Characters
This is the name of the main character, a teenage girl who discovers her voice through poetry.
who is Xiomara Bautista?
This is a real neighborhood in New York City and also the place where Xiomara's family lives.
What is Harlem?
This is the event that Xiomara attends at the end of the book, with her parents watching.
What is the Youth Poetry Slam Competition?
This is the career that father Sean was working toward before deciding to become a priest.
What is boxing?
He is Xiomaras withdrawn brother who is quiet.
Who is Xavier (twin) Bautista?
The entire story of The Poet X takes place in the largest city in this US state.
What is New York?
At what age did she do her first poetry slam?
What is 14?
Mami originally wanted to become this to avoid having to marry or interact with men.
What is a nun?
This character is Xiomara’s strict mother, whose expectations clash with Xiomara’s desire for independence.
Who is Mami?
This is the country where Xiomara's parents were from, and where they lived before moving to the USA for better opportunities.
What is the Dominican Republic?
Mami discovering this relationship and the following scolding leads to Xiomara skipping confirmation class to join the poetry club.
What is Xiomara's relationship with Aman?
In response to Xiomara's poem about her papi, Aman explains how this figure became absent from his life.
Who is his Mother?
How does Papi affect the mood of the household?
He is present, but does little other than watch TV, so Mami ends up with full control of the household.
This is the high school Xiomara attends. How is Xiomara treated at her school?
What is Chisholm High? Xiomara's classmates often make assumptions about her based on her body. she ends up ostracized and misunderstood as a troublemaker because of her attempts to protect Twin.
Why was Xiomara mad at Twin when the basketball player harassed Xiomara?
Because he didn't defend her. Xiomara is frustrated with her brother because she never hesitates to defend him, but he hesitates to defend her.
Mama truly began to crack down on Xiomara in response to the beginning of this biological process. What does this say about Mama's view of womanhood?
What is puberty? Mami sees the experiences that come with being a woman as something to be ashamed of.
This character is the only adult that is supportive of Xiomara for the entire story. How do their actions affect Xiomara's personal growth?
Who is Ms. Galiano? She recruits Xiomara into the poetry club, providing a safe space for her and classmates she can bond with, and it was her advice that led Xiomara to try and make up with her mother at the end of the story.
How does the setting affect Xiomaras poetry?
The setting affects Xiomara's interpretation of the people and the world around her, and thus how those things are represented in her poetry.
How did Xiomara react to learning about Twin's sexual orientation?
She worries about what would happen if Mami found out and feels guilty that she didn't help Twin feel safe enough to tell her earlier.
How do the conditions of Xiomaras birth affect how people see her?
It makes people see her as the thing that almost killed her mom.