A review by miak2
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

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!) 
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