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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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Violence, Bullying, Classism, Gaslighting, Cursing, Child abuse, Colonisation, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
not_another_ana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
After more than nineteen years, my father still could not see me. To him, nothing I wrote would ever matter. Poetry was the voice I had forged because for so long I had been voiceless; I had written every word because I wanted him to hear me. Now I knew he never would.
I find it tricky to cast judgement on a memoir. How can I sit here and judge what happens when it's not just plot but someone's actual life and experience, it feels voyeuristic. At the same time the author is handing me their life on a platter, is asking me to come and see and experience. In How to Say Babylon Safiya Sinclair presents us the story of her life growing up in Jamaica under the control of a domineering abusive father who used Rastafarianism to control and terrorize the family. We're taken on this journey to her childhood, her struggles and how she persevered and became an award winning poet. She also explains what Rastafarianism is, how it got started, what are the practices and beliefs, and how that affected her.
I could not put this down, I read it in four days. The prose is beautiful and fluid, you could probably infer her background as a poet. If you don't enjoy purple prose, this might not be a good fit for you, for me it worked because I felt like I was right there in her head with her as the events happened. And boy did things happen to her, this is a book that deals with such complex and heart wrenching abuse. Verbal abuse, physical abuse, emotional abuse, spiritual abuse, at times it felt so heavy and anxiety inducing. I was at a roller coaster right before the drop, or a balloon inflating with no sign of stopping and then... Well the drop didn't happen, the balloon never popped.
That was my only real issue with the book. The pacing brught us to this dazzling height only to gently let us down. To me it felt like perhaps she could have waited to write this memoir, there were a lot of painful memories she had to face and put to paper and the more recent ones just didn't come across as robust as the past. By this I mean I felt like she's too close to the point in time where her book ends to have been able to pull it apart and analyze it, process it. There's a lot of silence at the end, like the story was cherry-picked in some spots.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Bullying, Misogyny, Domestic abuse, Sexism, Physical abuse, Religious bigotry, and Suicidal thoughts
Moderate: Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Pregnancy, and Cursing
deen734's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Cursing, Gaslighting, Child abuse, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Death, Slavery, Grief, Infidelity, Racism, Mental illness, Bullying, and Drug use
Minor: Suicide attempt, Self harm, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, and Cancer
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
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