortable with her own body image: taller, bigger, more filled out than other girls; she's struggling to understand her growing interest in boys; she's struggling against her mother's traditional attitudes about her role as the only daughter, & her expectations that Xiomara will complete confirmation classes at their local Catholic church. She's also discovering her own emerging talent with words; she fills her journal with intensely personal poems, documenting her feelings, her desires, her wonderings - & longs to join the after school poetry club, but must decline since her mother expects her to attend confirmation class on the same Tues afternoons. The novel traces her school year at a steady pace, & her discoveries emerge in a natural way: she falls for a boy at school who is her biology lab partner; her English teacher notices her writing talent and finally convinces her to come to a poetry club meeting; she confronts Father Sean about some of her unanswered questions about God/Bible, & he kindly suggests she wait for confirmation; she realizes her gentle, brilliant twin brother is pursuing his first love -another (white) boy- ; she balks at her mother's "no boys, no after school involvements, no interaction with neighborhood riffraff". In the rise to a crisis: her mother sees her kissing her secret boyfriend, Aman, on the train home, & a tragic confrontation forces Xiomara to shut down completely for a time: Aman, even her best friend Caridad & her brother, worried, cannot get her to share. Father Sean plays a role in bringing her mother & her together again - rather than a depressing, stereotypical rejection of Xiamora, the adults in her life continue to try to help. She has a triumphant Poetry Slam experience and reunites with Aman, & has obviously matured in the year. This would be a great read for any young woman struggling to find her place in a traditional home, accept her own body, work through the too often demeaning ways boys/men objectify teen girls; learn to explore her writing gifts, in a thoughtful but ultimately upbeat way. An Evergreen Bk Award nominee of 2021.
    • 4/5
      Coming-of-age story told in verse with a likable protagonist who has so many things she can't control stacked against her but learns how to make herself heard and respected and sticks to her convictions, even in the throes of first love.
    • 5/5
      An incredible novel in verse about a young woman yearning to find her writerly voice in the midst of her stern, devout family.
    • 5/5
      Xiomara is a 15-year-old poet in a family of Dominican Republic origins. Her mother is fiercely Catholic, and reigns it over Xiomara constantly. She however, doubts God and religion, releasing her thoughts into her poetry journal. She also copes with her longing for and sexual attraction to boys, her frustration with boys overtly sexual attraction to her, and as a small side story, that her twin brother is gay and in the closet. But the primary focus is the deep battle being fought between Xiomara and her mother, over sex and religion.All in all, I can't say I've ever been a big fan of traditional poetry, but I've been amazed that when I read a good novel in verse (and this is a damn good one) I almost immediately get wrapped up in the characters and story and sort of forget that it's in verse, except that I fly through the pages a lot faster. Sort of like reading Shakespeare... the first scene or two is challenging, but once you get involved in the story, you forget it's written in antiquated English and that it's a script for a play, and just dive into the story and characters.
    • 5/5
      Xiomara wants to hide her body, but her voice wants-no, needs-to be heard.

      X struggles with her mother's expectation, the unwanted attention her body brings, her father's silence, her own lack of faith or belief, and later with feelings she has for a boy. All the while she writes poems in a journal her brother gave her, trying to figure things out. When the opportunity compete in a poetry slam arises, she has to figure out if her voice is worth the fight and struggle.

      I was sucked in to this book and devoured it in a day. The poetry is beautiful, insightful, and captivating. My favorites:
      ...
      poems build inside me
      like I've been gifted a box of metaphor Legos
      that I stack and stack and stack. (p. 103)

      He is not elegant enough for a sonnet,
      too well-thought out for a free write,
      taking too much space in my thoughts
      to ever be a haiku. )p. 107)