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A review by rebeccazh
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
5.0
this book is so good. i've always liked trevor noah's stuff because he is so funny but so respectful with his jokes. i typically laugh nonstop through any clips of his show. the amazing thing is, he always takes a very sensitive topic and manages to joke about it in an absolutely hilarious but non-offensive way. this is exactly what he did here. he's talking about apartheid, systemic racism, poverty, violence, his complicated relationship with his mother, his harrowing experience with domestic abuse, all incredibly heavy and tough topics, and he's making it hilarious without being offensive. an incredible skill tbh.
- really loved his relationship with his mother. he managed to show how as part of growing up, we see our parents as the enemy when they're not, and how we grow to see they're human too. i loved how big a part his mom played in his story, and how differently he came to understand her. i really cracked up earlier in the book when he was comparing his mom to a cop and him to a criminal and the healthy respect and wariness they have for each other lol
- the abuse was terrifying. jesus christ. i felt like i was experiencing it myself. and it fills in some of the blankness in his other arcs. the other arcs were really funny but didn't give that much insight into his family life or his emotions so when the last chapter came about, some things made sense
- he makes some really insightful points about race and poverty in the arc about the hood and in the prison arc
- he was an absolute terror as a child and i'm grateful i wasn't his parent or teacher or responsible for him in any way. he basically feared nothing except his mom and never thought what he was doing was a problem and was always ready to get in trouble. when he was running his business in the hood and his business as the middleman and DJ, i was just impressed by his wits. i mean, he's so smart and he thinks he can get away with anything, and he actually accomplished A LOT even though most of it didn't go anywhere. very impressed by his ingenuity and creativity
- wish there had been a proper arc on his career as a comedian
- really loved his relationship with his mother. he managed to show how as part of growing up, we see our parents as the enemy when they're not, and how we grow to see they're human too. i loved how big a part his mom played in his story, and how differently he came to understand her. i really cracked up earlier in the book when he was comparing his mom to a cop and him to a criminal and the healthy respect and wariness they have for each other lol
- the abuse was terrifying. jesus christ. i felt like i was experiencing it myself. and it fills in some of the blankness in his other arcs. the other arcs were really funny but didn't give that much insight into his family life or his emotions so when the last chapter came about, some things made sense
- he makes some really insightful points about race and poverty in the arc about the hood and in the prison arc
- he was an absolute terror as a child and i'm grateful i wasn't his parent or teacher or responsible for him in any way. he basically feared nothing except his mom and never thought what he was doing was a problem and was always ready to get in trouble. when he was running his business in the hood and his business as the middleman and DJ, i was just impressed by his wits. i mean, he's so smart and he thinks he can get away with anything, and he actually accomplished A LOT even though most of it didn't go anywhere. very impressed by his ingenuity and creativity
- wish there had been a proper arc on his career as a comedian