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ireanirean's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Religious bigotry, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexism, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Xenophobia, Infertility, Death of parent, Drug use, Colonisation, and Self harm
Minor: Sexual harassment, War, Slavery, Pregnancy, Cancer, and Miscarriage
creativerunnings's review against another edition
5.0
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
thecriticalreader's review against another edition
4.5
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
louiepotterbook's review against another edition
5.0
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
sillyduckie's review against another edition
5.0
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
shay43geek's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Torture, Misogyny, Emotional abuse, Violence, Sexism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Confinement, Body shaming, and Infidelity
Minor: Abandonment
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: Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Racism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Body shaming, Cancer, Infidelity, Miscarriage, Colonisation, Classism, Infertility, and Pedophilia
estam1's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Infidelity, Classism, and Colonisation