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Image for event: African American Book Club

African American Book Club

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

2025-06-03 19:00:00 2025-06-03 20:00:00 America/New_York African American Book Club Join us for a discussion of How to say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. Marilyn J. Praisner Library -

Tuesday, June 03
7:00pm - 8:00pm

Add to Calendar 2025-06-03 19:00:00 2025-06-03 20:00:00 America/New_York African American Book Club Join us for a discussion of How to say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair. Marilyn J. Praisner Library -

Join us for a discussion of How to say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair.

How to Say Babylon is avilable for pickup at Marilyn J. Praisner Library and available as an ebook and audiobook on Libby.

Summary:

Throughout her childhood, Safiya Sinclair's father, a volatile reggae musician and militant adherent to a strict sect of Rastafari, became obsessed with her purity, in particular, with the threat of what Rastas call Babylon, the immoral and corrupting influences of the Western world outside their home. He worried that womanhood would make Safiya and her sisters morally weak and impure, and believed a woman's highest virtue was her obedience. In an effort to keep Babylon outside the gate, he forbade almost everything. In place of pants, the women in her family were made to wear long skirts and dresses to cover their arms and legs, head wraps to cover their hair, no make-up, no jewelry, no opinions, no friends. Safiya's mother, while loyal to her father, nonetheless gave Safiya and her siblings the gift of books, including poetry, to which Safiya latched on for dear life. And as Safiya watched her mother struggle voicelessly for years under housework and the rigidity of her father's beliefs, she increasingly used her education as a sharp tool with which to find her voice and break free. Inevitably, with her rebellion comes clashes with her father, whose rage and paranoia explodes in increasing violence. As Safiya's voice grows, lyrically and poetically, a collision course is set between them. How to Say Babylon is Sinclair's reckoning with the culture that initially nourished but ultimately sought to silence her; it is her reckoning with patriarchy and tradition, and the legacy of colonialism in Jamaica. Rich in lyricism and language only a poet could evoke, How to Say Babylon is both a universal story of a woman finding her own power and a unique glimpse into a rarefied world we may know how to name, Rastafari, but one we know little about.

Questions about this program? Contact the branch 240-773-9460

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Accommodation Requests

People who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing should request English-language captioning or sign-language interpretation at least five days before the library-sponsored program they plan to attend. Contact the Assistant Facilities and Accessibility Program Manager at 240-777-0002 with all other accommodation requests.

cm 1.1 01/03/2023

AGE GROUP: | Older Adults | Adult |

EVENT TYPE: | Lectures and Discussions |

TAGS: | Indoor Program |

Marilyn J. Praisner Library

Phone: 240-773-9460

Hours
Mon, May 26 Closed
Tue, May 27 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Wed, May 28 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Thu, May 29 10:00AM to 8:00PM
Fri, May 30 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sat, May 31 10:00AM to 6:00PM
Sun, Jun 01 10:00AM to 6:00PM

Upcoming Events

Cancelled
Wed, May 28, 4:00pm - 6:00pm

Cancelled
Fri, May 30, 4:30pm - 5:30pm

Sat, May 31, 2:00pm - 3:30pm

Wed, Jun 04, 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Wed, Jun 18, 5:00pm - 6:00pm

Tue, Jun 24, 1:00pm - 2:00pm

Fri, Jun 27, 4:00pm - 5:00pm