Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Sexism'
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
62 reviews
filipa_maia's review against another edition
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. Is so effortlessly written, almost like a conversation. The story goes back and forth with such grace and detail that the reader feels like its actually a one-on-one talk with Trevor.
Trevor as a very unique way of describing whats around him. Its a very funny, but serious way of telling us what was like to born and live being someone who does not belong. But this book is so much more that just a story about Trevor's life. Is all about a time period that changed an entire country and its people forever. Its very interesting the way this book describes such dark times through the eyes of a child and, later, with the proper interpretation of an adult. More than 30 years after the end of apartheid people still live surrounded by its "ghost"... its not there anymore but its presence is still felt.
Everyone, no matter what your race is, your age, where you are from, should read this book. We all should learn what happened during (and after) apartheid, because when we forget the past we are bound to repeat the same mistakes.
P.S.: I believe there is a quote very similar to this by a philosopher, but this is a saying that I really like.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Police brutality, Grief, Child abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gun violence, Classism, Violence, Genocide, Domestic abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Excrement, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
clarabooksit's review against another edition
3.5
Noah is clever, nerdy and funny and this memoir showcases that. His love of South Africa, where he came from and his mother are apparent on every page, even as he’a cracking jokes about them. I especially enjoyed learning a lot about South Africa.
Where the book let me down is in its lack of emotional resonance. That and it was very obviously written for a U.S. American audience, which felt confining even if I’m a part of that audience.
Noah has lived a fascinating life full of sticky, incredible and awful moments, but his voice remains distant like the person at a party who tells wild and traumatic stories for laughs without registering how deeply personal they are. While there’s a great deal of reflection in the book, it all felt anecdotal to me. The format of the book also makes every story feel like a lesson and that didn’t quite work for me.
To be fair, that may be more of a reflection on me than the book. I did like it: it’s zippy, I learned a lot, it made me laugh and at the very end, it made me cry. But it didn’t thrill me. Would still recommend.
Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Excrement, Police brutality, and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty and Rape
nemonobody11's review
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
bookworm247's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Medical content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
andra_mihaela_s's review
4.5
This book was as great as I expected!
Trevor himself narrates it and it truly does add the necessary emotions! I highly recommend listening to this book!
Content Warning: the horrors of apartheid, abuse, rasism (on a whole other level than what I've read before!..both systematic and individual); police brutality, attempted murder, organised crime;etc
As beautiful this book was with it's moments about Trevor's shenanigans as a child, his first crush on a girl, the banter with his mom, Patricia, and his whole family, as heart wrenching it was when he moved to his strained relationship with his dad due to distance, the absolute appalling ways in which apartheid divided people and induced rasism in them towards others; how unfair and completely mindblowing it was to be anything but white in South Africa - from work available to you, education (don't get me started on that one...I find it disgusting how ignorant people usually blame natives or just all black people of Africa for their countries not 'progressing as it used to'...>..>); how all these affected him and how differential that can be based on skin shade and centuries of indoctrination 0_0 .
I also loved his view on what criminality means to people with and without means and how easy lines can be erased based on what options you have. The courage to speak about that...0_0..once again...amazing audiobook!
The only reason this book isn't a 5 star for me...it's the few moments in which the events change without a clear denomination...even with him reading to me, I still had a hard time figuring out that we change subjects/ events.
I highly recommend you to read this book if you want to learn a bit more about South Africa through the eyes of a child, a mixed South African child. You won't regret it!
Trevor acknowledges the small privilege he had growing up as a child of a white man, and gives such a depth and needed context why he is the way he is, why comedy is such an important part of his life and more or less, he gives you, the reader, basis in understanding his material...as you find out so much more than a basic story about some celebrity!
Enjoy
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Murder, Genocide, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Violence, Slavery, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse
navyredrose's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Police brutality, Racism, Sexism, and Xenophobia
Moderate: Excrement
Minor: Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Colonisation
ecster's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Sexism, Violence, Physical abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Domestic abuse, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Gun violence, and Colonisation
Moderate: Bullying, Alcoholism, Alcohol, and Blood
Minor: Pregnancy, Police brutality, and Suicidal thoughts
astridmalmhester's review
4.25
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Racism, Sexism, and Police brutality
Moderate: Xenophobia and Child abuse
nrogers_1030's review
5.0
Graphic: Violence, Alcoholism, Classism, Gun violence, Animal death, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Bullying, Colonisation, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Domestic abuse and Confinement
Minor: Kidnapping, Pregnancy, and Fire/Fire injury
sabrina_d_arcy's review
5.0
Moderate: Xenophobia, Classism, Colonisation, Cursing, Drug use, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Body shaming, Stalking, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Addiction, Blood, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, Racism, Child abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Violence, Physical abuse, and Police brutality
Minor: Abandonment, Antisemitism, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Genocide, Kidnapping, Animal cruelty, Addiction, and Excrement