Reviews with content warning for Suicidal thoughts - Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood

This book explores important realities of race, class, culture, identity, and family through the eyes of a boy coming of age in South Africa. It is insightful, hilarious, informative, and empathetic!

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taibreakfast's review against another edition

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funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

Somehow manages to be massively funny and easy to read while delving into serious topics with incredible clarity and insight. Highly recommend!

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saskiahill's review against another edition

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challenging funny reflective medium-paced

4.5

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noahsingh's review against another edition

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4.0

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bookrecsondeck's review against another edition

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emotional funny inspiring relaxing fast-paced

5.0

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peachythi_books's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny inspiring fast-paced

4.0

The book itself is not linear in its story telling. As the quote on the book says “ It is a series of personal essays.” Trevor Noah’s life is so much more complicated and fascinating then I could have ever imagined. His ideas on race, gender, and hierarchical systems are incredible. He has such nuanced thoughts and ideas and he manages to write about his mother in such a beautiful way I actually cried. I would so I was shocked that such a hilarious person had such a difficult and traumatic childhood but that is probably the reason why he is so funny. His life has given him such a complex outlook on the world and loved reading more on his personal thoughts in this novel. It is exciting, and moving, and addresses so many cultural and social issues that he has personally come across. It is also extremely gritty, and honest. I love the fact that his comedy career and eventual rise to fame was not at all a subject of this book. Barely even a passing comment. They truly are stories of a South African Childhood.

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filipa_maia's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I'm such a huge fan of Trevor Noah and this book was on my TBR list for so long... I was really excited about this read. I'm usually not a fan of autobiographies (biographies in general) but I could not pass this one.

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.

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