Hattie K reviewed It's Trevor Noah : Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
'It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime' Review
5 stars
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime is a riveting narrative of Trevor's childhood and adolescence in South Africa under the last years of apartheid and the first years of South Africa's post-apartheid journey. Trevor seamlessly mixes comedy and matter-of-fact reality to share stories of haunting poverty and stories that more universally explore a childhood of learning and testing boundaries. I read Born a Crime several years ago and remember enjoying it so I wasn't sure what I'd think about the YA version, but I found this memoir to be full of such fascinating commentary on poverty and racism, even as it often focused on Trevor's relationship with his mother. Told in a series of stories, interwoven with background information about apartheid & post-apartheid in South Africa, this book would be appropriate for middle school readers (as well as anyone older).
It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime is a riveting narrative of Trevor's childhood and adolescence in South Africa under the last years of apartheid and the first years of South Africa's post-apartheid journey. Trevor seamlessly mixes comedy and matter-of-fact reality to share stories of haunting poverty and stories that more universally explore a childhood of learning and testing boundaries. I read Born a Crime several years ago and remember enjoying it so I wasn't sure what I'd think about the YA version, but I found this memoir to be full of such fascinating commentary on poverty and racism, even as it often focused on Trevor's relationship with his mother. Told in a series of stories, interwoven with background information about apartheid & post-apartheid in South Africa, this book would be appropriate for middle school readers (as well as anyone older).