How to Say Babylon
A Jamaican Memoir
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How to Say Babylon
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Narrated by:
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Safiya Sinclair
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By:
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Safiya Sinclair
About this listen
An extraordinary and inspiring memoir of family, education and resilience, from award-winning poet Safiya Sinclair.
There was more than one way to be lost, more than one way to be saved.
Born in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where luxury hotels line pristine white sand beaches, Safiya Sinclair grew up guarding herself against an ever-present threat. Her father, a volatile reggae musician and strict believer in a militant sect of Rastafari, railed against Babylon, the corrupting influence of the immoral Western world just beyond their gate. To protect the purity of the women in their family he forbade almost everything: nowhere but home and school, no friends but this family and no future but this path.
Her mother did what she could to bring joy to her children with books and poetry. But as Safiya’s imagination reached beyond its restrictive borders, her burgeoning independence brought with it ever greater clashes with her father. Soon she realised that if she was to live at all, she had to find some way to leave home. But how?
In seeking to understand the past of her family, Safiya Sinclair takes listeners inside a world that is little understood by those outside it and offers an astonishing personal reckoning. How to Say Babylon is an unforgettable story of a young woman’s determination to live life on her own terms.
©2023 Safiya Sinclair (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘Dazzling. Potent. Vital’ TARA WESTOVER
‘To read it is to believe that words can save’ MARLON JAMES
‘I adored this book … Unforgettable, heartbreaking and heartwarming’ ELIF SHAFAK
What listeners say about How to Say Babylon
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- K.Gregson
- 03-02-24
Beautifully crafted prose
Safiya expresses her story with such beauty and depth, I was riveted from start to finish.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nikki
- 16-12-23
Amazing.
Absolutely loved this book entirely. Hearing the author read it is a beautiful experience. I have so much admiration for her, and for her gift of writing.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- C. Campbell
- 04-10-24
emotional family ties
Beautifully written and and the descriptions of the country of my parents bought a sense of belonging.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- marcia henry
- 11-11-23
Absolutely wonderful
The writer took my hand and heart and led me through her life and I felt the scenery I smiled at her joys and cried her sorrows.
It's a piece of work I will remember.
Thank you for sharing so deeply your life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Annette Agard-Vernon
- 29-11-23
Totally gripped!
I loved the way Safiya opened her heart, allowing me not only to hear her story, but to feel it too. I was gripped from start to finish.
Although it is not my story, the insights about human behaviour really resonated.
Thank you for your honesty, Safiya.
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- Samantha Wharton
- 02-03-24
honest, vulnerable and cathartic
I highly recommend this book it is a beautiful and honest account of a Rastafarians Awakening and gives such beautiful insight into the culture in the history. read it!!!
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- Lauren ✨
- 16-04-24
Incredible, poetic memoir
An absolutely outstanding read. There is so much to take away from this that I could list, but it’s better than you read and experience this for yourself. Highly recommend.
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- Joanne
- 03-11-23
This book had me transfixed
What an amazing Woman and storytelling covering so many themes, Rastafarism, self-harming, Patriarchy etc.
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- Connie
- 13-05-24
A beautifully told story, the lyrical style of the author is so compelling.
A most powerful story told with deep emotions and authenticity. Safiya Sinclair has a beautiful voice which is do easy to listen to. I could not stop listening. The details from her early years right to the present were shared with softness and with fire. This book must be read by black women, it shines a light on our lives. It must be read by black men to understand how much we value their support. I would highly recommend this book.
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- Asha
- 23-06-24
Beautifully written
Loved it! I would definitely recommend! In addition to Safiyah telling her story, I particularly liked the historical elements at the beginning pertaining to the brutality inflicted on Rasta's especially under and early post colonial rule
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