One of the best audiobooks I have ever listened to is The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo. It is a novel written in verse read by the author herself.
The book follows a young girl, Xiomara Batista, in Harlem discovering slam poetry as a way to understand her mother’s religion and her own relationship to the world. This book expertly voices thoughts on religion, identity, and gender roles. Xiomara has plenty she wants to say, and she pours all her frustration and passion onto the pages of a leather notebook, reciting the words to herself like prayers. So when she is invited to join her school’s slam poetry club, she knows she has to attend without her mami finding out.
As a debut novel I can attest to how well deserving it is of the National Book Award, Carnegie Medal, Michael L. Printz Award and many others. It tackles so many coming of age questions that young girls go through. Xiomara resonates with the reader as someone they want to genuinely want to support.
Hearing a book written in verse read by the author themselves is an amazing experience. Elizabeth Acevedo knows emphasizing a sentence differently can shift its entire meaning due to her background in spoken word poetry. So, she carefully crafts a story which inevitably drove me to cry. For only being 3 hours and 30 minutes long, this is a hard-hitting novel. I highly recommend this book if you aren’t afraid to shed some tears.
The Poet X is available as an eBook through Overdrive and as an eAudiobook on RB Digital and eBook. Anyone with a Forsyth County Library card can sign up for a free Overdrive and RB Digital account. Use the Libby app for step-by-step instructions to access the book on any device.
Nishta Reddy
Collection Support Aide
#WeKnowBooks
