The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo
This coming-of-age novel-in-verse tells the story of Xiomara, who is struggling to find her voice in a home and a world that doesn't seem to want to hear it. Her notebook becomes her outlet as she turns her feelings and frustrations -- at the way men seem to think her body is theirs and at the way her mother's religious devotion leaves so little room for doubt or questions -- which she turns into poems. Eventually, Xiomara's relationship with her mother comes to a head. On the one hand, the conflict numbs Xiomara and causes her to shrink away from her world; on the other, it gives her a kind of what-have-I-got-to-lose freedom that allows her to open up about her writing.
I remain conflicted about the trend in YA literature to write novels in verse. It seems too...easy? It would be more compelling, I think, to mix poetry in with other forms of writing, which might help better mirror the moods and experiences of the characters. Maybe that's just me. That said, this is quite a compelling novel. It brings up important issues and has a plot that keeps the reader deeply engaged. If only things didn't wrap up so neatly at the end...
