A review by raysh3ll
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood, by Trevor Noah
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