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readandfindout's review against another edition
4.75
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars
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
fkshg8465's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Suicide attempt, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
honeyvoiced's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cancer, Infidelity, Racial slurs, and Colonisation
deen734's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Death, Drug use, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Slavery, and Grief
Minor: Cancer, Infertility, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
ireanirean's review against another edition
4.5
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
5.0
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
4.5
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
ittywitty's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body shaming, Confinement, Racial slurs, Racism, Abandonment, and Classism
Minor: Cancer
znvisser's review
4.25
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
bookdragon217's review against another edition
5.0
There are not enough words to describe the beauty that is found within the pages of How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. She cracks herself open to show us the deep roots of her family trauma but still manages to hold the ones she loves tenderly with her poetic prose. Her words are captivating & in true poet form, she delivers magical sentences that dance off the page & stick with you. She interrogates the misogyny of the Rastafarian lifestyle her father subjected their family to while at the same time connecting it to the history of colonialism in Jamaica. She calls out the mental abuse she was subjected to but also gives greater context & explanation about how her father could also be viewed as vulnerable to a corrupt system that is fueled by patriarchy.
What struck me deeply was how Sinclair explores such deep themes through a child's perspective. She places us in her stream of conscience and allows us to see her observations and how she comes to make sense of her world in order to save herself. You see Sinclair develop an astute emotional intelligence that allowed her to survive her circumstances on a daily basis. Sinclair's mother offers poetry & literature as a form of liberation & this was so beautiful to see, especially since her own choices were limited by her own father. The books she read opened doors to understanding the world & provided the keys to free herself from her circumstances. This act of love from her mother is what ultimately helps her find her voice in the midst of chaos.
I can still feel the power of Sinclair's narrative voice. This memoir is not only a testimony but an indictment on the systems of oppression that enforce & perpetuate patriarchy. It also serves a reminder that the consequences of colonialism are still being felt today. Sinclair is an author to watch in the future.
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Misogyny, and Physical abuse
Minor: Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Infertility, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Pedophilia, Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Colonisation, and Classism