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A review by rachelstubbs19
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
5.0
I listened to this as an audiobook and I'm so glad I did. Trevor Noah is hilarious, and does accents PERFECTLY.Even though a lot of the stories are light-hearted and funny, many were difficult to listen to: hearing about the hardships in his life and the horrors and injustices of that period of South African history is of course not easy. Yet it is so necessary to both acknowledge and to remember it.
Noah combines an insightful overview of South African history and the novel's own contemporary climate with a funny and often heartwarming story of his childhood. One warning though - I wouldn't listen to the last chapter while going to sleep (I made this mistake). The best word I can use to describe it is harrowing.
One part of the novel that really struck me is his mum's role in the book - in a lot of ways, this book was about her and her bravery in resisting sexist and racist systems. His love for and admiration of his mother is tangible throughout the pages; the depths of her character also allows for a lot of dissection and discussion of the racism and sexism that was far too prevalent in her and Trevor's life.
I don't usually read autobiographies, and it was actually a lot of fun getting into something in which I don't usually immerse myself. I'm even tempted to start listening to the audiobook all over again!
Noah combines an insightful overview of South African history and the novel's own contemporary climate with a funny and often heartwarming story of his childhood. One warning though - I wouldn't listen to the last chapter while going to sleep (I made this mistake). The best word I can use to describe it is harrowing.
One part of the novel that really struck me is his mum's role in the book - in a lot of ways, this book was about her and her bravery in resisting sexist and racist systems. His love for and admiration of his mother is tangible throughout the pages; the depths of her character also allows for a lot of dissection and discussion of the racism and sexism that was far too prevalent in her and Trevor's life.
I don't usually read autobiographies, and it was actually a lot of fun getting into something in which I don't usually immerse myself. I'm even tempted to start listening to the audiobook all over again!