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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
lighthearted
sad
tense
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I really wanted to love this book. I like his stand up specials on netflix and I watched some segments of his show on youtube. I wanted to know more about his life as someone who has lived through apartheid.
The beginning was strong and it opened my eyes as to how daily life for him was during that time. However, I expected more seriousness form this book than I got. As the title is 'born a crime' sounds very heavy. Instead I got stories from his childhood where he behaved like a menace with his destructive behaviour as a child towards everyone in his vicinity. Amd the worst part is, he does not show any remorse of guilt as to what he has done and how this impacted especially his mother in a negative way. I expected more reflective thinking of him when he looked back at his actions, but no he doubled down and justified for example why it was not his fault for the house burning down and eventually his mom boyfriend becoming homeless.
The timeskips are very confusing as a reader. I found it hard to follow what age I am supposed to be in the head of. I put this book down for a while and tried it again for a second time, but I got more and more a weird feeling about this book and I even disliked him as he describes himself so far. I do not know him personally, but how he portrays himself is very unlikable in my opinion. I could not get through this book and therefore will DNF this.
It is a shame, I really was rooting for this book and Trevor.
The beginning was strong and it opened my eyes as to how daily life for him was during that time. However, I expected more seriousness form this book than I got. As the title is 'born a crime' sounds very heavy. Instead I got stories from his childhood where he behaved like a menace with his destructive behaviour as a child towards everyone in his vicinity. Amd the worst part is, he does not show any remorse of guilt as to what he has done and how this impacted especially his mother in a negative way. I expected more reflective thinking of him when he looked back at his actions, but no he doubled down and justified for example why it was not his fault for the house burning down and eventually his mom boyfriend becoming homeless.
The timeskips are very confusing as a reader. I found it hard to follow what age I am supposed to be in the head of. I put this book down for a while and tried it again for a second time, but I got more and more a weird feeling about this book and I even disliked him as he describes himself so far. I do not know him personally, but how he portrays himself is very unlikable in my opinion. I could not get through this book and therefore will DNF this.
It is a shame, I really was rooting for this book and Trevor.
Trevor tells a great story. There were so many vignettes that had me laughing out loud. I love the way he shared about his mom and their relationship. The book is as much about his mom as it is about him. If you have a chance listen to it on audible. Enjoyed hearing the different voices Trevor used during the reading.
Amazing. I have no idea why it's taken so long to read. It is full of humour and wisdom, I thoroughly recommend it, even if you don't read memoirs. In fact, this is the first memoir I have ever read and I loved it. I have so much respect for Trevor Noah now, I'll make sure to watch his show more often.
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" surprised me with the depth of his life story. In this book, he doesn't delve into his "famous" life but instead offers a vivid portrayal of his life before he became the Trevor we all recognize. If you haven't attended one of the street parties in Africa where he worked as a DJ or happened to be at the Jewish school where he and his crew performed (God forbid), you'll meet a younger, different Noah.
Noah's narrative is both energetic and engaging, and his stories are often laced with humor. He tackles weighty topics like domestic violence, slavery, segregation, racism, & poverty. At times, the situations are extreme, such as when his mother is shot, yet throughout it all, he manages the message. He avoids sugar-coating the harsh realities but adeptly highlights the absurdity that can exist within them. His direct and straightforward style of storytelling may also help some readers grasp why logic and ethics can be perceived differently across various cultures and social classes. Readers will also, very likely, learn a great deal about pre- and post-Apartheid South Africa.
For an enhanced experience, I highly recommend the audiobook version. Hearing Noah narrate his own story, with his impeccable timing and emotional delivery, significantly increased my enjoyment.
As someone who hasn't delved into many memoirs, I might not have picked this up if it weren't assigned to my son in college. However, I got hooked after just a few chapters during a car ride with him, and I'm grateful for it. "Born a Crime" easily ranks as the best memoir I've read and one of the most enjoyable books I've had the pleasure of reading this year.
Noah's narrative is both energetic and engaging, and his stories are often laced with humor. He tackles weighty topics like domestic violence, slavery, segregation, racism, & poverty. At times, the situations are extreme, such as when his mother is shot, yet throughout it all, he manages the message. He avoids sugar-coating the harsh realities but adeptly highlights the absurdity that can exist within them. His direct and straightforward style of storytelling may also help some readers grasp why logic and ethics can be perceived differently across various cultures and social classes. Readers will also, very likely, learn a great deal about pre- and post-Apartheid South Africa.
For an enhanced experience, I highly recommend the audiobook version. Hearing Noah narrate his own story, with his impeccable timing and emotional delivery, significantly increased my enjoyment.
As someone who hasn't delved into many memoirs, I might not have picked this up if it weren't assigned to my son in college. However, I got hooked after just a few chapters during a car ride with him, and I'm grateful for it. "Born a Crime" easily ranks as the best memoir I've read and one of the most enjoyable books I've had the pleasure of reading this year.
This is a delightful little memoir well worth the read. Sadly, I haven't watched The Daily Show since [a:Trevor Noah|15149526|Trevor Noah|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1555600819p2/15149526.jpg] took over as host. But I've watched his Netflix specials, which are infinitely funnier. The big stage just serves his sense of humor better than the fake news desk. But he's also an excellent writer!
As a native South African living in America, naturally most of his material is about his upbringing, about culture shock, and--most deeply--growing up biracial during apartheid. Hence the title, "born a crime."
As a native South African living in America, naturally most of his material is about his upbringing, about culture shock, and--most deeply--growing up biracial during apartheid. Hence the title, "born a crime."
Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it. A shared language says, "We're the same." A language barrier says, "We're different." The architects of apartheid understood this. Part of the effort to divide black people was to make sure we were separated not just physically but by language as well. In the Bantu schools, children were only taught in their home language. Zulu kids learned in Zulu. Tswana kids learned in Tswana. Because of this, we’d fall into the trap the government had set for us and fight among ourselves, believing that we were different.
The great thing about language is that you can just as easily use it to do the opposite, convince people that they are the same. Racism teaches us that we are different because of the color of our skin, but because racism is stupid, it's easily tricked. If you're a racist and you meet someone who doesn't look like you, the fact that he can't speak like you reinforces your racist preconceptions. He's different, less intelligent. A brilliant scientist can come over the border from Mexico to live in America, but if he speaks in broken English, people say, "Hey, I don't trust this guy."
"But he's a scientist."
"Yeah, in Mexican science maybe. I don't trust him."
However, if the person who doesn't look like you speaks like you, your brain short-circuits because your racism program has none of those instructions in the code. "Wait, wait," your mind says, "The racism code says if he doesn't look like me, he isn't like me, but the language code says if he speaks like me, he is like me. Something is off here. I can't figure this out."