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Middle Grade Books: Ages 8 - 13

Young Adult Books: Ages 13 +

The Poet X

Elizabeth Acevedo's novel The Poet X follows Xiomara Batista, a Dominican-American teenager in Harlem navigating the complexities of adolescence while living under strict religious expectations. Feeling silenced in her own home, Xiomara discovers poetry as her outlet for expression.

When she secretly joins her school's slam poetry club, Xiomara begins to embrace her authentic self, though this creates significant tension with her traditional mother. The narrative explores Xiomara's journey through first love, questioning faith, and ultimately finding the courage to speak her truth.

Written entirely in verse, the novel powerfully examines themes of cultural identity, self-discovery, feminism, and artistic expression. Critics have praised The Poet X for its emotional honesty and compelling portrayal of a young woman claiming her voice in a world that often dismisses it.

The book stands as a testament to the transformative power of poetry and self-expression in the face of oppression and silencing.

by Elizabeth Acevedo

Finding Voice Through Verse

In an alarming trend sweeping across our educational landscape, "The Reading Lens" has compiled a growing list of books by Black authors facing bans. This systematic removal of Black literature from shelves represents more than just administrative censorship—it's an erasure of crucial perspectives from our educational spaces. The targeting of Black authors echoes a disturbing historical pattern where the acquisition of literacy and knowledge by Black Americans was once criminalized, with severe punishments for those caught learning to read.

Black-owned bookstores have long served as vital community hubs, offering safe spaces where banned literature can be discovered and discussed freely. These establishments aren't merely retail operations—they're cultural institutions that preserve and celebrate Black literary traditions when educational systems fail to do so. As the titles appearing on "The Reading Lens" list continue to grow—spanning genres from children's picture books to academic texts—these bookstores become increasingly important sanctuaries of knowledge, providing access to the honest portrayals of Black experiences and historical truths that some would prefer to silence.

Banned and Challenged Books: When Black Voices Are Silenced