Members of the Onward Book Club (that’s all of you), unite!
Our next selection is HOW TO SAY BABYLON, a stunning memoir by the extraordinary poet Safiya Sinclair. This book blew me away. It tells the story of Safiya’s upbringing in Jamaica under the watch of a strictly religious father, and it’s about reclaiming her identity and womanhood from the wreckage of that place, with the help of space and poetry. It is deeply felt, brilliantly observed, lushly told — an absolute tour de force that both broke my heart and swept me off my feet.
Jesmyn Ward called HOW TO SAY BABYLON “lit from the inside by Sinclair’s determination to learn and live freely, and to see her beloveds freed, too.” This is a story of personal triumph, but also a gorgeous and complicated homage to an upbringing marked by anger and rules, love and loyalty. I cannot recommend it highly enough.
So if you haven’t yet read it, please pick up your copy of HOW TO SAY BABYLON — as always, I encourage you to buy your books from our partner bookshop, Elizabeth’s Bookshop and Writing Center, and then join @safiyasinclair and me on Instagram Live on Thursday, May 23 at 7pm ET.
for a conversation about this TRIUMPH of a memoir! I cannot wait. Happy reading!