Reviews

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

100kg_paarynoita's review against another edition

dark emotional funny hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

sushma_ramesh's review against another edition

5.0

Trevor Noah - The name that needs no introduction. Well, when I picked up the book ‘Born a Crime’, from the first chapter itself I knew I was in for a treat. It’s not a comedy centric humorous book that people think it’s about but is the brutal story of apartheid that happened in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s. being born to a Black mother and a white father, It is a story of a young boy who was outcasted everywhere for his color. It is about his good days, bad days, struggles, and everything that one can go through living in Africa as a colored guy, as ‘born a crime’.

This book being my first-ever autobiography, made me fall in love with the genre. I cried and laughed with Trevor in his journey from his birth to his adolescence and that dark humorous narrative has my heart. The strength he gets from his mom’s love and trust in him and her being his backbone throughout his life is very much highlighted & is heartwarming. I am sure I can’t talk enough about this book and no matter what your age group is, I highly recommend this book to everyone! One of the best I read this year!

hrubis's review against another edition

adventurous inspiring lighthearted tense fast-paced

4.0

smjessa's review against another edition

5.0

Lots of emotions, probably cried, definitely laughed. Read this a while ago but still have fond memories.

elenapmorris's review against another edition

emotional funny inspiring reflective tense fast-paced

5.0

debrabrinckley's review against another edition

4.0

I am such a Trevor Noah fan. Because I watch him regularly on The Daily Show, I could hear this in his voice as I read. Difficult to read because of some of the topics, but truly enlightening. Learning about other cultures, other people's struggles, seeing the world through lens that challenge you is so important. Trevor Noah does this for so many issues in this book. He takes topics like racism, crime, and abuse and forces you to see them through lens that are gray instead of the comfortable black and white. I wanted more. I hope he has a second book in the works. *There is quite a bit of explicit language in this book, so if that bothers you you probably will not enjoy.

nikabartoo's review against another edition

funny informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

b93's review against another edition

5.0

What a book! The nonchalant way in which Trevor Noah tells the story of a sick regime and its suffering peoples is fascinating. He's both a participant and an observer to the South African madness; a perpetrator, a victim and a witness all at once.

ashscan22's review against another edition

5.0

Wow. What an incredible life full of hardship. And Noah has a wonderful voice with which to tell his amazing story. No prior knowledge of Trevor Noah or apartheid is required to enjoy this book.

gregz_newdorkreviewofbooks's review against another edition

5.0

A memoir that alternates between serious-as-a-heart-attack and shoot-Coke-out-of-your-nose-hilarious (which I did reading this on a flight), this book is always immensely entertaining. It combines a chronicle of Noah's South African childhood, mixed with his commentary about the absurdity, stupidity, and cruelty of apartheid. There is religion and mysticism, terrifying mini-buses (I dare you to read the first chapter and NOT continue with this book, as he tells a story about having to jump out of a moving minibus with a particularly scary driver), a fiercely strong mother, a burgeoning comedy and DJing career, and so much more. I still watch The Daily Show most nights, so it's a little embarrassing it took me until now to read this. But I loved it!