Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

129 reviews

pomoevareads's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0

Trevor Noah’s voice came shining through in this book of essays about his life growing up in South Africa as a mixed race child. It is clear from this book that Trevor Noah became the intelligent, thoughtful and the critical thinker he is, in large part due to his mother and her careful way she imbued Trevor with reason and love. 

Growing up in the waning years of apartheid, Trevor was isolated from society because his mother was a black Xhosa woman and his father was a white Swiss German man. At the time it was illegal for races to mix. With the release of Nelson Mandela and the end of apartheid and the beginning of democracy, Noah still struggled to find where he belonged. He was a child with an unruly Afro and pale skin. He identified as black but was seen as other. 

At many points Noah’s sense of humour burns through the instances of racism, abuse, and poverty he experienced. He tells stories of being a bit of a grifter and a troublemaker with an innocence of someone who doesn’t want to hurt others. He shares what it was like having an abusive step father and moving between times of leanness and poverty. 

Told together, the stories make up a memoir of sorts for the period of Noah’s life up until the time he is beginning to really get noticed for his comedic talent.

Overall, this book of stories feels genuine and honest. I have been a fan of Trevor Noah’s comedy and see him as a modest, smart thinker who has surpassed the life of many who have had more.

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hannahleewhite's review against another edition

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5.0


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voicenextdoor's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny medium-paced

4.0


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ethrbo's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective fast-paced

4.5


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ashleyamia's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

5.0

I really enjoyed reading this book. I wish I would have listened to the audiobook, it would have made it even more enjoyable

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miggyfool's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

5.0


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charley0796's review against another edition

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dark lighthearted fast-paced

4.5

An engaging and honest autobiography about growing up as apartheid broke and the aftermath of years of oppression.
I knew nothing about Trevor Noah before reading this, and quickly learnt he is a comedian which comes across in his writing, even when talking about dark topics like crime and domestic violence.

My one critique was that it was written in a jumbled order and not chronologically, which made it hard to follow at times.

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spellygirl's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative sad medium-paced

3.0


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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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