Book Review: With The Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo

‘With The Fire On High’ by Elizabeth Acevedo is a novel in verse. It was her second release, preceded by ‘The Poet X’ and followed by ‘Clap When You Land’. This book follows Emoni Santiago. a teen mum from Philadelphia, who is starting her senior year.

The book is a love letter to family, culture, and cooking, and I loved how well Acevedo transitions between these moments, where Emoni and new boy, Malachai are taking things slow and being young and in love, between the realities of trying to keep all of the metaphorical plates spinning when you’re a teen mother.

I enjoyed Emoni’s story, it covers a lot of topics that blend together, like the idea of putting your dreams on hold for your child, and wanting to do anything for them, whilst also wanting to be your own person. I loved how Emoni’s story and her ‘Buela, Gloria’s intertwine and parallel each other, and I felt incredibly bad for Gloria multiple times in the book, she wanted the best for her granddaughter, and she adores, Babygirl, Emoni’s daughter, Emma.

Emoni’s relationship with her father, ‘Buela’s son Julio is interesting and well-explored with tonnes of amazing nuances. Acavedo explores the idea of resenting your parent for their absence, but also wanting them nearby. When Emoni’s mother dies in childbirth, Julio is flighty and returns to his native Puerto Rico, leaving his mother to raise Emoni, and while Emoni adores her ‘Buela, it’s clear that both ‘Buela and Emoni have strong feelings about Julio’s decision.

Through Emoni, Acavedo talks about racism a few times in the poems compiled together, where she explains why she chose to name her daughter Emma, when she and her ex, Tyrone, have names that celebrate their blackness, while Emma doesn’t. Emoni explains that she wants to make sure that her daughter doesn’t lose opportunities because of institutional racism (assuming Emma has her father’s surname, Palmer.)

I wish we had more time to read about the in-between moments, I could have easily devoured another fifty pages watching Emoni navigate the messes she accidentally leaves in her wake, or exploring the avenues and possibilities in her own dreamland, but being anchored back to reality by the sounds of her baby sleeping, or stirring. The decisions Emoni makes are ones that make sense to her, and demonstrate her way of thinking around problems, instead of carving a conventional, and socially acceptable solution, which often leads her butting heads with other characters like Tyrone’s mother, Mrs Palmer, who has the audacity to critique Emoni’s parenting, even though she didn’t want Emoni to have the baby in the first place.

I really enjoyed this book, and I look forward to reading more of Acevedo’s works, having also loved ‘Clap When You Land’.