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A review by shansometimes
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
dark
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
5.0
I love a good memoir, and this one is excellent. From the first page, I was wowed by how beautiful the writing was without being overly flowery. I didn't know anything about the author, Safiya Sinclair, going into this, but when it was revealed later in the book that she's a poet, I thought, "Ohhhhh! That explains it." The prose is seriously stunning.
Sinclair's memoir is about growing up in Jamaica under her strict Rastafarian father's thumb. The Rastafari religion is one we rarely see books about, and Sinclair described her life under its rigorous rules with candor and nuance. Her locs, her sexuality and "purity," her food, her clothing (no pants), her access to family and friends outside the Rasta community...all under the control of her father. The reader watches as the author's life unfolds and her father becomes increasingly volatile, bitter, and abusive.
Despite all of that, Sinclair ultimately inspected her father's actions through a lens of humanity and grace without excusing his mistreatment of her, her siblings, and her mother. And if I get started on the incredible way she portrayed her mother as the strikingly strong overcomer she surely is, I'd be here all night. It's getting to the point in this review where I realize the book was far better than I can describe, so I'll just recommend it. If you're into memoirs, religion/cult analysis, coming-of-age stories, and reading about Black women making something out of nothing, read this.
Sinclair's memoir is about growing up in Jamaica under her strict Rastafarian father's thumb. The Rastafari religion is one we rarely see books about, and Sinclair described her life under its rigorous rules with candor and nuance. Her locs, her sexuality and "purity," her food, her clothing (no pants), her access to family and friends outside the Rasta community...all under the control of her father. The reader watches as the author's life unfolds and her father becomes increasingly volatile, bitter, and abusive.
Despite all of that, Sinclair ultimately inspected her father's actions through a lens of humanity and grace without excusing his mistreatment of her, her siblings, and her mother. And if I get started on the incredible way she portrayed her mother as the strikingly strong overcomer she surely is, I'd be here all night. It's getting to the point in this review where I realize the book was far better than I can describe, so I'll just recommend it. If you're into memoirs, religion/cult analysis, coming-of-age stories, and reading about Black women making something out of nothing, read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Sexual assault