Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'

How to Say Babylon: A Jamaican Memoir by Safiya Sinclair

108 reviews

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

stellahadz's review against another edition

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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Content Warnings

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

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, and Classism

Minor: Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Racism, and Abortion

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

wellreadsinger's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Safiya Sinclair’s “How To Say Babylon”  is a gut-wrenching reminder of how imperative it is for little black girls to find that thing in life that will free us. For Safiya it was poetry; words spoken in a rhythm laden with a pain no child should know became her lifeline. 

Babylon is in the body, it is in the mind, it is even in our homes. Safiya’s Rastafarian household was supposed to be a safe haven from colonialism’s iron grip, but it came through the front door every day in the form of her father. It spoke loudly in her mother’s silence while his red belt came down upon her body. Who will protect black girls even from those that share the same blood as them?

 

Safiya’s family lived in the shadow of colonial wealth. Safiya attended a school where her friends had different homes for different seasons while she only had one in which her and her siblings shared a room. Every moment spent outside in Babylon’s stolen splendor comes with a reminder of all that is missing from your own home where you make do with the cards you’ve been dealt. 

Babylon is in the mind and it is up to us decolonize, unlearn, and do away with it in our mental fortress. Babylon is everywhere and seeks to reside in all of us. Its violence can be found in your home and in the spirits of those you love. Like Safiya, we must flee from it and all its forms for not only our safety, but for our freedom. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

hullosweetpea's review against another edition

challenging emotional slow-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Sexism and Suicide attempt

Minor: Racism

okiecozyreader's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Written by an award winning poet from Jamaica, this is a beautifully told lyrical memoir. Safiya Sinclair describes what it was like for her to grow up in a Rastafarian household, how Rasta women were expected to behave and how they were ostracized from their community. She describes the love of her mother for her, in the midst of her father’s growing anger. I really love how she narrated the audiobook - her lyrical reading of it is just beautiful to listen to, even though the topic is hard.

“To live in paradise is to be reminded how little you can afford it.” Ch 2

“There was more than one way to be lost, more than one way to be saved. While my mother had saved me from the waves and gave me breath, my father tried to save me only by suffocation…” ch 4

“There is an unspoken understanding of loss here in Jamaica, where everything comes with a rude bargain—that being citizens of a “developing nation,” we are born already expecting to live a secondhand life, and to enjoy it. But there is hope, too, in our scarcity, tolerable because it keeps us constantly reaching for something better.” Ch 5

“We pushed our heavy boulders up the same punishing hill, passing each other and pretending we were alone in our misery. We each carried our weight in silence until it consumed us, collapsing, as all things must, into a black hole. One Saturday afternoon I decided to let that boulder go. Let it crush me if it must.” Ch 16

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Drug use, and Infidelity

roohanin's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

 

 An intense, emotional rollercoaster that reveals the harrowing consequences of prioritizing religion over humanity. Safia Sinclair's poetic prowess and compelling narrative make this memoir an unforgettable read. 

Reading "How to Say Babylon" by Safia Sinclair was an intense and emotional journey that required multiple breaks to process. The memoir is a gripping rollercoaster of emotions, making me cry, and sharing in her anger and despair. Sinclair’s story starkly illustrates the consequences of prioritizing religion over humanity.

Before diving into this book, I was unfamiliar with Rastafarianism. The extensive backstory provided, even before her birth, was enlightening. However, it became clear that her family's extreme practice of religion should not be seen as a definitive representation of Rastafarianism. I suspect there is much more to the faith than what was depicted in her father's household, encompassing both positive and negative aspects.

I rarely use the word "hate" due to its intensity, but I genuinely hated her father throughout the book. His actions were profoundly disturbing. Despite the darkness, I was relieved to see Sinclair eventually finding a support system for her brother and mother.

Safia Sinclair masterfully crafts a coherent and compelling story arc in her memoir. While I typically do not enjoy poetry, as I often struggle to understand it, her poetic prowess shines through her prose. Although some of her poetic language puzzled me, I could still grasp the overarching meanings and emotions she conveyed. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Gaslighting, Colonisation, and Classism

maybak's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Minor: Sexual harassment

karleeread's review against another edition

emotional informative tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Emotional abuse

Moderate: Mental illness, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage