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margolovie89's review
dark
informative
sad
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Xenophobia, Colonisation, War, Racism, Murder, Physical abuse, and Genocide
demosthenes's review
funny
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
3.5
I wish i hadnt been given the young readers' adaptation! It had me cringing at times......
The book wasnt bad tho! I liked the stories he told, he was p funny and there were also some really moving stories too. I was just a bit put off because I had been expecting a memoir, not just childhood stories-- thats not a bad thing, I just wish I had gone in with the right expectations!
Fun little thing, but I probably wont ever reread it, at least not the children's version again.
The book wasnt bad tho! I liked the stories he told, he was p funny and there were also some really moving stories too. I was just a bit put off because I had been expecting a memoir, not just childhood stories-- thats not a bad thing, I just wish I had gone in with the right expectations!
Fun little thing, but I probably wont ever reread it, at least not the children's version again.
ilis25's review
funny
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Gun violence
kirstenlp981's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
medium-paced
4.75
I can’t recommend this book enough! Trevor’s self awareness and ability to understand his childhood experiences growing up in South Africa’s apartheid are really inspiring. He really is able to describe and contextualise his upbringing against a very tumultuous time in South Africa’s history. What I enjoyed most is his ability to analyse and comprehend his own impoverished upbringing but how he was able to narrowly escape situations due to his perceived proximity to whiteness. He could easily acknowledge the difference between his cultural influences from his xhosa mother and how that may not always be how he is perceived in the world. A great analysis on racial relations in ZA.
As expected, Trevor’s witty and amusing perspective on things, even when detailing traumatic times made this an extremely enjoyable book. I really learned a lot about South Africa but also what was so interesting was understanding Trevor as a person. When you see a talk show host, you assume that they are very put together but listening to Trevor’s anecdotes gave an entirely new dimension to what I now see on TV. His upbringing was full of challenges that maybe some of us in the West could never dream of. Seeing poverty and race relations through an entirely new lens was so amazing.
Fully recommend you read this, especially if you want to understand the racialisation process in a non western country - it puts into perspective how the US and even the UK completely exist within our own bubbles and how Blackness is perceived and affects people in other parts of the diaspora can be entirely different! Will be reading again!
As expected, Trevor’s witty and amusing perspective on things, even when detailing traumatic times made this an extremely enjoyable book. I really learned a lot about South Africa but also what was so interesting was understanding Trevor as a person. When you see a talk show host, you assume that they are very put together but listening to Trevor’s anecdotes gave an entirely new dimension to what I now see on TV. His upbringing was full of challenges that maybe some of us in the West could never dream of. Seeing poverty and race relations through an entirely new lens was so amazing.
Fully recommend you read this, especially if you want to understand the racialisation process in a non western country - it puts into perspective how the US and even the UK completely exist within our own bubbles and how Blackness is perceived and affects people in other parts of the diaspora can be entirely different! Will be reading again!