Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

24 reviews

lisettemarie's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad

5.0


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crybabybea's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad

4.5

Beautifully written, if a bit long-winded at times. I was really taken aback by how similar stories of abuse are, even though the circumstances vary from person to person. I connected it with my own life a lot, and I saw the resemblance to similar memoirs such as Educated

I also appreciated that Safiya Sinclair included information about Rastafari and Jamaican history, so we would have proper context as we read.

Safiya is clearly an incredible writer, and she does a wonderful job weaving together the complex emotions that come from experiencing abuse. On top of that, the complexity is deepened even further by the generational trauma of colonization and poverty. I found it to be a very well-rounded memoir with a great balance of personal experience and historical research.

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christy_lauren's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense fast-paced

5.0

My dear friend sophie made me own perfectly curated tbr list and it is the greatest gift. To be thought of when sophie is reading floors me regularly, to know they read such complex and emotionally challenging books and think ‘Christy would like this’ means that I get to exist in so many multitudes. Non fiction has never been something I have flocked too, fiction work has flooded my teens and early twenties but I made a promise I would venture into non fiction if only it meant I could share a little more love for books with sophie.

This book shattered me plain and simple, each word I read on the page felt like striking a match, every chapter devoured the flame burning with more fervour until I felt engulfed entirely. I felt like Safiya had bared her heart and soul on the pages, with such vulnerable retelling of her memories that It was like treading on her nostalgia with each page turned, the rawness of every time portion she described was so perfect I could not read this book fast enough.

To Safiya Sinclair this book is a marvel, a testament to your life and a reminder that woman are so much more than the rage they are born from. Thankyou.

And to my sophie, for thinking of me whenever you read, I ache to be closer to you in all the smallest of ways but getting to love the same books as you feels like an honour you will never full grasp.

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flowchelle's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring tense slow-paced

4.0

Wow, this book was a lot more than I realized it would be! I fully understand the importance of the grandparents story and it gave the parents much more depth but it was so much to process with how soul crushing each generations story was. However, that obviously made Safiya’s triumphs even more impressive and mold breaking. This was such a multifaceted and beautifully told story that got my emotions entirely entwined! I was shocked by her
ability to forgive her father in the end
and
brought to tears by the description of the generations of women healed on the beach

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sadhbh2525's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

5.0


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amberinpieces's review against another edition

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challenging emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

5.0


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_aurora_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful informative sad tense medium-paced

4.75


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eamurray03's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Love love love loooove. This book will be on my mind for years to come. Sinclair is a bad ass. So beautiful and heart-wrenching. Must read.

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readandfindout's review against another edition

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emotional reflective medium-paced

4.75

Style/writing: 5 stars
Themes: 4.5 stars
Perspective: 4.5 stars

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himpersonal's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad tense medium-paced

5.0

Oh wow. Speechless. Ending was not what I expected. So much intergenerational anguish and fighting for survival. And I loved all the poetry too. Hoping to read more of her works after having finished this one.

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