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carly_duckett's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
limeminearia's review against another edition
5.0
Really loved this on audio. If you (like me) are sensitive about animal death or gross food, skip the beginning of the chapter entitled Fufi and the part about eating "smileys" and the part on the dish involving caterpillars. A smart, funny, original memoir by a gifted storyteller.
twellz's review against another edition
5.0
First of all:
I LOVE Trevor Noah.
I loved him BEFORE I read this memoir. I am an avid fan of The Daily Show. He is a comedic genius & puts Trump in his place every single day. AND, I think Trevor & his dimples are absolutely adorable!
So...if you’re still reading this review, you’ll love this book. Born a Crime: what a PERFECT title! It reminds us of how important it is to understand other people’s history & walk in their shoes.
Set in Trevor’s birth place (South Africa)...it is a coming of age story you can’t put down. Interestingly, I just finished a historical fiction book called Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. The parallels are heart wrenching: Slavery. Racism. It’s an ugly piece of America. In South Africa, Apartheid reminded me of “separate but equal,” expanded to greater cruelties.
“In America you had the forced removal of the native onto reservations coupled with slavery followed by segregation. Imagine all three of those things happening to the same group of people at the same time. That was apartheid.”
Trevor stresses the advantages of speaking several languages “language, even more than color, defines who you are to people”. He battles domestic abuse and advocates for the injustice of the treatment of woman. His relationship with his mother is very heartwarming. She tells him “Learn from your past and be better because of your past...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.”
However, the one thing you won’t feel after reading Born a Crime is sorry for Trevor Noah. Amazingly, the book isn’t a downer. Somehow he tells his tales with humor, humility & an honesty that makes you want to hug him.
I highly recommend this book...but, only after watching a few clips of the Daily Show. Once you have heard Trevor Noah’s voice, it will carry you through the story like he is reading it to you. This is one of my favorite memoirs of all time!
“You cannot blame anyone else for what you do. You cannot blame your past for who you are. You are responsible for you. You make your own choices.”
~Trevor Noah
I LOVE Trevor Noah.
I loved him BEFORE I read this memoir. I am an avid fan of The Daily Show. He is a comedic genius & puts Trump in his place every single day. AND, I think Trevor & his dimples are absolutely adorable!
So...if you’re still reading this review, you’ll love this book. Born a Crime: what a PERFECT title! It reminds us of how important it is to understand other people’s history & walk in their shoes.
Set in Trevor’s birth place (South Africa)...it is a coming of age story you can’t put down. Interestingly, I just finished a historical fiction book called Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead. The parallels are heart wrenching: Slavery. Racism. It’s an ugly piece of America. In South Africa, Apartheid reminded me of “separate but equal,” expanded to greater cruelties.
“In America you had the forced removal of the native onto reservations coupled with slavery followed by segregation. Imagine all three of those things happening to the same group of people at the same time. That was apartheid.”
Trevor stresses the advantages of speaking several languages “language, even more than color, defines who you are to people”. He battles domestic abuse and advocates for the injustice of the treatment of woman. His relationship with his mother is very heartwarming. She tells him “Learn from your past and be better because of your past...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.”
However, the one thing you won’t feel after reading Born a Crime is sorry for Trevor Noah. Amazingly, the book isn’t a downer. Somehow he tells his tales with humor, humility & an honesty that makes you want to hug him.
I highly recommend this book...but, only after watching a few clips of the Daily Show. Once you have heard Trevor Noah’s voice, it will carry you through the story like he is reading it to you. This is one of my favorite memoirs of all time!
“You cannot blame anyone else for what you do. You cannot blame your past for who you are. You are responsible for you. You make your own choices.”
~Trevor Noah
kirsten0929's review against another edition
4.0
[2016] The author reads the audiobook and does a fantastic job. Another reminder of how anything can seem normal when we don't know any different. He was a child during the tail end of apartheid but that doesn't mean racism ended there of course. A very difficult childhood by most standards - violence, poverty, racism - but he recognizes this, as well as the joys and challenges, with love and humor. He life story definitely has another memoir in it.
articho's review against another edition
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Noah’s disarming prose allows for a profound understanding of the cruel outcomes Apartheid had on his life and so many South Africans like him. An absolute must read, and even better listen, thanks to his engaging narration.
chels_ro's review against another edition
i simply can't like celebrity memoirs no matter how much i try
brager549's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
4.0
michie_1987's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
frigolix's review against another edition
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0