Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood in Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge

Jan 09, 2017 Nadine in NY Jones rated it it was amazing

Shelves: memoir-and-autobiographical-essays

Wow, Trevor Noah is a masterful storyteller. And oh does he have a story to tell!

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I knew who Trevor Noah was, but I don't watch much TV so most of what I knew of him, I knew from short clips that friends posted on Facebook. I've had poor luck in the past with books written by celebrity comedians. And I'd seen some bad reviews of this book. So I went in with low expectations.

And WOW! This book is GREAT!!!

I rarely actually laugh at books, but I l Wow, Trevor Noah is a masterful storyteller. And oh does he have a story to tell!

I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book. I knew who Trevor Noah was, but I don't watch much TV so most of what I knew of him, I knew from short clips that friends posted on Facebook. I've had poor luck in the past with books written by celebrity comedians. And I'd seen some bad reviews of this book. So I went in with low expectations.

And WOW! This book is GREAT!!!

I rarely actually laugh at books, but I laughed out loud at this one. (I've always had an especial weakness for people being knocked over. Those Terry the Linebacker commercials always got me laughing, so the passage in the first chapter about the pastor knocking people down really made me laugh! And if I'm not too lazy later I'll go get the book and transcribe it here.)

Based on some things I'd read - this article, in particular: "Trevor Noah Still Doesn't Get It" - I worried that there would be whitewashing, or somehow minimizing the horrors of racism. No. Not at all. Now that I've read this book, I have to assume that that BuzzFeed writer has a personal grudge against Trevor Noah that has nothing to do with this book; in fact, her resentment appears to be so deep that there is nothing he could ever do to cause her to change her mind about him.

Noah manages to be completely blunt about the horrors he saw, and also explains (in a way I - a white suburban US citizen - could understand! or at least feel like I understand) how these things shaped his life but didn't ruin his life. He saw charred bodies on his way home from school. But he was still just a kid walking home from school. It's mind-boggling for me that those two things are the same thing, but there you go. They are the same thing.

It's interesting that he wrote this book BEFORE he really exploded on the US scene with Late Night. He didn't write this as a "celebrity memoir stuffed full of nothing" (which has been my experience with all other celebrity books), he really told his story here. And his story is a fascinating one. And he is an excellent storyteller. ...more

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Nov 29, 2017 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: black-history-and-culture, nonfiction, africa-nonfiction, south-africa

So, I am not a huge memoir reader, and I don't really care about celebrities, so I realize my next statement will be tempered by these limitations, but this is, by far and away, the best celebrity memoir I've ever read, and probably one of the best memoirs I've ever read, period. I was already impressed with Trevor Noah, but I am more so now. And as a USAmerican abroad, I so appreciate that the host of The Daily Show is someone who's not always lived in the US, and can look at it from both the o ...more

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Apr 01, 2017 Kim Marques rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

This book was simply fantastic. I listened to the audio version and I definitely think that enhanced the experience as Noah's narration of his own stories definitely adds a depth to them. But the thing that struck me the most about this book was that the marketing seems a bit inaccurate.

Sure, this is a story about apartheid. Yes it's a story about racism and segregation and growing up in a country going through the transition to democracy. And yes there are stories about Noah himself. But really ...more

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Mar 03, 2018 Jessica Haider rated it really liked it

Shelves: non-fiction, bipoc-author, south-shore-bookclub, bookriot_2018

BOOK RIOT READ HARDER CHALLENGE 2018 - fulfills #12: A celebrity memoir

This was the February pick for my book club. I enjoyed reading about Trevor Noah's experiences growing up in South Africa. It was also interesting to me that I read this one right after I finished Katherine Boo's Behind the Beautiful Forevers, which was about individuals living in poverty in the slums of Mumbai, India. There is a lot to compare and contrast between these two books. Both tell of a segment of society living in ...more

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Jan 24, 2018 Loretta rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, audiobooks

Thoroughly enjoyed this and would highly recommend it. It isn't a "celebrity" memoir, in that it isn't remotely about how Noah came to be the host of the Daily Show. Rather, it is about his childhood in South Africa, including thoughtful discussions about race under the hateful system of apartheid, the pernicious and continuing effects of colonialism. Most of all, though, what I will remember most is the way this is a loving tribute to his mother.

Noah is an outstanding narrator, unsurprisingly. ...more

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Aug 17, 2017 Etchison rated it really liked it

I listened to this on audio, and I think that's definitely the way to go. Starts off very funny, but gets into serious issues (in a great way) of life in South Africa. ...more

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Mar 13, 2018 Journeywoman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: listened-to-books, x-2018-books

This was a phenomenal book. This was even better on audio due to the author's nuanced narration. My only issue is that once we met some of these people in Trevor's life, I wanted to find out what happened to them and he never went back to them. I hope that means he plans another book because it would be superb.
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