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A review by karenleagermain
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Wow. I finished the audio book a few days ago and Safiya Sinclair's memoir will not leave my mind. Sinclair shares her life growing up in a Rastafari family in Jamaica. This rigid religion puts her father as the ultimate authority in their household, where he demands total obedience from his wife and children. Sinclair is raised in a very conservative and isolated environment. She is brilliant in school, but her religion, shown outwardly by her dreadlocks, signals her as an outcast in Jamaica, where many are Christian.
Sinclair desires to be a writer and shows a great deal of talent, but her family's poverty and her father's values threaten to keep her from achieving her dream. As she grows older, Sinclair realizes that both her goals and the life that she wants to pursue are in contrast to the way she was raised.
Sinclair's memoir has similar themes to Tara Westover's Educated. Both memoirs are brilliant and eye-opening.
Many times while listening, I paused and resisted to sections of Sinclair's writing. She is such a talented writer. Her prose is gorgeous and she has unique phrasing. Her story is powerful, but made more so by her writing talents.
Sinclair desires to be a writer and shows a great deal of talent, but her family's poverty and her father's values threaten to keep her from achieving her dream. As she grows older, Sinclair realizes that both her goals and the life that she wants to pursue are in contrast to the way she was raised.
Sinclair's memoir has similar themes to Tara Westover's Educated. Both memoirs are brilliant and eye-opening.
Many times while listening, I paused and resisted to sections of Sinclair's writing. She is such a talented writer. Her prose is gorgeous and she has unique phrasing. Her story is powerful, but made more so by her writing talents.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Child abuse, Classism, Emotional abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Physical abuse, and Bullying
Moderate: Abandonment and Sexual harassment
The story is filled with domestic violence, including both physical and verbal abuse. Sinclair has a mentor ( older male, when she is a teen) who makes suggestive comments to her and touches her inappropriately.