Reviews tagging 'Sexual assault'

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

46 reviews

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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hanawulu's review against another edition

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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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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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sabrinaleaf's review against another edition

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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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stellahadz's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring medium-paced

5.0

This is easily one of the best memoirs I've ever read. The prose is beautiful, the story is captivating, and as someone with only very superficial knowledge of Rastafari, it was fascinating to learn more about the lived experiences of someone who grew up in that movement. I absolutely recommend this book. 

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rachelwrites007's review against another edition

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challenging informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75


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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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vivacissimx's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense slow-paced

3.5


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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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