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ada_elisabeth's review against another edition
3.75
I'll start out by saying that I did enjoy this book. I thought the storytelling was good, I thought the way mother-son relationships were highlighted, and I liked that it featured three of my favorite things: race, class, and masculinity. Noah did a fantastic job of balancing the deeper, less funny moments of his childhood with lighthearted stories and memories, which kept this from being too depressing. I also appreciate how short and segmented it was: making non-fiction accessible and interesting is very difficult, but the way this read like a collection of short stories rather than one connected text made it a more enjoyable reading experience.
However, there were a few things I didn't like. It often felt that stories would end without resolution and then the topic would switch to something entirely different, which was a little annoying. Some parts of the story and the usage of certain phrases also struck me as being somewhat misogynistic. I understand that Trevor Noah is a man, and therefore the book centers around his experiences as a man, but there were some parts that felt a little sexist to me. Also, I wasn't always a huge fan of his writing style: I know that he's primarily a comedian, so I wasn't expecting incredible writing or anything, but I still felt like there were certain chapters that fell a little flat.
I always appreciate reading about something I don't know much about, and overall, I really enjoyed this, so I'll give it a 3.75 rounded up. Not my favorite, but when is assigned reading ever my favorite?
“You want to live in a world where someone is good or bad. Where you either hate them or love them. But that's not how people are.”
Graphic: Domestic abuse
Moderate: Gun violence, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Rape
kchantry's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Animal death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Racism, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Death of parent, Blood, Colonisation, Bullying, Animal cruelty, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Bullying, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Car accident, Classism, Confinement, Cursing, Excrement, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Suicidal thoughts, Hate crime, Medical content, Misogyny, Pregnancy, Racial slurs, Sexism, and Violence
Minor: Vomit and Toxic friendship
cbingen520's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Physical abuse, Racism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Slavery, Animal cruelty, Violence, Colonisation, Pregnancy, Drug abuse, Murder, Sexism, Police brutality, Gun violence, and Classism
Minor: Antisemitism, Suicide, and Mental illness
grays_opinion's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Domestic abuse, Classism, Xenophobia, Child abuse, Colonisation, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
dawntin's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Racism, Child abuse, Colonisation, and Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug abuse
chamomiledaydreams's review against another edition
3.0
That isn't to say that this memoir is without humor. Trevor Noah includes some personal anecdotes that made my mom and me laugh out loud. I literally had to pause while reading to catch my breath. Trevor Noah uses his unique comedic flair to keep the story engaging and relatively lighthearted, all while teaching readers about South African history and racism. He achieves a great tonal balance, keeping his memoir personal while also touching upon larger themes and issues.
The chapters certainly get dark and dismal at times, but it's fascinating to see how the Noah family uses humor as a coping mechanism, and it's easy to understand how such a childhood resulted in the comedian I've seen so often on TV. I would recommend this memoir to anyone familiar with Trevor Noah's work, who's interested in learning more about his family life and childhood.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Animal cruelty
name_user's review against another edition
4.25
Graphic: Alcohol, Alcoholism, Gun violence, Misogyny, and Racism
Moderate: Blood, Toxic relationship, Religious bigotry, Animal cruelty, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Fire/Fire injury, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment
ladynocturnal's review against another edition
4.0
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Xenophobia, and Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Classism, and Misogyny
Minor: Animal cruelty
torturedreadersdept's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcohol, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Medical content, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Bullying, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Murder, Pregnancy, Animal death, Body horror, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Animal cruelty, Blood, Classism, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, and Violence
Minor: Slavery, Grief, Stalking, Mental illness, Infertility, Death of parent, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Suicidal thoughts, Rape, and Colonisation
nanjeahug's review against another edition
3.5
Moderate: Gore, Xenophobia, Violence, Sexism, Medical trauma, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Domestic abuse, Classism, Colonisation, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Bullying, Slavery, Physical abuse, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Blood
Despite the warnings it is a good read as it is things we should know especially as a white person.