Reviews tagging 'Violence'

How to Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

60 reviews

el_be_readin's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Suicide attempt

Moderate: Misogyny and Fire/Fire injury

amberinpieces's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Body horror, Body shaming, Drug use, Misogyny, Violence, Blood, and Fire/Fire injury

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and Colonisation

jcqln112's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, and Violence

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

hanawulu's review against another edition

reflective tense medium-paced

3.75

This memoir is set in Jamaica, the story of an eldest daughter growing up in strict Rasta family. One appreciation I had for this book is writing around place and setting. Not surprised see the author is a poet, the details were lush. It was easy to imagine the places and rooms the narrator moved through. I also liked the nuance the author brought to her discussion of Rastafari, the way she traces how it changed her parents over time as well as how it changed the family, but on the other side, how the world changing and events in Jamaica's history changed the movement also. 

  It was hard for me to accept the ending, though, as a reader. It felt too sudden after establishing the father's behavior for so many chapters and hundreds of pages before. I wish there had been more discussion of the narrator's work towards healing or addressing the abuse and trauma of their family upbringing. The book seems to speed towards resolution and suddenly the narrator just figured out the father figure and was willing to be around him a bit again?  I couldn't fully understand why and how based on the text itself. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse and Violence

Moderate: Sexual assault

texreader's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense medium-paced

4.5

I will never look at dreadlocks the same way again. The author’s father is Rastafarian in Jamaica and raised his family to follow his strictures—his own interpretation of being a Rasta. While young, life was fine as a Rasta with its concomitant dreadlocks, but as the author matured, the father’s rules became increasingly harsher. Rastafarianism is a misogynistic and ascetic religion, for women. The author literally had to escape this life, and cutting her dreadlocks (see the cover) off was among the final acts of defiance and separation from this life-deadening religion. The author is one of Jamaica’s star poets, and this is her memoir. Highly recommended.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts and Violence

_aurora_'s review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

aleyajo's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring sad tense fast-paced

4.25

It’s fascinating what elements of culture counter-culture groups choose to keep / implement - the patriarchy is dangerous wherever it exists.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Bullying, Child abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

sabrinaleaf's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

4.5

4.5 ⭐️ 
Amazing, Safiya Sinclair has such a way with words: she pulls you into her story and doesn’t let you go. 

The only reason why this isn’t a five star read for me is because I almost dnf it after I read the prologue. To me, the prologue felt more like it was written for a fantasy standalone; it felt disjointed with the rest of her memoir.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Misogyny, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual harassment

Minor: Miscarriage

eamurray03's review against another edition

emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Love love love loooove. This book will be on my mind for years to come. Sinclair is a bad ass. So beautiful and heart-wrenching. Must read.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

readandfindout's review against another edition

emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Moderate: Racism and Colonisation

Minor: Cancer and Miscarriage