Reviews tagging 'Racism'

How to Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

50 reviews

mugsandmanuscripts's review against another edition

dark emotional inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Self harm and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Animal cruelty

kenopedidntthinkso's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Suicide

honeyvoiced's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Colonisation

deen734's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, and Grief

Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt

limonadia's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault and Sexual harassment

malackalharaizeh's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment

Moderate: Racial slurs and Racism

jodiesbookishposts's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, and Suicidal thoughts

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark inspiring slow-paced

4.5

Context: I chose How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair as an add-on to my Book of the Month box in October 2023. 

 

Review:

 

Safiya Sinclair delivers a beautifully written and powerful memoir of her life growing up under the tyranny of her abusive father, who uses his interpretation of the Rastafari faith to control Safiya, her siblings, and her mother. Although Sinclair got her start as a poet and frequently uses metaphor and figurative language in How to Say Babylon, her memoir is immensely readable and pulls the reader in with its literary quality. Sinclair is a master of language, but her memoir also reveals her mastery of storytelling structure, as each chapter feels like a cohesive whole that seamlessly builds upon the story of her life, her family, and her roots. Her retrospective on her upbringing demonstrates a keen awareness of the forces and personalities that shaped her life—nurturing and destructive, fleeting and abiding. She reminds us that above all else, courage and empathy are necessary to free ourselves from people and situations that work to keep us silent. 

 

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Classism

Moderate: Infidelity, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, Abortion, and Deportation

soojin12548's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, and Violence

aweekinthelife's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

4.25

i knew absolutely nothing about Rastafarianism and found Safiya Sinclair's writing to be really compelling and engrossing. for how long the book was, i did find the ending to be a little sudden/unexpected, as i expected the level of detail from her childhood and earlier experiences to carry into the more recent parts of her life. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Racism