A Case Study
“The Poet X” by Elizabeth Acevedo
Quality: Elizabeth Acevedo’s YA novel, “The Poet X” certainly has merit. It won the National Book Award, the Library Association Award: Michael Prinz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature, the Pura Belpré Award, and most recently, The Walden Book Award. I am familiar with Elizabeth Acevedo, the poet before her YA came out. Her name is well-known in literary circles but continues to keep true to her roots as a spoken word artist.
It is not surprising that the poetic form became the platform to which she tells the story of Xiomara Batista in The Poet X. It’s hard to not separate her, the poet, from the protagonist, a younger version of the poet, and how it may have been when she grew up, and the things she faced as a young Afro-Latina in New York caught between the strict rules of religion and the fast living as a New York teen in present day.
Her storytelling platform: a novel in verse is a growing genre. I have read and read a “Name Above Houses” by Filipino-American writer, Oliver de la paz: http://halohaloreview.blogspot.com/2016/02/names-above-houses-by-oliver-de-la-paz.html (Links to an external site.). I find this genre refreshing because it is literary in poetic form and language but has a story arch.
Most recently, Elizabeth Acevedo has been hanging out with Roxanne Gay’s literary circle, so she is gaining clout and reach especially being on the New York Times Bestseller’s list.
Language/Speech: Is the language free of derogatory terms? Is the language free of derogatory terms? Is it free of stereotypical “accents” or pronunciations of words? If it includes words in other languages: are they understood in the context? Is there a Glossary?
I say yes and no as being stereotypical speech. Yes, as in how the youth talk in Harlem and in no, as you can see some complexity in language here and there such as, “A laugh uncurls in my throat and stretches its way to my lips” (297) which is the flexibility that poetic form affords, but clearly the novel in verse is comprised mostly urban speech and slang.
There is no glossary, however, the speaker does elaborate sometimes what a Spanish word means directly or indirectly.
I feel stereotypes abound, being that the protagonist is an Afro-Latina teen in today’s Harlem with strict religious parents from DR and a mom who is a cleaning lady. It wouldn’t be a stereotype if the Afro-Latina teen is from an affluent neighborhood in Manhattan and parents are conglomerates: would they talk and perceive things differently? I guess this trope to me has been seen a million times and is why in this sense, I feel is stereotypical.
Characters’ Development: Are characters complex and free of simplistic generalizations? Are characters “unique”? Is there “diversity within diversity” (diverse characters within same group, including gender, age, and other)?
Here I would also say yes and no to the character’s development and uniqueness. Poet X is an angsty teen feeling out of place, battling sexism, classism, strict religiosity that has double standards – this is where you see the character’s growth by finding her “voice” in her writing and the spoken word and acceptance from her family and peers. There is no diversity in her characters, though. Other than her twin brother being gay, the teacher is white, everyone else is homogeneous only because the scope of the main character’s purview and her world is narrow.
The one sample of X’s development is her questioning religion in her topic “Eve”: “Father Sean explains,/could have made a better choice./Her story is a parable/to teach us how to deal with temptation,/…And for some reason,/either because of what I’m learning/in school and in real life,/I think it all seems like bullshit” (119).
Cultural Background: If the story takes place in defined time period and geographical location:
I am from Connecticut and have hung out with Latinas, Blacks and many people of color in the streets of Hartford, New Haven, and Bridgeport and have gone to New York City many times, so, I have to say it’s pretty accurate.
Lifestyle: Are clothing, foods, living conditions realistic/not oversimplified?
The culture is pretty accurate, and the urban lifestyle is pretty well depicted. There are many modern references to contemporary music that teens in Harlem would listen to.
Does it celebrate the culture portrayed? (Celebrate doesn’t mean happy/party, but: is the culture being portrayed with respect and reverence?)
I believe culture is being celebrated. Essentially, the protagonist has pride in her culture—although it’s been the bane of her existence. Nevertheless, she finds her strength and her identity in her culture.
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My last notes on this YA novel and on YA industry overall: I guess I am pretty old school when it comes to YA. I read the classics and grew up learning how to understand literary novels’ complexities: symbolism, language, tone (even though it wasn’t my culture or gender) as opposed to highly character-driven teen talk language.
The subject matters, particularly in terms of talking and depicting sex among teens is something that stands out to me. If my era and milieu were represented growing up near prostitute alleys in the Philippines, then my YA would be X-rated, and I don’t think this would make me better understand or make my world as a teen any easier if I read it in a YA.
Is this the trend that YA publishing industry feels that they can reach young adults and be relevant and understood because they feel teens are having sex, so they must approach, talk, depict sex in order to be germane? If this is the case, I applaud that teens are reading and find themselves in literature and the importance of multicultural literature for representation and understanding, but at the same token, I hope that stories with the same stereotypical trope don’t get mostly presented and applauded. A POC teen from a broken home or struggling with his/her/their identity should want to read stories that also are from other cultures and other lands other than white America, too. The point is not to only reach them where they are at, but to elevate their imagination and curiosities from their own realities. This is what literature taught me.
Works Cited
Acevedo, Elizabeth. The Poet X: A Novel. Harper Teen. 2018. Print. 1-357.
Acevedo, Elizabeth. Acevedo Writes website: http://www.acevedowrites.com (Links to an external site.).
Top 5 Books List
This list is from Bookriot’s (Links to an external site.) list of notable Latin American YA (who are Latin American writers). I selected ones that appeal to my sensibilities: A rich landscape of cultural history, textures, language, imagination, and curiosities.
CHILE
CITY OF THE BEASTS (Links to an external site.) BY ISABEL ALLENDE (2002)
Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold is about to join his fearless grandmother on the trip of a lifetime. An International Geographic expedition is headed to the dangerous, remote wilds of South America, on a mission to document the legendary Yeti of the Amazon known as the Beast.
But there are many secrets hidden in the unexplored wilderness, as Alex and his new friend Nadia soon discover. Drawing on the strength of their spirit guides, both young people are led on a thrilling and unforgettable journey to the ultimate discovery…
Why I chose this book: Isabel Allende is a notable Chilean author. This book was translated to English from Spanish. I think the adventure story through the Amazon is interesting and with a bit of history and magic and the language is exquisite. You can view a sample here: https://www.google.com/books/edition/City_of_the_Beasts/BvIT2eSjG5MC?hl=en&gbpv=0 (Links to an external site.)
CUBA
THE FIREFLY LETTERS (Links to an external site.) BY MARGARITA ENGLE (2011)
The freedom to roam is something that women and girls in Cuba do not have. Yet when Fredrika Bremer visits from Sweden in 1851 to learn about the people of this magical island, she is accompanied by Cecilia, a young slave who longs for her lost home in Africa. Soon Elena, the wealthy daughter of the house, sneaks out to join them. As the three women explore the lush countryside, they form a bond that breaks the barriers of language and culture.
In this quietly powerful new book, award-winning poet Margarita Engle paints a portrait of early women’s rights pioneer Fredrika Bremer and the journey to Cuba that transformed her life.
Why I chose this book: As a poet, I am drawn to books by other poets especially in the YA realm. This book is set in Cuba in the 1800s – again, lots of history and dreamlike qualities. It has won the Pura Belpré Honor Book for Narrative in 2011 and a 2011 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year. Maragarita Engle is Cuban-American.
THE LIGHTNING DREAMER (Links to an external site.) : CUBA’S GREATEST ABOLITIONIST BY MARGARITA ENGLE (2013)
“I find it so easy to forget / that I’m just a girl who is expected / to live / without thoughts.”
Opposing slavery in Cuba in the nineteenth century was dangerous. The most daring abolitionists were poets who veiled their work in metaphor. Of these, the boldest was Gertrudis Gómez de Avellaneda, nicknamed Tula. In passionate, accessible verses of her own, Engle evokes the voice of this book-loving feminist and abolitionist who bravely resisted an arranged marriage at the age of fourteen, and was ultimately courageous enough to fight against injustice. Historical notes, excerpts, and source notes round out this exceptional tribute.
Why I chose this book: Not because it’s another Margarita Engle’s Pura Belpré book, but because this a book set in verse that depicts history, deep appreciation to nature, and Cuba’s cultural heritage so artful and creatively.
PUERTO RICO
THE ILLUMINATED FOREST (Links to an external site.) BY EDWIN FONTANEZ
12-year-old Mateo returns to his grandparents’ island to deal with a family tragedy. From the moment he arrives, a series of terrifying events turn his world upside down. A stray cat with a mohawk, a ruthless town bully, and a lost ghost mysteriously come together and change his life forever.
The Illuminated Forest is an imaginative study in parallels: the fine lines that separate the real and the fantastic, the tangible and the mystical, the plausible and the magical. The novel’s heart is contained within the atmospheric, lush descriptions of the geography of an island that breathes and feels along with the characters. The Illuminated Forest is at times a very human portrait populated by flawed characters trying to find balance and renewal, at other times it is a magical escape into another realm when faith has failed them. The Illuminated Forest is a heartfelt story told through magical realism, a literary work that seeks to delve deeply into its characters’ humanity without sentimentality or trite happy endings.
Why I chose this book: I am a sucker for magical realism and Edwin Fontanez’s (Puerto-Rican American artist) book is an interesting study of parallel universes.
MEXICO
SUMMER OF THE MARIPOSAS (Links to an external site.) BY GUADALUPE GARCIA MCCALL (2012)
When Odilia and her four sisters find a dead body in the swimming hole, they embark on a hero’s journey to return the dead man to his family in Mexico. But returning home to Texas turns into an odyssey that would rival Homer’s original tale.
With the supernatural aid of ghostly La Llorona via a magical earring, Odilia and her little sisters travel a road of tribulation to their long-lost grandmother’s house. Along the way, they must outsmart a witch and her Evil Trinity: a wily warlock, a coven of vicious half-human barn owls, and a bloodthirsty livestock-hunting chupacabras. Can these fantastic trials prepare Odilia and her sisters for what happens when they face their final test, returning home to the real world, where goddesses and ghosts can no longer help them?
Why I chose this book: The language. I got a chance to read a few pages (https://www.leeandlow.com/books/summer-of-the-mariposas (Links to an external site.)) of the prologue and it is very literary to be a YA! And anything mariposas (butterflies), of course!
- Latino/Caribbean-American Literature for Youth
- African-American Literature for Youth
- Filipino American Literature for Youth (Asian/Pacific-American)
- Native/First Nations/American Indian Literature for Youth
- Diverse Experiences Literature for Youth
- A Multicultural Literature Activity Plan
By the Stacks 