Sinclair has produced a stunning book, one well worth the wait after her fantastic collection Cannibal. With writing that both propels and stuns the reader, Sinclair puts forth her story with brutal honesty and insight. This books explores so many vital themes be it gender, race, opportunity/orgin, writing, the necessity of art and expression. A must-read.

I loved loved loved it. This as fiction would have filled in a lot of questions I have had but, as a true story it was so much more powerful. I was so drawn into every person's story in this book. Knowing the back story of the parents added so much into seeing the journey of the author. The poetry became alive and so much more understandable and hard hitting knowing the journeys it was born from. I am so apprciative to have been given the privilidge to see into the author and her families lives. Into a more intimate side of Jamacia. To see a culture from an inside perspective. I thank you for this work and sharing something so inimate.
I am rating it a 5. I loved it. but how can you really rate something of someones life. You cant really.

This is a story of struggle, of growth, of change, of fight, of enduring and resisting and finally-breaking the confines set by culture, faith, and intangible familial bonds. Sinclair pens the story of how she came to be, beginning with her mother before her to the miracle of her birth and continues through her life's journey. Sinclair pens a vivid description of childhood and youth hood in Jamaica, shaped by the nurturing hands of her mother and the fire of her father's zeal. It comes of no surprise to me that Sinclair turned to words to give flight to emotions that were to remain sealed, a means of escape in a world in which passion to live, to become, meant a betrayal to the faiths and family that had shaped all she had ever been. A riveting read, an an incredible honor to be privy to Sinclair's lionheart.

In her young becoming Sinclair challenges her stern father's deep belief, finding and redefining meaning for herself through poetry. An art of constraint, where limitations may unlock an explorative freedom, it is no wonder that Sinclair would find in poems a different way to transcend. The specificity with which Sinclair illustrates her young life - - in Jamaica's landscape, in the sounds of music and language of family - - is an act of literary generosity. 'How to Say Babylon' never compromises lyricism for depth. This is a tale of struggles, both personal and cultural, but it is beautifully told.