Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

39 reviews

erickaonpaper's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional informative sad tense slow-paced

"Anything else you'd like to add?" Storygraph asks, unknowing that I may have many, many things to add re this memoir... 

part love letter to jamaica, part good-bye letter to her rastafarian upbringing, part forgiveness letter to her parents (particularly to her father), part prayer, part poem, this memoir from safiya sinclair moved me to tears multiple times over the course of journeying through everything mentioned earlier. every time i finish a memoir, i'm grateful for the writer who delivered, and this time is no different. although i refuse to rate a memoir, i will effusively thrust this one into many readers' hands. bear in mind: some of the writing is so obviously coming from a lauded poet, and if poetry isn't your jam, some of the long, meandering sentences and narrative throughlines may ward you off. but do not let that deter you from wading through churlish moments, as safiya herself did not. to face your upbringing, to face your oppression in this way... what a gift. what a gift!!!

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse

Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Sexual assault, Body shaming, Bullying, and Religious bigotry

Minor: Misogyny, Death, Pregnancy, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, Infidelity, Car accident, Drug use, and Physical abuse

creativerunnings's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Violence, Self harm, Fire/Fire injury, Abandonment, Suicidal thoughts, Adult/minor relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Classism, Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic friendship, Infidelity, Pregnancy, Religious bigotry, and Slavery

Minor: Cancer

earthtokb's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

so, so well done! the prose is lyrical, the stories 3-dimensional, and I’m so glad things worked out in the end! 

---

Content Warnings

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

jodiesbookishposts's review

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny, Suicidal thoughts, Drug abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, and Domestic abuse

thecriticalreader's review against another edition

dark inspiring slow-paced

4.5

Context: I chose How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair as an add-on to my Book of the Month box in October 2023. 

 

Review:

 

Safiya Sinclair delivers a beautifully written and powerful memoir of her life growing up under the tyranny of her abusive father, who uses his interpretation of the Rastafari faith to control Safiya, her siblings, and her mother. Although Sinclair got her start as a poet and frequently uses metaphor and figurative language in How to Say Babylon, her memoir is immensely readable and pulls the reader in with its literary quality. Sinclair is a master of language, but her memoir also reveals her mastery of storytelling structure, as each chapter feels like a cohesive whole that seamlessly builds upon the story of her life, her family, and her roots. Her retrospective on her upbringing demonstrates a keen awareness of the forces and personalities that shaped her life—nurturing and destructive, fleeting and abiding. She reminds us that above all else, courage and empathy are necessary to free ourselves from people and situations that work to keep us silent. 

 

 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Confinement, Drug use, Sexism, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Child abuse, Classism, Racism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Body shaming, Sexual assault, Self harm, Adult/minor relationship, and Bullying

Moderate: Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Pregnancy, Infidelity, and Colonisation

Minor: Miscarriage, Abortion, Cancer, and Deportation

aweekinthelife's review against another edition

challenging reflective medium-paced

4.25

i knew absolutely nothing about Rastafarianism and found Safiya Sinclair's writing to be really compelling and engrossing. for how long the book was, i did find the ending to be a little sudden/unexpected, as i expected the level of detail from her childhood and earlier experiences to carry into the more recent parts of her life. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Child abuse, and Physical abuse

Moderate: Misogyny, Domestic abuse, and Racism

louiepotterbook's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Infidelity, Mental illness, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Violence, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, and Suicidal thoughts

Moderate: Drug use, Gaslighting, and Self harm

geejeebee's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

Beautifully written and deeply moving. I learned a lot from this book. I do think it could’ve used a slightly stronger editorial hand, there’s a good bit of repetition. Otherwise, a wonderful book. 

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Misogyny

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Violence

Minor: Suicide

sillyduckie's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Emotional abuse, Self harm, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Misogyny, Violence, Drug abuse, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Sexism, Infertility, Religious bigotry, Miscarriage, Gaslighting, Drug use, Confinement, and Blood

ittywitty's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad tense slow-paced

5.0

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Bullying, Drug use, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Colonisation, Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Self harm

Moderate: Racism, Abandonment, Body shaming, Classism, Confinement, and Racial slurs

Minor: Cancer