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A review by woolsson
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
5.0
I have never been so engrossed in a book.
Normally, even if it's a book I'm really enjoying, I'm aware of how many pages there are and what page I'm on. Not with this, I put it down after one of the sessions of reading it and realised I was half way and I was surprised when I reached the end. In other words, this book is most opposite of chore to read I've ever encountered.
Somehow, Trevor Noah manages to talk about such serious topics such as apartheid, abuse, racism and so much more in a lighthearted like way that makes you feel the gravity of the situation but with enough humour that you're smiling and suddenly reading about his deaf dog.
I knew almost nothing about Trevor Noah or South Africa before this book and while I'm aware I still know little, what I have learnt has been eye-opening and explained in such a comprehensive, interesting way that you don't realise you've learnt the basic of a country's systemic oppression and apprehension- not an easy feat in one book, especially one that isn't aimed at teaching you that.
Somehow, despite the title Born A Crime, I naively thought this book would be the humorous stories of a comedian's life. And it is, but the comedic stories are embedded within a life that has suffered from so much and Trevor Noah does not shy away from telling the realities of the harsh situations, relationships and realities he has faced growing up.
This book is easily worthy of 5 stars. The writing is comprehensive, explaining complex scenarios in an easy to read way; it is educational, I have learnt so much about South Africa that I had absolutely no idea about and most of all, its intriguing - it manages to put all these concepts together in a clear but funny but devastating way.
All this ramble is to essentially say: this book is one that everyone needs to read. It is somehow easy and a joy to read and I know I'll be revisiting it again and again.
Normally, even if it's a book I'm really enjoying, I'm aware of how many pages there are and what page I'm on. Not with this, I put it down after one of the sessions of reading it and realised I was half way and I was surprised when I reached the end. In other words, this book is most opposite of chore to read I've ever encountered.
Somehow, Trevor Noah manages to talk about such serious topics such as apartheid, abuse, racism and so much more in a lighthearted like way that makes you feel the gravity of the situation but with enough humour that you're smiling and suddenly reading about his deaf dog.
I knew almost nothing about Trevor Noah or South Africa before this book and while I'm aware I still know little, what I have learnt has been eye-opening and explained in such a comprehensive, interesting way that you don't realise you've learnt the basic of a country's systemic oppression and apprehension- not an easy feat in one book, especially one that isn't aimed at teaching you that.
Somehow, despite the title Born A Crime, I naively thought this book would be the humorous stories of a comedian's life. And it is, but the comedic stories are embedded within a life that has suffered from so much and Trevor Noah does not shy away from telling the realities of the harsh situations, relationships and realities he has faced growing up.
This book is easily worthy of 5 stars. The writing is comprehensive, explaining complex scenarios in an easy to read way; it is educational, I have learnt so much about South Africa that I had absolutely no idea about and most of all, its intriguing - it manages to put all these concepts together in a clear but funny but devastating way.
All this ramble is to essentially say: this book is one that everyone needs to read. It is somehow easy and a joy to read and I know I'll be revisiting it again and again.