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4.56 AVERAGE
4.56 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
A great and honest book with at times funny and at times stories about the harsh reality
Powerful. Insightful. Tragic. Poignant. Everything you'd want in a memoir. Excellent.
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
medium-paced
funny
hopeful
inspiring
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
dark
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
The Good:
Trevor Noah is a compelling writer. His words jump off the page, and his voices carries so well from essay to essay. And either Noah himself, or a skilled editor, is a master of dramatic irony. At multiple stages throughout the essays a key piece of information is dropped, left alone, and then picked back up later. Key among these is the fate of Noah’s mother, and the way her story is shaped, which is hinted at constantly but kept for the very end of the book. Noah really does ask the readers to care about each and every person he cares about, and succeeds. The book may be funny in its wit and writing style, but it covers an incredibly serious time in South Africa’s history–and even its present.
The Meh:
I would say the only thing I didn’t really enjoy is something I often find myself not enjoying about collections of essays, and it comes down to the choices in editing. There were figures that were introduced multiple times, sometimes with not enough or too much information, because they were reintroduced any time they became relevant to the essay at hand. This means that in one chapter you’ll read a name and have no idea who they are, but gather from context their role in the story. Then, three chapters later when you no longer really need that information, you finally get introduced to that person.
To read my full review, click here!
Trevor Noah is a compelling writer. His words jump off the page, and his voices carries so well from essay to essay. And either Noah himself, or a skilled editor, is a master of dramatic irony. At multiple stages throughout the essays a key piece of information is dropped, left alone, and then picked back up later. Key among these is the fate of Noah’s mother, and the way her story is shaped, which is hinted at constantly but kept for the very end of the book. Noah really does ask the readers to care about each and every person he cares about, and succeeds. The book may be funny in its wit and writing style, but it covers an incredibly serious time in South Africa’s history–and even its present.
The Meh:
I would say the only thing I didn’t really enjoy is something I often find myself not enjoying about collections of essays, and it comes down to the choices in editing. There were figures that were introduced multiple times, sometimes with not enough or too much information, because they were reintroduced any time they became relevant to the essay at hand. This means that in one chapter you’ll read a name and have no idea who they are, but gather from context their role in the story. Then, three chapters later when you no longer really need that information, you finally get introduced to that person.
To read my full review, click here!
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced