by Safiya Sinclair. Simon and Schuster; 2023.
Family relationships, Rastafarianism, young adult, memoir, trauma, coming of age
Safiya Sinclair is a poet, former model, and author of the poetry collection Cannibal, the recipient of numerous awards, including a Whiting Award and the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry. Sinclair’s memoir, How to Say Babylon,was named one of the best books of 2023 by several outlets, including NPR and the New Yorker. Sinclair is currently an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Arizona State University.
How to Say Babylon recounts Sinclair’s coming-of-age in Montego Bay, Jamaica, under the dogma of Rastafarianism. Surrounded by a close-knit family and the magic of the ocean, Sinclair’s childhood is at first idyllic, filled with wonder and joy. But as time goes on, the frivolity and curiosity of youth is curtailed by her father, Djani, who becomes increasingly protective–by any means necessary.
Djani’s interpretation of Rastafarianism deems women and children as especially susceptible to the wiles of Babylon, the outside world, and so they must be especially scrutinized and controlled. Women are subservient to men, and girl children must be raised to be “pure” and keep house. Guided by his principles, Djani confines his wife, Esther, and Sinclair and her siblings to their home, far from Babylon, and keeps them close under his watchful eye.
Though Djani rules the household, Esther is a force to be reckoned with, a teacher who inspires the children of the neighborhood, and she introduces young Sinclair to the world of literature. Books offer Sinclair comfort and escapism, and the power of the written word will serve her well as she matures, ultimately showing her a way out.
The reader follows Sinclair’s maturation from a little girl to a young woman, and the lengths she must go in order to find her voice. Sinclair utilizes her poet’s grasp of language to depict both her interior world and the exterior world, and the contrast of Babylon in all its excess against the stark, repressive environment her father dictates.
Deeply personal, the book also provides an essential historical background of Rastafarianism, including its various sects, and how its teachings have evolved and exist in myriad interpretations. Sinclair shares how the belief system impacts adherents differently, most often along the lines of gender.
What works: Both heartrending and inspiring, Sinclair generously shares the intimate details of her childhood, from the mundane to the harrowing, to offer a universal portrait of sovereignty in the face of patriarchy and colonialism.
What doesn’t work: The ending of the book may be unsatisfying for some readers, as it does not offer a tidy conclusion.
Pass It OR Grab It? Grab it! Defiant, hopeful, and heartbreaking, this book is a must-have for high school and public library collections. Recommended for readers who enjoyed Somebody’s Daughter by Ashley C. Ford and Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover.
Content Warning: Though handled with care and integral to the telling of Sinclair’s story, the trauma she endures–which includes physical violence–is significant and might be triggering or upsetting for some.
Black Cotton Reviewers 