SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2024 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION
'Vivid and empowering'GILLIAN ANDERSON
âHeart-stoppingly grippingâBERNARDINE EVARISTO
âDazzlingâTARA WESTOVER
âA story about hope, imagination and resilienceâGUARDIAN
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 Safiyaâs 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?
is an unforgettable story of a young womanâs determination to live life on her own terms.How to Say Babylon
âI adored this book ⌠UnforgettableâELIF SHAFAK
âElectrifyingâOBSERVER
âTo read it is to believe that words can saveâMARLON JAMES
âBreathless, scorchingâNEW YORK TIMES