Reviews tagging 'Pregnancy'

How to Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

16 reviews

lizzyreadz's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

Wow! I had no idea of Rastafarian religion and it was incredible to learn from the powerful voice & journey of the narrator Safiya Sinclair.

Her words painted a thick picture of family, struggle, strength, fear, and forgiveness. She writes so beautifully it makes your heart cry.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Self harm, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

ireanirean's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Self harm, Sexism, Xenophobia, Death of parent, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Cancer, Miscarriage, Slavery, Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, and War

creativerunnings's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Cultural appropriation, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Classism

Minor: Cancer

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. 

 

 

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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

znvisser's review against another edition

emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.25

Beautiful memoir that taught me a lot while drawing a picture of the authors life: Safiya Sinclair manages to interweave personal memories seamlessly with Jamaican and Rastafarian history, making her story a whole. Her childhood memories are detailed and lively, drawn poetically with childlike wonder, shamelessness and parental worship, after which you feel complexity grow and doubts creeping in as she gets older. Sinclair is so proficient with language and I loved taking this in through audio as well, because her voice is gorgeous and she had great melody to her storytelling.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Infertility, Racism, Self harm, Blood, Pregnancy, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Cancer, Death, Drug use, Miscarriage, and Racial slurs

mondovertigo's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, and Pregnancy

Minor: Death and Racial slurs