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shirley098's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
4.75
An absolutely wild ride, giving snippets, both lighthearted, fun, but also heavy, dark, of a childhood lived in a transitory South Africa. Noah's narration was warm and vivid, creating his full cast of friends and family on his own (Grandma Coco being a highlight). His personal insights into race, class, systemic oppression, and the cycle of poverty, were sharp and interesting to consider.
End note: His mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is an absolute force to be reckoned with; I found her completely admirable in how she always refused to complain and play a victim, despite all the hardships she lived through.
Quotes that stuck with me:
People always lecture the poor: “Take responsibility for yourself! Make something of yourself!” But with what raw materials are the poor to make something of themselves?
People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.
We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to.
Learn from your past and be better because of your past,” she would say, “but don’t cry about your past. Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it. Don’t be bitter.
People thought my mom was crazy. Ice rinks and drive-ins and suburbs, these things were izinto zabelungu -- the things of white people. So many people had internalized the logic of apartheid and made it their own. Why teach a black child white things? Neighbors and relatives used to pester my mom: 'Why do this? Why show him the world when he's never going to leave the ghetto?'
'Because,' she would say, 'even if he never leaves the ghetto, he will know that the ghetto is not the world. If that is all I accomplish, I've done enough.
So many black families spend all of their time trying to fix the problems of the past. That is the curse of being black and poor, and it is a curse that follows you from generation to generation. My mother calls it “the black tax.” Because the generations who came before you have been pillaged, rather than being free to use your skills and education to move forward, you lose everything just trying to bring everyone behind you back up to zero.
End note: His mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is an absolute force to be reckoned with; I found her completely admirable in how she always refused to complain and play a victim, despite all the hardships she lived through.
Quotes that stuck with me:
People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.
'Because,' she would say, 'even if he never leaves the ghetto, he will know that the ghetto is not the world. If that is all I accomplish, I've done enough.
katemalone's review against another edition
4.25
easy read, kept me engaged, sad but also sweet story
emilyb_chicago's review against another edition
5.0
Going into this book, I only knew that Trevor Noah was the Daily Show replacement for Jon Stewart. I only watched a couple of his shows, but I was just curious enough to listen to this book. I expected his book to be just another comedian’s memoir. I was surprised at how well written the book is, how varied his background is and how much I like him after spending the time reading this book.
Even if it’s not your normal medium, I highly recommend you listen to this book. Noah reads it himself and speaks fluently the variety of African languages he quotes - in a physical book I’d have skimmed over those sentences. He drops into the correct accent with ease that allows the listener to associate even more with his life and live the stories beside him.
This book relates some events of his youth and upbringing with humor and perspective that allows you to laugh along with him - I believe he easily could have had me crying for most of his story if he’d that is what he’d wanted. I am looking forward to reading anything else he writes.
Even if it’s not your normal medium, I highly recommend you listen to this book. Noah reads it himself and speaks fluently the variety of African languages he quotes - in a physical book I’d have skimmed over those sentences. He drops into the correct accent with ease that allows the listener to associate even more with his life and live the stories beside him.
This book relates some events of his youth and upbringing with humor and perspective that allows you to laugh along with him - I believe he easily could have had me crying for most of his story if he’d that is what he’d wanted. I am looking forward to reading anything else he writes.
_amandamcgee's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
4.5
rossi_dyl's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.5
ausbow's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
elusorius's review against another edition
5.0
An incredible memoir, one of the best I've read so far. Noah uses humorous stories from his childhood to adress political and social issues in South Africa. It's brilliantly written, making me laugh out loud as well as leaving me with my mouth hanging open. I would also highly recommend the audiobook as it is recorded by the author himself and includes his hilarious impersonations.
5/5, funny while addressing important problems
5/5, funny while addressing important problems
holacandita's review against another edition
5.0
4 stars for the memoir itself and an added star for Trevor Noah narrating the audiobook. I believe it added that much more to what was already a wonderfully told recounting of his childhood. #2018readharder A celebrity memoir
rereader33's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this was incredible. This was truly incredible and I am so happy I took the time to read it. This is not a feel-good book, despite the hilarious moments and writing sprinkled in. This is a book about so many different topics: racism, colonialism, patriarchy, domestic violence, South African culture, language, etc. For such a short read, it packs in so many topics and handles them with honesty and accuracy, just the way I like it. I'm having a hard time writing this because I want to talk about the book, but I strongly believe everyone should just read the book because my words can't do this book justice. All I can say is that it has given me a new perspective on so many important issues without sounding patronizing, preachy, or self-righteous. Noah tells his story and states the facts, no more no less. That's all I can say, please give this book a chance, you won't regret it.