“A young girl in Harlem discovers slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. Debut novel of renowned slam poet Elizabeth Acevedo.”
Dominican teen Xiomara is a powerful poet. Growing up in a strict Hispanic household, she feels trapped by her mother’s oppressive religious beliefs. Her voice will grab you and not let go as she processes her relationships and her passion to break out of the confines surrounding her. There is so much raw emotion here.
“Late into the night I write and the pages of my notebook swell from all the words I’ve pressed onto them.
It almost feels like the more I bruise the page the quicker something inside me heals.”
Content warning: for mature students
Tessa's Picks
8th grade, Character driven, Family life, Issues fiction, People of color, LGBTQ, Novels in verse
Dominican teen Xiomara is a powerful poet. Growing up in a strict Hispanic household, she feels trapped by her mother’s oppressive religious beliefs. Her voice will grab you and not let go as she processes her relationships and her passion to break out of the confines surrounding her. There is so much raw emotion here.
“Late into the night I write and the pages of my notebook swell from all the words I’ve pressed onto them.
It almost feels like the more I bruise the page the quicker something inside me heals.”
Content warning: for mature students
Tessa's Picks
8th grade, Character driven, Family life, Issues fiction, People of color, LGBTQ, Novels in verse
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