on
3.5/5
Non-Fiction
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Rating: 4/5
Pages: 357
Started: 30 August 2024
Finished: 1 September 2024
Summary:
School; Conformation class; rinse and repeat--Xiomara know's she's not supposed to date, not supposed to write poetry, not supposed to do anything outside of being a perfect Catholic daughter who works every day to hide the curvy frame that draws looks from the boys on the corner. But Xiomara wants to fall in love, and to write poetry that lets her use her voice to reclaim her own space--she's just not sure if she's brave enough to face her mother's wrath.
Thoughts:
This is a moving book, both in that the story & message are impactful, and in that the style of verse physically moves you quickly through the pages. I read the book very fast, the same as I did when I first read the book in probably 7th grade. Xiomara was a three-dimensional protagonist who was easy to get to know, and her character arc was really stunning. The violence and fear in her confrontation with her mother had me on edge, and the end--with the use of the priest as means of mother-daughter reconciliation, and the use of a poetry slam as a means of self-expression and freedom--nearly brought me to tears. I find the writing itself to be not quite electric enough; it reads a little simply, and I think it could use a bit more metaphor. But this is a very beautiful book--I love the way that Xiomara's culture and the rhythm of Spanish make their way into the language and the message-- and I'm glad to have re-read it.