A review by caribbeangirlreading
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

emotional funny informative sad medium-paced

3.25

I will start by sharing my personal biases - I don’t watch late night TV and I’m not a fan of stand-up comedy.  I do not follow Noah’s career, but I do know who he is.  I love a good memoir but usually shy away from celebrity penned ones.  But you know, #bookstagrammademedoit 

Loved – On this one, Booksta was right.  This is a book that is best enjoyed via audio. I laughed out loud when Noah imitated his grandmother’s and mother’s voices and then would change his voice when it was little Trevor speaking. I also loved listening to Noah speak out loud in various African languages.  Had I only read the physical book, I would have skipped over the phrases and gone straight to the translation.  But listening to Noah speak in Xulu, Xhosa, Tsonga, etc. elevated the reading experience. That is what a great audiobook should do. 

Various themes explored – Being raised “white” by his mother (refusing to pass forward generational trauma); growing up feeling like an outsider due to his biracial identity; the complexities of race and ethnicity in South Africa; entrenched misogyny and patriarchy in traditional African society, etc. 

Disliked – Like any good comedian, Noah does not let facts get in the way of a good story.  There were a few inconsistencies in the book that jumped out and made me wonder where else he was embellishing the truth.  As expected, he used humor to tell stories. Sometimes it worked.  Sometimes it was horrifying.  I also felt that, like people in real life, he used humor to avoid vulnerability and intimacy with the reader.  Last, but not least, I give zero stars to the editing of this book.  If you are a fan, it might not bother you, but to me it felt like someone transcribed his comedy routines, slapped them together, and called it a memoir.  I understand this is not an autobiography, but the book lacked a narrative focus. 

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