Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

183 reviews

filipa_maia's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.5

I'm such a huge fan of Trevor Noah and this book was on my TBR list for so long... I was really excited about this read. I'm usually not a fan of autobiographies (biographies in general) but I could not pass this one.

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.

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Content Warnings

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

dany_casimiro's review against another edition

challenging dark informative reflective fast-paced

4.25

[EN:] Trevor Noah tells his story by making good use of his comedic skills, without forgetting to enforce the seriousness of certain circumstances. The book follows him from childhood into young adulthood, from his life under the Apartheid regime to his life under the consequences of oppression. A powerful tale whose value is increased tenfold just by being able to listen to the author’s reading.

[PT:] Trevor Noah conta a sua história fazendo um bom uso das suas capacidades cómicas, sem esquecer de frisar a gravidade de certas circunstâncias. O livro acompanha-o desde a infância até à juventude adulta, desde a sua vida sob o regime do Apartheid até à sua vida sob as consequências de opressão. Um conto poderoso cujo valor é aumentado dez vezes apenas pelo facto de ter ouvido o audiolivro narrado pelo próprio autor.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence

_0_'s review against another edition

emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing fast-paced

4.75

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Content Warnings

Minor: Racism, Death of parent, Colonisation, Violence, Toxic relationship, Murder, Antisemitism, and War

madisonfrank's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Classism, Physical abuse, Racism, Animal cruelty, Blood, Violence, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Colonisation, Cursing, Gun violence, and Bullying

taylorjones118's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Violence

itsliterarycait's review against another edition

4.0

This was a really good read. Its pretty educational and relatable (for a black-coloured-looking South African). I love how he explains some colloquial terms and how he (seemingly) effortlessly describes life as a South African. I relate so much to how he describes himself as a chameleon, being black but not black enough, looking coloured but not being coloured, speaking multiple SA languages. This book really is like a mirror being held up to my face. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racism, Slavery, Police brutality, Gun violence, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Violence, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Excrement

Minor: Suicide attempt and Rape

cnnr876's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

5.0

6 / 5 stars. I loved loved loved this book. Best audiobook I've ever listened to. His intertwining of personal stories with historical commentary of the development of apartheid and South Africa was incredibly impactful. I have no notes!

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Content Warnings

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

challenging funny informative medium-paced

4.0

Trevor Noah talks about his childhood and growing up as a child of mixed race in Africa. Noah touches on themes of racism, poverty, family, and his first heartbreak. We got to learn about the struggles Noah faced fitting in during his years at school. It was also fun to read about his relationship with his mother, how their opinions differ on certain topics, and the empathy Noah has developed while reflecting on her parenting style. It was interesting to read about someone who had a much different childhood than I did.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Violence, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail

clarabooksit's review against another edition

funny inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.5

This is good—not as good as the hype claims, but enjoyable. If you like Noah’s comedy and especially his delivery style, you’ll like this.

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.

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Content Warnings

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

yodaddy's review against another edition

emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

Tell your mum you love her.
I cried for the first time in a year after reading

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Suicide attempt, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Murder, Racism, Racial slurs, and Violence