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Elizabeth Acevedo

Author of The Poet X

13+ Works 6,099 Members 341 Reviews 3 Favorited

About the Author

Elizabeth Acevedo is a Dominican-American poet and author, born and raised in New York City. She is a graduate of The George Washington University with a BA in Performing Arts and the University of Maryland with a MFA in Creative Writing. Her poetry has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Huffington Post show more and Teen Vogue. Her work includes Beastgirl and Other Origin Myths, The Poet X, and With the Fire on High. She received several awards for her book The Poet X, a 2018 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, the Michael L Printz Award for excellence in young adult literature, the Walter Dean Myers Award for Outstanding Children's Literature, and the 2018 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. (Bowker Author Biography) show less

Includes the name: Elizabeth Acevedo (author)

Works by Elizabeth Acevedo

The Poet X (2018) — Author; Narrator, some editions — 2,486 copies
With the Fire on High (2019) — Author; Narrator, some editions — 1,517 copies
Clap When You Land (2020) — Author; Narrator, some editions — 1,425 copies
Family Lore (2023) 351 copies
Inheritance: A Visual Poem (2022) 105 copies
Untitled 3 copies
The Poer 1 copy

Associated Works

How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents (1991) — Foreword, some editions — 3,359 copies
Pride (2018) — Narrator, some editions — 1,038 copies
African American Poetry: 250 Years of Struggle and Song (2020) — Contributor — 169 copies
The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 2: Black Girl Magic (2016) — Contributor — 94 copies
Because I Was a Girl: True Stories for Girls of All Ages (2017) — Contributor — 93 copies
Women of Resistance: Poems for a New Feminism (2018) — Contributor — 69 copies
The BreakBeat Poets Vol. 4: LatiNext (2020) — Contributor — 57 copies

Tagged

2019 (31) 2020 (39) audio (33) audiobook (65) body image (31) coming of age (97) contemporary (105) cooking (61) death (26) Dominican (35) Dominican Republic (78) ebook (25) family (121) fiction (264) grief (39) Harlem (25) high school (46) Kindle (27) Latinx (76) LGBTQ (44) New York (28) New York City (33) novel in verse (109) novels in verse (28) own voices (27) poetry (384) read (46) read in 2019 (25) realistic fiction (86) religion (66) romance (46) sisters (48) teen (41) teen pregnancy (33) to-read (665) twins (30) verse (58) YA (209) young adult (246) young adult fiction (55)

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

I picked this book up on a whim and it was lovely and powerful. It is a collection of poetry by 3 authors aimed towards both children and adults and it focuses on important and moving topics like race and equality and kindness. Very touching and I think it would be easy for anyone of any age to follow and understand.


Would fit The 52 Book Club's 2021 prompts:
1 - Set in a School
24 - A Book You Think They Should Read In Schools
26 - An Author Of Colour
36 - A Nameless Narrator
37 - An Educational Read
38 - Recommended on Bookbub
40 - Found via #Bookstagram

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Linyarai | 8 other reviews | Mar 6, 2024 |
In her debut novel, Acevedo tells the story of a teen from Harlem, who finds her voice in writing poetry, but who struggles against her mother’s expectations.

I love poetry. I am in awe with how much a poet can convey in so few words. And Acevedo does a truly marvelous job in this novel-in-verse.

Xiomara (sometimes referred to as Xio or simply X) is not the best student, but when it comes to her poetry her English teacher recognizes talent and encourages Xio to express herself. Being a teenager is hard. Xio’s path is further complicated by her early development of “curves” and by her twin brother’s genius status. (He has skipped a grade and attends a different school.) Then there is her mother, who at one time wanted to be a nun, but instead married Xio’s father. Mami insists that Xio attend church and be pious, but Xio isn’t feeling it.

She isn’t at all wild, but she is attracted to a boy in her biology lab. She would like to be able to be a normal teenager, with friends, including boys, but she cannot talk to her mother. So, she pours her feelings into her poetry, written in a leather-bound notebook her twin gave her. As she finds her voice, she also finds the courage to be herself.
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BookConcierge | 165 other reviews | Feb 23, 2024 |
I read this book switching back and forth between audiobook and physical, and it was really wonderful both ways! It’s honest, engaging, and lively, and there was never a point where I wasn’t interested in X’s story. The explorations of thoughts on family, religious belief, teenage feelings, and finding your voice were all handled with such care and truthfulness that it was almost impossible to not become emotional involved. Acevedo is definitely an auto-read author for me now, both this and “With the Fire on High” were incredible books!… (more)
 
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deborahee | 165 other reviews | Feb 23, 2024 |
This novel with elements of magical realism jumps back and forth in time, is centered on the Marte family, and is set between New York City and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The sisters at the heart of this novel have special abilities: One (Flor) has dreams that tell her when someone is going to die; one can tell when people are not being truthful, and one is an accomplished herbalist. Flor decides to gather her family for a living wake for herself and her loved ones assume that she is dying, although she refuses to confirm this speculation. However, Flor refuses to confirm this to anyone, even her own sisters, one of the many secrets at play in the dramatic family story there is plenty of drama simmering under the surface of the family. While I found the story engaging, parts of it dragged for me and because of the large cast of characters, I lost track a few times. Nevertheless, the writing is lyrical and powerful, and I plan to read more of Ms. Acevedo’s books.… (more)
 
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bschweiger | 10 other reviews | Feb 4, 2024 |

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Works
13
Also by
12
Members
6,099
Popularity
#4,038
Rating
4.0
Reviews
341
ISBNs
108
Languages
12
Favorited
3

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