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18.7k reviews for:

Born a Crime

Trevor Noah

4.56 AVERAGE


Wow. This shouldve been subtitled, "A chilling inside look at the state sponsored racism in South Africa"

I had no idea what south Africa was like before. I mean, I thought i had an idea, but clearly i was completely oblivious.

I learned about racism. About how different history is from different points of view. About languages. And I enjoyed each new lesson.

Listened to it and Noah's voice really enhanced the experience.

Loved it. Want a sequel. This goes until about age 18-20. Trevor, tell us what happened then!
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Overall I found the book to be super compelling. I think his backstory is so unique and not many stories tell it. Found a few of the writing choices odd, especially in terms of the way the story was structured (3 parts, one pagers at the start of each chapter). A lot of the story felt like it was him just talking rather than writing, which is fine because i guess he’s a public speaker but I was expecting maybe a bit more humor in it. I did really like how the first and last chapters tied together it made the story feel narratively circular 
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Loved the book and the narration. Sometimes the plot was a little weak. I wish the stories felt a little more cohesive. Overall loved the book tho!

I absolutely loved this beautiful memoir that has so much to do with Noah's mother. Trevor Noah's trademark wit is present throughout. His stories from childhood are eye opening and gave me a lot of insight into what it was like growing up in South Africa - which is a place I unfortunately haven't studied much.
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It was definitely interesting, but a bit unorganized… and while I love books that make me laugh and cry, this was such a jumble of hilarious and horrifying situations it was hard to connect with the story.

His analysis of people, how they think, their motivations, etc was often times off as well. And there were several instances of generalizations about an entire group of people based on race and/or nationality that was disappointing to read.

Born A Crime was such a treat to read, Noah has a way of discussing solemn and serious topics with undertones of humor that make these difficult topics bearable.
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