How To Say Babylon

Name: How To Say Babylon
Brand: HarperCollins Publishers
SKU: 9780008491291
Price: 37.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

A Jamaican Memoir

By Safiya Sinclair

4.46

( 20,473 ratings, 3,322 reviews)

Summary

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair is a powerful memoir that explores her journey from a restrictive Rastafarian upbringing in Jamaica to discovering her own identity and voice. It delves into themes of family, freedom, and the complexities of tradition and rebellion. Sinclair’s lyrical prose offers a vivid portrayal of her quest for self-liberation.
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Format: Paperback / softback

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How To Say Babylon

$37⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might like this book if you enjoy powerful memoirs about personal growth, rebellion, and self-discovery. It vividly chronicles the author's journey from a restrictive Rastafarian upbringing in Jamaica to finding her voice as a poet and writer.

How To Say Babylon

Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION

'Vivid and empowering' GILLIAN ANDERSON

'A stunning book’ BERNARDINE EVARISTO

‘Dazzling’ TARA WESTOVER

‘A story about hope, imagination and resilience’ GUARDIAN

An award-winning, inspiring memoir of family, education and resilience.

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.

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?

How to Say Babylon is an unforgettable story of a young woman’s determination to live life on her own terms.

A Guardian and Observer summer read.

‘I adored this book … Unforgettable’ ELIF SHAFAK

‘Electrifying’ OBSERVER

‘To read it is to believe that words can save’ MARLON JAMES

‘Breathless, scorching’ NEW YORK TIMES

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

How To Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair has received glowing reviews, being described as an electrifying and vivid memoir. It is seen as a story of hope, imagination, and resilience, full of lush, lyrical language. The book is noted for its heart-stopping grip, poetic voice, and powerful, moving narrative that makes it a contemporary Caribbean classic.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780008491291

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 03 October 2023

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Fourth Estate Ltd

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 27.0mm

Width: 153.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 440g

Pages: 352

Collections

Biography & Memoir Education & Reference Musicians, Movie Stars & Creative Biographies New at Book Hero Non-Fiction Safiya Sinclair

About the Author

Safiya Sinclair was born and raised in Montego Bay, Jamaica. She is the author of Cannibal, winner of a Whiting Writers' Award, the American Academy of Arts and Letters' Metcalf Award in Literature, the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Poetry, and the Prairie Schooner Book Prize in Poetry. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, Granta, The Nation, Poetry and elsewhere. She is an Associate Professor of Creative Writing at Arizona State University.