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dianakamau's review
3.75
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Misogyny, Injury/Injury detail, Child abuse, Animal death, and Alcoholism
filipa_maia's review against another edition
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. Is so effortlessly written, almost like a conversation. The story goes back and forth with such grace and detail that the reader feels like its actually a one-on-one talk with Trevor.
Trevor as a very unique way of describing whats around him. Its a very funny, but serious way of telling us what was like to born and live being someone who does not belong. But this book is so much more that just a story about Trevor's life. Is all about a time period that changed an entire country and its people forever. Its very interesting the way this book describes such dark times through the eyes of a child and, later, with the proper interpretation of an adult. More than 30 years after the end of apartheid people still live surrounded by its "ghost"... its not there anymore but its presence is still felt.
Everyone, no matter what your race is, your age, where you are from, should read this book. We all should learn what happened during (and after) apartheid, because when we forget the past we are bound to repeat the same mistakes.
P.S.: I believe there is a quote very similar to this by a philosopher, but this is a saying that I really like.
Graphic: Cultural appropriation, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, Police brutality, Grief, Child abuse, Racism, Physical abuse, Sexism, Racial slurs, Gaslighting, Toxic relationship, Misogyny, Hate crime, Gun violence, Classism, Violence, Genocide, Domestic abuse, and Toxic friendship
Moderate: Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Bullying, Blood, Car accident, Pregnancy, and Alcoholism
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Abandonment, Excrement, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Medical trauma, and Injury/Injury detail
cnnr876's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Misogyny
Moderate: Violence
ryliereadss's review against another edition
4.0
Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
clarabooksit's review against another edition
3.5
Noah is clever, nerdy and funny and this memoir showcases that. His love of South Africa, where he came from and his mother are apparent on every page, even as he’a cracking jokes about them. I especially enjoyed learning a lot about South Africa.
Where the book let me down is in its lack of emotional resonance. That and it was very obviously written for a U.S. American audience, which felt confining even if I’m a part of that audience.
Noah has lived a fascinating life full of sticky, incredible and awful moments, but his voice remains distant like the person at a party who tells wild and traumatic stories for laughs without registering how deeply personal they are. While there’s a great deal of reflection in the book, it all felt anecdotal to me. The format of the book also makes every story feel like a lesson and that didn’t quite work for me.
To be fair, that may be more of a reflection on me than the book. I did like it: it’s zippy, I learned a lot, it made me laugh and at the very end, it made me cry. But it didn’t thrill me. Would still recommend.
Graphic: Colonisation, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Slavery, Alcoholism, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Violence, Xenophobia, Classism, Injury/Injury detail, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Body shaming, Medical content, Fire/Fire injury, Drug use, Excrement, Police brutality, and Slavery
Minor: Animal cruelty and Rape
nils_0's review against another edition
2.5
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Colonisation, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Racism, Slavery, Child abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Pregnancy, Murder, and Kidnapping
nastia_abubakar's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Child abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Drug use, Gun violence, Hate crime, Alcohol, and Domestic abuse
nemonobody11's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Child abuse, Racism, Violence, Xenophobia, Alcoholism, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Alcohol, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Sexism, and Toxic relationship
bookworm247's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Abandonment, Confinement, Medical content, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Kidnapping, Physical abuse, Pregnancy, Sexism, Toxic relationship, and Violence
skilletsnail's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Stalking, Sexual violence, Racism, Child abuse, Police brutality, Suicide attempt, Suicide, Violence, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, and Child death
Moderate: Classism, Genocide, Colonisation, and Blood