The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo: A Playlist

Julianna Concepcion | Staff Writer

Recently in one of my courses, I was asked to read Elizabeth Acevedo's The Poet X. I found it to be riveting, culturally aware, and beautiful; the book felt so connected to music and Latin Caribbean culture; that my mind kept moving in the "musical" direction as I was reading it. So, I made a playlist! If you've read the book, it would make more sense. It's written in free verse poetry, making it a short, semi-easy read. I recommend!

Normal Girl by SZA: SZA is one of those artists that every young girl relates to at some point in her life. This song is about not feeling “normal” or good enough for a certain man. It sort of implies that this man she’s in relations within the song only thinks of her as a girl to have sex with, but would never actually be in a relationship with her hence the lyric: “Wish I was the type of girl you take over to mama”, which reminds me of Xiomara and how she is only sexualized by the men and boys around her, but none of them actually try to approach her with good intentions.  She’s seen as an object first and a human second. 

Conspiracy by Paramore: One of my favorite songs of all time. It rings of religious trauma in my opinion but is actually about not being able to control what your parents think of you. It essentially tells the story of a child losing their power and they can’t control the environment around them and is always feeling attacked by them. “Explain to me, this conspiracy against me [...] And tell me how I've lost my power.” The song is extremely passionate and almost angry, making me think of the anger that Xiomara holds in her heart for both of her parents. 

NUEVAYoL by Bad Bunny: The title is what a lot of Puerto Ricans and Dominicans call New York—the song is meant to celebrate the fun culture we’ve brought to Nuevayol. It details fun and partying, giving its homage to the cultures by saying “¿Cómo Bad Bunny va a ser rey del pop?, ey / Con reguetón y dembow” which directly translates to “How’s Bad Bunny gonna be the king of Pop, hey, with Reggaeton [Music genre that comes from PR and Panama] and Dembow [Dominican genre]”, denouncing any ties to white music genres. I would imagine this playing in the background at the Halloween party Xiomara attends. 

Pills N Potions by Nicki Minaj: This book has a lot of mentions of Nicki Minaj and her music, alongside Xiomara denouncing people’s claims that Nicki Minaj is too raunchy and hypersexualized. So, I decided to include one of her most heartfelt songs, one of the lyrics feeling very representative of Xiomara and her relationship with the religious people in her life: “Self-righteous and entitled but they swearin' on the Bible that they love you / When really they no different from all your rivals / But I still don't wish death on 'em / I just reflect on 'em” 

Amor Prohibido by Selena: Our first ballad for this list! This song is about forbidden love. Two lovers who are of different societies (one rich and one poor) who secretly come together, but eventually the singer doesn’t care anymore and is okay with all the judgmental murmurs. Xiomara and Aman couldn’t be together in the first place because of her parents' religious expectations for her and her dating life, so they’re constantly meeting in secret, while Xiomara is always thinking about what others might be seeing as they’re together, especially when they go skating and they’re very PDA with each other during the activity. 

Teen Idle by MARINA: This would come after “The Shit & the Fan,” where Xiomara goes into a depressive state once her mom finds out about Aman. The song is about wanting to have a different time in your teenage years, and feeling the need to have “normal” teenage girl experiences. It's meant to be ironic now that I hear it as an adult, but I remember actively relating to it when I was about Xiomara’s age; “I wish I’d been a, wish I’d been a teen, teen idle / Wish I’d been a prom queen, fighting for the title / Instead of being sixteen and burning up a Bible / Feeling super, super (super!) suicidal, / The wasted years, the wasted youth [...]” 

Tu Amor Me Hace Bien by Marc Anthony: One of my favorite Spanish songs about love and desire—it really reminds me of Aman and Xiomara’s relationship with one another, most especially after they make up and he treats her with so much care and understanding. The meaning of the song itself matters, but what mattered to me the most here is the pacing of the song and how passionately Anthony sings it. It’s truly a ballad to behold. 

Vivir Mi Vida by Marc Anthony: This is the song everyone plays at Latino parties. It's like Y.M.C.A by Village People for us. It felt wrong not to include it. But I think it still applies—this could be what plays at the end after Xiomara’s family and friends attends her poetry slam event, as the song is essentially about joy and not letting sadness and sorrow take over, but instead living in the moment. The title directly translates to “Live my Life”.