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My thoughts

4/5stars And I think about all the things we could be if we were never told our bodies were not built for them. I'm not big on YA and I am a little hesitant to pick poetry BUT HOLY SHMOLLY THIS BOOK. OH GOD I LOVED IT SO MUCH. This book is heart-wrenching. This book is so beautiful, so powerful. This is a journey of a YA character named Xiomara who is trying to come to terms with her body, her sexuality, her ways of coping with extremely conservative family who make her pray to the Virgin Mary. Xiomara (or [b:The Poet X|33294200|The Poet X|Elizabeth Acevedo|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1498766234l/33294200._SY75_.jpg|54024746]) talks about her everything she experiences in verse, through her poems. That's her only way to let it out, to share what she is going through. she talks about her attraction to guy(s) to her love and protectiveness for her brother, to her classes, pastor, church and everything in between. She displays a complex range of emotions-- desire, shame, fear, anger, doubt, and pleasure, all rendered beautifully and effectively through this lyrical format. I only know that learning to believe in the power of my own words has been the most freeing experience of my life. It has brought me the most light. And isn't that what a poem is? A lantern glowing in the dark. The only reason I didn't bump it upto five stars was because I felt that certain aspects of the book could have been explored a little more, it did bring up those things but didn't dive further into them. i mean the whole conversation around her brother being gay and coming out, that part didn't play out much and I know this is supposed to be her story and that's okay but I really wanted to see that part of the story to develop further too i guess, their parents coming to terms and accepting him for who he is. But overall I really loved it, would HIGHLY RECCOMEND THE AUDIOBOOK FOR THIS which has been narrated by [a:Elizabeth Acevedo|15253645|Elizabeth Acevedo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1598302475p2/15253645.jpg] herself. My parents probably wanted a girl who would sit in the pews wearing pretty florals and a soft smile. They got combat boots and a mouth silent until it’s sharp as an island machete. CWs for the book: Racism, Misogyny, slut-shaming, Body shaming, Sexual harassment & unwanted touching, Parental abuse, & parental abandonment, Cheating, Panic attacks, Recreational drug use, Alcohol abuse recounted, Minor physical injuries, Infertility themes & difficult childbirth mentioned, Bullying, Religion being used a justification for all the above