I’ve read several memoirs in the last few years that all have the same thread: a woman who grew up in a fundamentalist culture with an overbearing, abusive father who was later able to use education and literature as a way of escaping. “How to Say Babylon” reminded me a lot of “Educated” – Safiya Sinclair is a brilliant woman who almost got her creativity and hope completely snuffed out by a religion that tried to teach her women are worthless. It is our great privilege that she didn’t let this message become her future.

Sinclair’s memoir details her experiences growing up in Jamaica with a father who became enmeshed in the religion of Rastafarianism. She was taught that her existence should revolve around serving her father and then eventually her husband. With extreme poverty and countless hardships, Sinclair’s father morphed into a man who beat his children and subjugated their mother. Sinclair’s story is a remarkable one. She ended up using her inherent intelligence and perseverance to become an acclaimed poet. But it was not an easy journey by any means.

Because Sinclair is a poet, her writing is rich with plenty of symbolism and imagery. However, the book did feel really long to me. By the time we reached her adolescence, I was eager to see how Sinclair would escape her sheltered life. I was disappointed that she didn’t go into describing how she was able to climb out of the fundamentalism once she reached the US or how the misogynistic messages of her childhood affected her relationships as a young adult. There were some chapters that seemed to drag the story down instead of propelling it forward, and the events I was most interested in were passed over.

Overall, Sinclair is a talented writer and her story is one that will inspire many. It might have been a five-star read for me if there had been a stronger editor attached, but I still appreciate the inner strength she has and how painful the writing process must have been to recount some of her traumatic experiences.

4 stars

*Free ARC provided by Simon and Schuster in exchange for an honest review*