This is a stunning book but probably the most emotionally challenging thing I've read all year. I probably wouldn't have listened to it if I'd known how harrowing it was. I personally related to some of it, though not on such a severe or scary level. Maybe that's why it was so hard to listen to at times. I nearly deleted the audiobook when it got to the bit about the old poet. I'm glad I didn't, though, because it was lovely to hear how the author managed to turn her difficult childhood and experiences of trauma into success and a beautiful novel. You could also tell that she has a very warm heart and is keen for others to succeed where she struggled. 
 There were a lot of very accurate observations here. One that broke my heart especially was Safiya Sinclair expecting her father to be protective of her in the face of other abusive men because he was so strict and fierce, and being let down because he preferred to side with the comfort of the patriarchy over his own family. 
 Also the depiction of men getting exploited and bullied at work and coming home and enacting the same on the family was so sad, especially we see it through the child Safiya's eyes.
 I learned a lot about Rastafarianism and also why this movement was necessary - Sinclair's depiction of her move to the USA and the racism she faced leading to her understanding of the same was so eye-opening. 
 Equally shocking (to me, a naive person with not much knowledge of the Caribbean) was the clear description of how colonialism is alive and well in Jamaica through the tourism industry. 
 I will be looking to read Sinclair's poetry because her writing style is absolutely gorgeous!