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A review by andra_mihaela_s
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
4.5
4.5 stars!
This book was as great as I expected!
Trevor himself narrates it and it truly does add the necessary emotions! I highly recommend listening to this book!
Content Warning: the horrors of apartheid, abuse, rasism (on a whole other level than what I've read before!..both systematic and individual); police brutality, attempted murder, organised crime;etc
As beautiful this book was with it's moments about Trevor's shenanigans as a child, his first crush on a girl, the banter with his mom, Patricia, and his whole family, as heart wrenching it was when he moved to his strained relationship with his dad due to distance, the absolute appalling ways in which apartheid divided people and induced rasism in them towards others; how unfair and completely mindblowing it was to be anything but white in South Africa - from work available to you, education (don't get me started on that one...I find it disgusting how ignorant people usually blame natives or just all black people of Africa for their countries not 'progressing as it used to'...>..>); how all these affected him and how differential that can be based on skin shade and centuries of indoctrination 0_0 .
I also loved his view on what criminality means to people with and without means and how easy lines can be erased based on what options you have. The courage to speak about that...0_0..once again...amazing audiobook!
The only reason this book isn't a 5 star for me...it's the few moments in which the events change without a clear denomination...even with him reading to me, I still had a hard time figuring out that we change subjects/ events.
I highly recommend you to read this book if you want to learn a bit more about South Africa through the eyes of a child, a mixed South African child. You won't regret it!
Trevor acknowledges the small privilege he had growing up as a child of a white man, and gives such a depth and needed context why he is the way he is, why comedy is such an important part of his life and more or less, he gives you, the reader, basis in understanding his material...as you find out so much more than a basic story about some celebrity!
Enjoy
This book was as great as I expected!
Trevor himself narrates it and it truly does add the necessary emotions! I highly recommend listening to this book!
Content Warning: the horrors of apartheid, abuse, rasism (on a whole other level than what I've read before!..both systematic and individual); police brutality, attempted murder, organised crime;etc
As beautiful this book was with it's moments about Trevor's shenanigans as a child, his first crush on a girl, the banter with his mom, Patricia, and his whole family, as heart wrenching it was when he moved to his strained relationship with his dad due to distance, the absolute appalling ways in which apartheid divided people and induced rasism in them towards others; how unfair and completely mindblowing it was to be anything but white in South Africa - from work available to you, education (don't get me started on that one...I find it disgusting how ignorant people usually blame natives or just all black people of Africa for their countries not 'progressing as it used to'...>..>); how all these affected him and how differential that can be based on skin shade and centuries of indoctrination 0_0 .
I also loved his view on what criminality means to people with and without means and how easy lines can be erased based on what options you have. The courage to speak about that...0_0..once again...amazing audiobook!
The only reason this book isn't a 5 star for me...it's the few moments in which the events change without a clear denomination...even with him reading to me, I still had a hard time figuring out that we change subjects/ events.
I highly recommend you to read this book if you want to learn a bit more about South Africa through the eyes of a child, a mixed South African child. You won't regret it!
Trevor acknowledges the small privilege he had growing up as a child of a white man, and gives such a depth and needed context why he is the way he is, why comedy is such an important part of his life and more or less, he gives you, the reader, basis in understanding his material...as you find out so much more than a basic story about some celebrity!
Enjoy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Cultural appropriation, Toxic relationship, Police brutality, Murder, Genocide, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Violence, Slavery, and Sexism
Moderate: Child abuse and Domestic abuse