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82 reviews
How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair
Safiya Sinclair takes us on a journey of her life, born to parents who adhered to the strict lifestyle of a Rastafari Sect. Together with her sisters, she navigates this life that is controlled by their volatile reggae musician father who believes that he is to protect his family from 'Babylon', the western world full of immorality. But what her father doesn’t anticipate is how Safiya, a naturally talented writer & poet will grow to take that that was used to confine & silence her & transform it into her path to freedom.
This memoir reminded me of a cocoon that is meant to protect a larvae before it transforms into a butterfly, which is somehow 2 sided because as it protects, it also confines & restricts movement!
I really enjoyed reading this book & was lucky enough to be attend the @bookofcinz Bookclub meeting where the Author @safiyasinclair was part of the discussion.
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.0
Safiya Sinclair takes us on a journey of her life, born to parents who adhered to the strict lifestyle of a Rastafari Sect. Together with her sisters, she navigates this life that is controlled by their volatile reggae musician father who believes that he is to protect his family from 'Babylon', the western world full of immorality. But what her father doesn’t anticipate is how Safiya, a naturally talented writer & poet will grow to take that that was used to confine & silence her & transform it into her path to freedom.
This memoir reminded me of a cocoon that is meant to protect a larvae before it transforms into a butterfly, which is somehow 2 sided because as it protects, it also confines & restricts movement!
I really enjoyed reading this book & was lucky enough to be attend the @bookofcinz Bookclub meeting where the Author @safiyasinclair was part of the discussion.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
Who knew that a piece of cake left by a dying woman to be shared among her children would take us on a journey that spans 60 years in the life of a family. The writer does an amazing job as she takes us through the stories, past & present of Eleanor Bennet & her loved ones. And even as she tells the gripping narrative, she still manages to skillfully touch on important issues such as racism, family, generational trauma, survival, environmental issues, migration, motherhood & life in the diaspora. This she does with so much delicacy as she weaves them right into the characters' lives without having them take over the book, but they still remain as an inkling at the back of our minds.
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Who knew that a piece of cake left by a dying woman to be shared among her children would take us on a journey that spans 60 years in the life of a family. The writer does an amazing job as she takes us through the stories, past & present of Eleanor Bennet & her loved ones. And even as she tells the gripping narrative, she still manages to skillfully touch on important issues such as racism, family, generational trauma, survival, environmental issues, migration, motherhood & life in the diaspora. This she does with so much delicacy as she weaves them right into the characters' lives without having them take over the book, but they still remain as an inkling at the back of our minds.
And to top it all, she gives us a Recipe of the 'famous' 'Black Cake'. What more can a book offer. In my opinion, a definite ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.