Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

The thing I have always loved about Trevor Noah is how brilliant of a storyteller he is, and it certainly shines through here! Trevor has incredibly insightful social commentary (as always) which is peppered throughout his reflections on different stories that shaped his early life. I learned so much about South Africa, and the very grassroots impacts of apartheid which I don't think I'd have learned otherwise. Really really good book.

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mandaraffe's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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pharfaite's review against another edition

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dark funny informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

Trevor Noah has led a life of both epically tragic and hilarious proportions, and this book is the perfect blend of the two. He writes with such a distinctive voice, it was as if I could hear him sharing these stories on The Daily Show as I read. Not only did this book literally make me laugh out loud, it made me think and feel deeply too. The impact of sharing his unique lived experience of apartheid and its immediate aftermath cannot be understated. And his mom is such a powerhouse. The kind of woman you would want to sit down and have dinner with to soak up her wisdom and fiery spirit. The book was definitely a tribute to her, and it is clear as day why she is so loved by her son.

My only gripe with it is that it felt a bit chaotic with the changing timeline. I would say it reads more as a series of personal essays than the usual memoir, which made some of it a touch repetitive and confusing on where exactly in his life we were at. While it is an easy and quick read, the chapters might benefit from a little space between them to find your bearings to counteract this effect instead of the ever-tempting page-turning binge. Nonetheless, I would consider it a real gem. Highly recommend.

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meags97's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny inspiring sad tense fast-paced

5.0

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adriana1's review against another edition

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inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.25

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laurataylor's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative sad tense slow-paced

3.5

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124smilehd's review against another edition

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emotional informative reflective medium-paced

4.0

It was an interesting read about Trevor's life. I came to see just how eventful and downright tragic his life was over the years and was even more inspiring to see how his mother's influence prevented him from taking all that hurt and going down a dark path. I could never have imagined the amount of trauma this man has endured, yet still, manage to be the funny guy I knew him as before starting the book. There are of course some weak parts, specifically the poop chapter, but they are easily overshadowed by the stories involving Patricia Noah. She was by far the best part of the book and I was always looking forward to reading about her. In fact, if she were to write her own book or if Noah were to write a book for her I would buy it in a heartbeat.

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