Reviews tagging 'Blood'

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

82 reviews

danajoy's review against another edition

challenging reflective

4.0

Born a Crime is a memoir that takes you on an emotional journey. Trevor Noah is very charismatic and that carries through even the most brutal parts.

The book doesn't expect you to come into it with thorough knowledge of Apartheid and the cultural groups in South Africa. 

I left this wanting more. Wanting the follow up that explains more about his career. Even more so I want his mother's story. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Racism, Blood, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

jht5791's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny hopeful inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Bullying, Confinement, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexism, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Blood, Police brutality, Kidnapping, and Colonisation

sedgewren's review against another edition

emotional funny informative lighthearted fast-paced

4.75

A memoir that is wittily written, shows what life was like in post-Apartheid South Africa, and tackles difficult subjects like racism, domestic abuse, and poverty with an empathetic but sharp sense of humour. Enjoyable, and Trevor Noah's narration makes it even more so.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Racism, Blood, and Car accident

fearsome_to_behold's review against another edition

emotional funny informative inspiring fast-paced

4.5

I have so much respect and admiration for this man. I think of this book as a love letter to his mom; but it’s also layered in that aspect, because Trevor’s integrity, good nature, and roaring success as a man and comedian are themselves a testament to his mother’s character. And I have fallen in love with both him and her, listening to their stories.

I highly recommend the Audible audiobook read by him! He is obviously and excellent comedian: the accents, voices, and delivery were a PERFECT vehicle for his powerful content. 

The book tackles some of the heaviest topics out there, through hilarious real life stories, with lighthearted dialogue and relatable narration. I am honored to have been let into his life in this way. Trevor Noah deserves every ounce of success he has earned. 

My only reproach for this book is I wish there were more of it for me to consume <3

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Racism, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

dianafisx's review against another edition

emotional funny informative reflective

5.0

one of the best books i’ve ever read.  

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism

Minor: Animal cruelty

itsjadenbaby's review against another edition

emotional funny sad medium-paced

4.0

A heart wrenching story with his classic sense of humor. I really appreciated this story as it felt incredibly real.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Alcohol, and Classism

Moderate: Animal cruelty, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Pregnancy, Toxic friendship, and Colonisation

Minor: Suicidal thoughts

ruffian23's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Police brutality, Alcohol, Colonisation, and Classism

Minor: Rape, Sexual assault, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, and War

questingnotcoasting's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny fast-paced

4.0

This was as funny as I was hoping but also really effective in conveying what it was like to be between white and Black, both during and after apartheid. As someone who knows very little about South Africa I found this eye-opening and certainly never boring as Noah has had a fascinating life. His storytelling is brilliant and the tone shifts from funny to serious are handled well. It's not quite told in chronological order and often Noah repeats a piece of information from a previous chapter. I thought maybe the anecdotes were originally written as standalone essays which would explain the repetition but then sometimes he did refer to previous chapters. It was slightly confusing but luckily not enough to affect my enjoyment. I slightly regret not listening to the audiobook because I can imagine it was really well done, especially as it includes multiple languages but Noah's voice did come through so distinctly even on the page. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Racism, Violence, and Blood

booksandbongs's review against another edition

adventurous emotional funny informative inspiring reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

This one has been on my radar for a while, I just wish I had picked it up sooner. The background info surrounding the Apartheid was really interesting/important for those who lacked the background knowledge. I thought Noah's perspective on the post-Apartheid conditions/culture was eye opening and valuable to understand the lasting effects of Apartheid. The book tackled some heavy themes, while still making me laugh at times. His writing style makes it seem like a friend is telling you stories, making this a really fast and easy read that is hard to put down. I really enjoyed his reflections on growing up, and his reflections on his mom and her unconditional love were really interesting. I want to give his mom a big hug. Both thought provoking and heart wrenching, I would recommend this book to everyone. 

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Gun violence

Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, and Blood

atalea's review against another edition

funny informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Racism, Sexism, and Classism

Moderate: Domestic abuse and Toxic relationship

Minor: Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail