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margolovie89's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, Racism, Murder, Physical abuse, and Genocide
demosthenes's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I wish i hadnt been given the young readers' adaptation! It had me cringing at times......
The book wasnt bad tho! I liked the stories he told, he was p funny and there were also some really moving stories too. I was just a bit put off because I had been expecting a memoir, not just childhood stories-- thats not a bad thing, I just wish I had gone in with the right expectations!
Fun little thing, but I probably wont ever reread it, at least not the children's version again.
The book wasnt bad tho! I liked the stories he told, he was p funny and there were also some really moving stories too. I was just a bit put off because I had been expecting a memoir, not just childhood stories-- thats not a bad thing, I just wish I had gone in with the right expectations!
Fun little thing, but I probably wont ever reread it, at least not the children's version again.
jellygirl's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.25
ilis25's review against another edition
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gun violence
kirstenlp981's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.75
I can’t recommend this book enough! Trevor’s self awareness and ability to understand his childhood experiences growing up in South Africa’s apartheid are really inspiring. He really is able to describe and contextualise his upbringing against a very tumultuous time in South Africa’s history. What I enjoyed most is his ability to analyse and comprehend his own impoverished upbringing but how he was able to narrowly escape situations due to his perceived proximity to whiteness. He could easily acknowledge the difference between his cultural influences from his xhosa mother and how that may not always be how he is perceived in the world. A great analysis on racial relations in ZA.
As expected, Trevor’s witty and amusing perspective on things, even when detailing traumatic times made this an extremely enjoyable book. I really learned a lot about South Africa but also what was so interesting was understanding Trevor as a person. When you see a talk show host, you assume that they are very put together but listening to Trevor’s anecdotes gave an entirely new dimension to what I now see on TV. His upbringing was full of challenges that maybe some of us in the West could never dream of. Seeing poverty and race relations through an entirely new lens was so amazing.
Fully recommend you read this, especially if you want to understand the racialisation process in a non western country - it puts into perspective how the US and even the UK completely exist within our own bubbles and how Blackness is perceived and affects people in other parts of the diaspora can be entirely different! Will be reading again!
As expected, Trevor’s witty and amusing perspective on things, even when detailing traumatic times made this an extremely enjoyable book. I really learned a lot about South Africa but also what was so interesting was understanding Trevor as a person. When you see a talk show host, you assume that they are very put together but listening to Trevor’s anecdotes gave an entirely new dimension to what I now see on TV. His upbringing was full of challenges that maybe some of us in the West could never dream of. Seeing poverty and race relations through an entirely new lens was so amazing.
Fully recommend you read this, especially if you want to understand the racialisation process in a non western country - it puts into perspective how the US and even the UK completely exist within our own bubbles and how Blackness is perceived and affects people in other parts of the diaspora can be entirely different! Will be reading again!
yaopliu's review against another edition
3.0
I agree with the general consensus that "Born a Crime" is a multifaceted memoir, blending humor, emotion, and insights into important societal issues like apartheid, domestic violence, and poverty. The emphasis on education throughout the narrative was particularly noteworthy.
However, I did notice an instance where a certain topic was glossed over, and that was his experiences of receiving beatings from his mother, which was not extensively explored. Instead, the memoir often portrays his mother in a heroic light, which was somewhat disconcerting to me. While Trevor Noah's upbringing and family dynamics present rich material for deeper examination, the narrative opts for a more surface-level treatment of these complexities.
However, I did notice an instance where a certain topic was glossed over, and that was his experiences of receiving beatings from his mother, which was not extensively explored. Instead, the memoir often portrays his mother in a heroic light, which was somewhat disconcerting to me. While Trevor Noah's upbringing and family dynamics present rich material for deeper examination, the narrative opts for a more surface-level treatment of these complexities.
lanica's review against another edition
5.0
I have not read the original (mature) version. I don't think I need to.
This book was wonderful on so many levels! I love Trevor Noah from his TV and YouTube bits. I agree with him politically. I enjoy learning about other cultures and lives. This was a perfect book for me.
As a teacher, it is also a perfect book. He doesn't try to tell anyone what they should believe - but he states his own beliefs clearly, with reasoning to back them up. He is a brilliant storyteller and even when he does something 'wrong' he admits that he might not make the same choices, not that he has lived more of his life. He doesn't say he regrets anything, just that he didn't have all the information at that point and did what seemed the best thing at the time.
He talks about the history of South Africa in a way that is easy to understand, and from the point of view of someone directly impacted by it. It's not a dry lecture about the causes and effects of apartheid. It is one man's interaction with a system that treated his family as less than human. It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Only made less so by the knowledge that everything turns out all right in the end. At least for this one mixed-race boy.
Every school library should have this book. I suggest multiple copies.
Every teacher and administrator should read this book. It should be a staff book club.
This book was wonderful on so many levels! I love Trevor Noah from his TV and YouTube bits. I agree with him politically. I enjoy learning about other cultures and lives. This was a perfect book for me.
As a teacher, it is also a perfect book. He doesn't try to tell anyone what they should believe - but he states his own beliefs clearly, with reasoning to back them up. He is a brilliant storyteller and even when he does something 'wrong' he admits that he might not make the same choices, not that he has lived more of his life. He doesn't say he regrets anything, just that he didn't have all the information at that point and did what seemed the best thing at the time.
He talks about the history of South Africa in a way that is easy to understand, and from the point of view of someone directly impacted by it. It's not a dry lecture about the causes and effects of apartheid. It is one man's interaction with a system that treated his family as less than human. It was fascinating and terrifying at the same time. Only made less so by the knowledge that everything turns out all right in the end. At least for this one mixed-race boy.
Every school library should have this book. I suggest multiple copies.
Every teacher and administrator should read this book. It should be a staff book club.