Book review: Born a crime by Trevor Noah




   I admit that I was late to the Trevor Noah comedy train. Years ago, when everyone I knew was ranting and raving about him I held back because I wasn’t all that into stand-up comedy and I was trying to resist peer pressure. Honestly, It’s the little things in life. But, when I eventually decided to give him a chance, man I was hooked. The man is HILARIOUS! And when he announced he was writing a book, I was all-in!


   You know the hashtag #GrowingUpAfrican ? This book comprises every single meme posted about it; and then some. In a single chapter I’d go from uncontrollable laughter when he described ‘African-mom’ dynamics to cringing when he talked about the realities of growing-up during apartheid. One of the things I’m unlearning as an African millennial (Yes, I’m not ashamed of the fact that I was born after the internet was invented) is the history we were taught in school. I read books like ‘Mine boy’ and I crammed the facts but there was a kind of detachment in the way we were taught about colonialism and the post-colonial period. Important details were left out and complicated historical figures were canonized, for lack of a better word. So now as an adult I have a whole different outlook. But maybe that’s a post for another day.


   This book was an easy read because you feel like you’re sitting right next to him as he’s telling you these incredible stories about his childhood and you want to go like “That’s so true!”, “I can relate!”.  Or “No way!”. And then he throws in snippets of South African history in all the right places. So, it was both entertaining and educational. Win-win!


   And can we talk about the cover-art for a second. I have revealed in previous posts that I’m a sucker for a pretty book cover and this one definitely passed the test.


   So, if you’re looking for a good laugh with a dash of ‘wokeness’, this is probably your next read.


Ciao…


Photocredits: Goodreads.com

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