How to Say Babylon: A Memoir
National Book Critics Circle Award Winner
A New York Times Notable Book
A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
A Best Book of 2023 by the New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, Vulture, Shelf Awareness, Goodreads, Esquire, The Atlantic, NPR, and Barack Obama
With echoes of Educated and Born a Crime, How to Say Babylon is the stunning story of the author’s struggle to break free of her rigid Rastafarian upbringing, ruled by her father’s strict patriarchal views and repressive control of her childhood, to find her own voice as a woman and poet.
Throughout her childhood, Safiya Sinclair’s father, a volatile reggae musician and militant adherent to a strict sect of Rastafari, became obsessed with her purity, in particular, with the threat of what Rastas call Babylon, the immoral and corrupting influences of the Western world outside their home. He worried that womanhood would make Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure, and believed a woman’s highest virtue was her obedience.
In an effort to keep Babylon outside the gate, he forbade almost everything. In place of pants, the women in her family were made to wear long skirts and dresses to cover their arms and legs, head wraps to cover their hair, no make-up, no jewelry, no opinions, no friends. Safiya’s mother, while loyal to her father, nonetheless gave Safiya and her siblings the gift of books, including poetry, to which Safiya latched on for dear life. And as Safiya watched her mother struggle voicelessly for years under housework and the rigidity of her father’s beliefs, she increasingly used her education as a sharp tool with which to find her voice and break free. Inevitably, with her rebellion comes clashes with her father, whose rage and paranoia explodes in increasing violence. As Safiya’s voice grows, lyrically and poetically, a collision course is set between them.
How to Say Babylon is Sinclair’s reckoning with the culture that initially nourished but ultimately sought to silence her; it is her reckoning with patriarchy and tradition, and the legacy of colonialism in Jamaica. Rich in lyricism and language only a poet could evoke, How to Say Babylon is both a universal story of a woman finding her own power and a unique glimpse into a rarefied world we may know how to name, Rastafari, but one we know little about.
A New York Times Notable Book
A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick!
A Best Book of 2023 by the New York Times, Time, The Washington Post, Vulture, Shelf Awareness, Goodreads, Esquire, The Atlantic, NPR, and Barack Obama
With echoes of Educated and Born a Crime, How to Say Babylon is the stunning story of the author’s struggle to break free of her rigid Rastafarian upbringing, ruled by her father’s strict patriarchal views and repressive control of her childhood, to find her own voice as a woman and poet.
Throughout her childhood, Safiya Sinclair’s father, a volatile reggae musician and militant adherent to a strict sect of Rastafari, became obsessed with her purity, in particular, with the threat of what Rastas call Babylon, the immoral and corrupting influences of the Western world outside their home. He worried that womanhood would make Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure, and believed a woman’s highest virtue was her obedience.
In an effort to keep Babylon outside the gate, he forbade almost everything. In place of pants, the women in her family were made to wear long skirts and dresses to cover their arms and legs, head wraps to cover their hair, no make-up, no jewelry, no opinions, no friends. Safiya’s mother, while loyal to her father, nonetheless gave Safiya and her siblings the gift of books, including poetry, to which Safiya latched on for dear life. And as Safiya watched her mother struggle voicelessly for years under housework and the rigidity of her father’s beliefs, she increasingly used her education as a sharp tool with which to find her voice and break free. Inevitably, with her rebellion comes clashes with her father, whose rage and paranoia explodes in increasing violence. As Safiya’s voice grows, lyrically and poetically, a collision course is set between them.
How to Say Babylon is Sinclair’s reckoning with the culture that initially nourished but ultimately sought to silence her; it is her reckoning with patriarchy and tradition, and the legacy of colonialism in Jamaica. Rich in lyricism and language only a poet could evoke, How to Say Babylon is both a universal story of a woman finding her own power and a unique glimpse into a rarefied world we may know how to name, Rastafari, but one we know little about.
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What’s it about?
Safiya Sinclair is born in Jamaica to a strict Rastafarian father and a compliant mother. Her father’s biggest fear is that she will be tainted by the outside world- or Babylon as he refers to it. He is so concerned with keeping Babylon outside the gates that he slowly smothers the family he keeps within the gates. This memoir is about a child trying to find their way out of the strict confines of conservatism.
What did it make me think about?
Patriarchy
Should I read it?
I knew nothing about the Rastafarian culture and ignorantly assumed it was all love and ganja like Bob Marley. From this book I now understand that it is also about black empowerment and male dominance. Safiya Sinclair is a poet and her lyrical writing is on full display in this memoir. She can certainly weave some beautiful prose. Her story is compelling- but I personally felt like it was slow going at times. Maybe all the lush writing at times bogged down the actual story. For me the most interesting and compelling figure in this story is her mother. She was the person I was most interested in. Maybe Safiya will write her mother’s story in a few years? I would love to see how she feels about her upbringing, and both her parents, later in her life.
Quote-
“Walking behind her and behind her, I saw them- all the women who had put one foot in from to of the other and pushed their hands into the dirt. Women who had survived. Women who had made me.”
What’s it about?
Safiya Sinclair is born in Jamaica to a strict Rastafarian father and a compliant mother. Her father’s biggest fear is that she will be tainted by the outside world- or Babylon as he refers to it. He is so concerned with keeping Babylon outside the gates that he slowly smothers the family he keeps within the gates. This memoir is about a child trying to find their way out of the strict confines of conservatism.
What did it make me think about?
Patriarchy
Should I read it?
I knew nothing about the Rastafarian culture and ignorantly assumed it was all love and ganja like Bob Marley. From this book I now understand that it is also about black empowerment and male dominance. Safiya Sinclair is a poet and her lyrical writing is on full display in this memoir. She can certainly weave some beautiful prose. Her story is compelling- but I personally felt like it was slow going at times. Maybe all the lush writing at times bogged down the actual story. For me the most interesting and compelling figure in this story is her mother. She was the person I was most interested in. Maybe Safiya will write her mother’s story in a few years? I would love to see how she feels about her upbringing, and both her parents, later in her life.
Quote-
“Walking behind her and behind her, I saw them- all the women who had put one foot in from to of the other and pushed their hands into the dirt. Women who had survived. Women who had made me.”
This read was touched on so many emotions! Being of Carribean heritage, I empathized with the author in so many ways. This read brought back so many childhood memories even though my experiences weren't as extreme as hers. The language she used in her writings were such a strong reflection of her Jamaican heritage and culture. I found myself being so proud of her resilience as I read and her ability to turn her suffering into art. This resilience set the tone for her life and also her family's. I don't want to give too much away but this memoir was so beautifully written. It is a must read!
"How to Say Babylon" was our first book club read and it was absolutely incredible. I learned so much about the Rastafarian community and the vibrant landscape of Jamaica.
Safiya Sinclair’s story is one of immense strength and resilience. Her journey to reinvent herself and find happiness in what she loves is both inspiring and moving. Her talent shines through every page, making this book a captivating read from start to finish.
There’s so much to unpack here, and I’m thrilled we chose this as our inaugural book. It’s not just a read; it’s an experience that stays with you. Highly recommended!
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