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noahsingh's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Alcoholism, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Misogyny, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Colonisation, and Gun violence
Moderate: Medical trauma, Bullying, Stalking, Police brutality, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Addiction, Animal death, Medical content, Confinement, Classism, Rape, and Kidnapping
Minor: Slavery and Suicidal thoughts
crazytourists_books's review against another edition
3.0
There was a lot of going back and forth in time that made it hard(er) to follow and gave a feeling of being a tad inconsistent. Not bad, just not great...
Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Excrement, Physical abuse, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Medical content, and Misogyny
aislingmoconnell's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Racism, Misogyny, Gun violence, and Domestic abuse
minanonim's review against another edition
4.5
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Violence, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Racism
Moderate: Classism, Alcoholism, Animal death, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, Animal cruelty, and Emotional abuse
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
audreyxine's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, and Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gun violence
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
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
_bxllxe_'s review against another edition
3.75
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, and Misogyny