Reviews tagging 'Child abuse'
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah
77 reviews
miak2's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.
I always feel so weird writing reviews for people's memoirs, because who am I to critique someone's life stories? Good thing I have absolutely nothing bad to say about this one.
Despite the often-heavy subject material, the book was filled with levity. Noah is such an engaging storyteller who's perfected balancing gravity with humor. I found it to be perfectly paced. He told deep stories on complex topics, but it never felt like a slog to get through. I feel like I know him personally now, having finished it, but I also learned a great deal. It's embarrassing (but not surprising) how little I knew about the apartheid previously (thanks, Lakota). Noah really conveyed the experience of living under apartheid and the complex dynamics that emerged across tribes, race, and language. Specifically, he talked a lot about his experiences navigating social groups, even his family, as a lighter-skinned mixed-race person.
Growing up the way I did, I learned how easy it is for white people to get comfortable with a system that awards them all the perks. I knew my cousins were getting beaten for things that I'd done, but I wasn't interested in changing my grandmother's perspective, because that would mean I'd get beaten, too.
I loved hearing his personal stories. He was an expert at expressing the emotions he felt at pivotal moments in his life - fear, love, embarrassment, etc. His relationship with his mother was particularly engaging to read about; she's such a loving and strong woman. I only wish I could have experienced this book in audiobook format (come through for me, Indianapolis library!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Gun violence, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Child abuse
mandaraffe's review
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Blood, Child abuse, Colonisation, Alcoholism, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/injury detail, Medical content, Misogyny, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty
Minor: Pregnancy, Suicidal thoughts, and Animal death
pharfaite's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.5
Trevor Noah has led a life of both epically tragic and hilarious proportions, and this book is the perfect blend of the two. He writes with such a distinctive voice, it was as if I could hear him sharing these stories on The Daily Show as I read. Not only did this book literally make me laugh out loud, it made me think and feel deeply too. The impact of sharing his unique lived experience of apartheid and its immediate aftermath cannot be understated. And his mom is such a powerhouse. The kind of woman you would want to sit down and have dinner with to soak up her wisdom and fiery spirit. The book was definitely a tribute to her, and it is clear as day why she is so loved by her son.
My only gripe with it is that it felt a bit chaotic with the changing timeline. I would say it reads more as a series of personal essays than the usual memoir, which made some of it a touch repetitive and confusing on where exactly in his life we were at. While it is an easy and quick read, the chapters might benefit from a little space between them to find your bearings to counteract this effect instead of the ever-tempting page-turning binge. Nonetheless, I would consider it a real gem. Highly recommend.
My only gripe with it is that it felt a bit chaotic with the changing timeline. I would say it reads more as a series of personal essays than the usual memoir, which made some of it a touch repetitive and confusing on where exactly in his life we were at. While it is an easy and quick read, the chapters might benefit from a little space between them to find your bearings to counteract this effect instead of the ever-tempting page-turning binge. Nonetheless, I would consider it a real gem. Highly recommend.
Content Warnings
Minor: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Physical abuse, Child abuse, Police brutality, Racism, and Domestic abuse
meags97's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
sad
tense
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Police brutality, Racism, Gun violence, and Child abuse
sarainbookland's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Physical abuse, and Child abuse
Moderate: Alcoholism and Domestic abuse
amiy's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
sarabookshelf's review against another edition
emotional
informative
3.75
I've generally avoided memoirs, but having seen this on so many bestseller lists, I decided to give it a go, and I am very glad I did. Trevor is very skilled in incorporating lightness into very difficult topics, as well as building tension. Early on in the book we find out that something happens to his mother, so by the last chapter about her life, I was absolutely dying to find out what happened and why. An aspect I didn't enjoy is the fact that he jumps around time periods and locations so much, so it was sometimes difficult for me to follow and understand the timeline of events. The book is highly informative about the life during and immediately after apartheid, but it deals with some very very heavy stuff so make sure to read the content warnings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Racial slurs
Moderate: Child abuse, Alcoholism, Gun violence, and Police brutality
Minor: Rape
jessicastephenson's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Child abuse, Gun violence, and Racism
raysh3ll's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Wow. This book is so good. I enjoyed every minute of it and did not want it to end.
It was hilarious, emotional, eye opening, reflective and inspiring.
Trevor has so many powerful reflections and insights regarding things such as language, education, opportunities, the construct and identity of race. I found Noah's observations of how language shapes perceptions and judgements fascinating.
I knew very little about apartheid going into this book. I am grateful that this book helped to remove some of the blissful ignorance I had about it. I think Trevor did a good job talking about how deeply apartheid oppressed, divided and manipulated people. I also appreciate that the author had spoken about some of the real struggles that existed after apartheid ended. Sometimes it is easier to pretend everything was better after it ended, but the reality is much more complicated.
I think Trevor did a fantastic job writing about his relationship with his mom. There are things she did when raising him that you can tell he will be forever grateful for. There are also factors that complicated his relationship with her. He balanced talking about both sides well. I found her to be very interesting, and particularly enjoyed hearing about how strong willed she was when she was younger.
Trevor does talk about abuse in this book. I think he does an excellent job with such a complicated topic. He recounts personal experiences with abuse, and how frustrating it could be to see someone you love stay in a situation so harmful. He also reflects on the realistic barriers that can be faced trying to escape abusive situations.
Because things aren't talked about in chronological order, it could sometimes get a bit confusing, but I can't even knock .25 stars for that because I think it helped to make the end of the book more meaningful and complicated. I think it also saved the hardest stuff to talk about for last, which I appreciate.
I listened to the audiobook, which I think was an ideal format to consume it in. The voices/accents Trevor uses worked very well when he was recounting stories with other people speaking. The audiobook does seem to only be available on audible, which may be a barrier to entry for some.
It was hilarious, emotional, eye opening, reflective and inspiring.
Trevor has so many powerful reflections and insights regarding things such as language, education, opportunities, the construct and identity of race. I found Noah's observations of how language shapes perceptions and judgements fascinating.
I knew very little about apartheid going into this book. I am grateful that this book helped to remove some of the blissful ignorance I had about it. I think Trevor did a good job talking about how deeply apartheid oppressed, divided and manipulated people. I also appreciate that the author had spoken about some of the real struggles that existed after apartheid ended. Sometimes it is easier to pretend everything was better after it ended, but the reality is much more complicated.
I think Trevor did a fantastic job writing about his relationship with his mom. There are things she did when raising him that you can tell he will be forever grateful for. There are also factors that complicated his relationship with her. He balanced talking about both sides well. I found her to be very interesting, and particularly enjoyed hearing about how strong willed she was when she was younger.
Trevor does talk about abuse in this book. I think he does an excellent job with such a complicated topic. He recounts personal experiences with abuse, and how frustrating it could be to see someone you love stay in a situation so harmful. He also reflects on the realistic barriers that can be faced trying to escape abusive situations.
Because things aren't talked about in chronological order, it could sometimes get a bit confusing, but I can't even knock .25 stars for that because I think it helped to make the end of the book more meaningful and complicated. I think it also saved the hardest stuff to talk about for last, which I appreciate.
I listened to the audiobook, which I think was an ideal format to consume it in. The voices/accents Trevor uses worked very well when he was recounting stories with other people speaking. The audiobook does seem to only be available on audible, which may be a barrier to entry for some.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Racism
bookreadingelf's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Physical abuse