Reviews tagging 'Violence'

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

60 reviews

anna_whitehead11's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

This is a phenomenal memoir, I’d venture to say the best one I’ve read in a long time. Sinclair’s prose is lyrical and captivating, her story heart breaking and powerful. It’s a love story to her homeland of Jamaica, to the transformative nature of words and poetry (Sinclair’s literary talent launches her path to independence from her family) and a glimpse into the fascinating world and history of Rastafarian culture, which I only had vague fuzzy ideas about before reading this. At times very difficult to read, but Sinclair somehow carries you all through it with her, and the conclusion to the memoir left me teary-eyed. Simply superb. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child abuse and Violence

Quite a heavy read

rworrall78's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Stunningly written, the audio book is also a treat and really brings out the poetry. I loved the way Sinclair made me feel the positives not only of her wonderful mother, but also her very troubled and cruel father. The love and bounty of her early life is really clear, as is the dawning realisation that Rastafarianism as her dad practiced it is patriarchical cruelty. There were a few passages that really clearly delved into the oppression and white supremacy that underlies the ideology and how valid the anger and hurt that birthed it is. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Violence, and Xenophobia

Moderate: Sexual assault

ivi_reads_books's review against another edition

dark emotional medium-paced

3.75

It took me a while to get into this book, largely due to its lyrical style—which makes sense, given that the author is a poet.

I found it incredibly informative about Jamaican history and the Rastafarian movement, offering insights I hadn’t encountered before. While the abuse the author endured as a child and young adult was difficult to read about, her story of resilience and self-determination is inspiring. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Bullying, Infertility, Infidelity, Racism, Slavery, and Pregnancy

arayo's review against another edition

emotional informative inspiring sad

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, and Religious bigotry

Moderate: Confinement, Drug use, Xenophobia, Sexual harassment, and Classism

carbs666's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.0

This book was SO good for real. Speaking as someone who doesn't tend to care too much abt nonfiction or memoir, I cannot recommend this book enough. Yes, the story is extraordinary, but more than that it is so wonderful to be immersed in Sinclair's poetic tone. It's so evocative and rich with imagery, easily transporting me to landscapes I've never seen in a country I've never visited. I wasn't able to put it down. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Suicide attempt

rhibeetle17's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense

5.0

Powerful lyrical memoir, beautifully written and profound. Feminist and anti-racist throughout- one of the sentences that stood out ‘there was no American dreams without American massacre’

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Racial slurs, Violence, and Sexual harassment

sadhbhprice's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Infidelity, Racism, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Animal death, Cancer, Infertility, Miscarriage, and Pregnancy

ayomiposia's review against another edition

emotional informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse and Violence

esmem's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, and Violence

bookishevy's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

I breathed the biggest sigh of relief after reading the last sentence of this stunning memoir. 

Sinclair details her upbringing by an unstable musician father who adhered to a strict, read: misogynistic sect of Rastafari. He was obsessed with his daughters' purity and believed they would be corrupted by the Western world, referred to as Babylon. He forbade them from wearing pants, jewelry, or makeup, and they weren't allowed to have friends or opinions. 

I was going to rant about his hypocrisy and how he was everything he hated: an oppressor. Because he was especially harsh toward the author, as she was expected to be an example of the proper Rastawoman for her younger sisters, while their brother had more freedom. When she pushed back, her father became unhinged. 

Out of respect for Sinclair, I will bite my tongue and instead focus on her mother, with whom I am enamored. There were times when this man wasn't booking gigs, and he refused to work for Babylon, saying, "Jah will provide." Meanwhile, it was their mother who foraged for food so they could eat. She never complained, but she wanted better for her children than this life of instability, so she gave them the gift of books. 

But an education can only get you so far. Sinclair’s schooling had stalled. She was trapped by her parents' financial constraints, which is sadly true for a lot of bright, underprivileged individuals. Her journey was especially harrowing because she'd been under her father's many roofs far longer than her siblings. Sometimes, it takes more than intelligence to be successful. It takes opportunity, and her mother was always the one behind the scenes doing God's work and finding ways to get her eldest from under her father's eye. 

Sinclair’s story is also an example of how the arts help us cope with hardships. Through poetry, she was able to process her trauma. And what a poet. The words practically leap off the pages. Words of sadness. Words of hope that one day, her father would take accountability and accept her as she is.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence

Moderate: Bullying, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, and Xenophobia