The Poet X

“I stand on a stage and say a poem. There is power in the word”

This is an easy 5 stars. I love poetry. I love reading. Mixing the two together the way Elizabeth Acevedo does is magic. Her flow, her words, her emotion are truly amazing. Poetry is hard because it's personal, and when spoken or written it bares not only the heart, but the deepest part of the soul. For most of us...that type of vulnerability is frightening. There were many instances I was in tears, I could feel her pain.

With a Korean mother, who is very religious, I can relate to some of the mother-daughter dynamic that this book touches upon. It brought back so many painful memories for me, but not in an entirely bad way. I wish I had found a book like this when I was a teen...I felt so alone. If I could have read a book like this? I would have found comfort in knowing someone else understood that loneliness and pain.

This is a must read, even for those who don't usually read poetry. Definitely one of my favorites and one I will read again.