Reviews tagging 'Self harm'

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

45 reviews

el_be_readin's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

4.5


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qqjj's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

4.5


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amberinpieces's review

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0


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aleyajo's review against another edition

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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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eamurray03's review against another edition

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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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readandfindout's review

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

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

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motherofladybirds's review

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dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

3.0


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rmla's review

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challenging emotional inspiring sad medium-paced

5.0


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elisecavanaugh's review

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emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.5


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katewhite77's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

A simply beautiful memoir

Safia Sinclair is a poet, and it shows in her wonderful prose style. Though the writing  style is beautifully poetic, the content is hard to read to read. Don't go into this expecting an easy ride, especially because the writing  is visceral. 

Safia grew up in Montego Bay Jamaica with her mother, father, and three younger siblings, who are all rastafari. This is, for the most part, a peaceful religion that believes Jamaica should be free from white colonial rule, also known as Babylon.

Over time however Safia"s father is over taken by religious furver and starts to follow a sect that believes in a very narrow interpretation of rastafaranism, particularly in regard to the role of women. This leads to him exerting tighter and tighter control over the females in the family. 

Safia finds an escape route out through education and poetry.  The book is dedicated to her mother, and it is easy to see why because she is amazing.

I fully expect this book to feature in my best books of the year, not least because it references the best band in the world. The Mighy Cranberries. 

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