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aoutrance 's review for:
I'm (obviously) a fan of Trevor Noah; I think he's done well to fill the big shoes of Jon Stewart, his predecessor on The Daily Show. So I was already predisposed to like this memoir when I picked it up, but I think it could entertain the average open-minded nonfan as well.
Each chapter opens with a page about the history of colonization, oppression and apartheid that South Africa was steeped in over centuries of European rule. About half-way through, these mini-history lessons became less general and more personal in how they applied to him, but not less informative. I have never learned so much broad history from a such scant offerings.
His breakdown of the relationship between racism and language is beautiful and succinct: "If you spoke to me in Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu. If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn't look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you."
Trevor's love for his mother comes through clearly and constantly, even when he is numerating all the ways they clashed (his mischievous ways as a child, his devil's advocate stance in regard to her piousness, etc.) He foreshadowed the violence they would face at the hands of his stepfather early on and that hung over every interaction he wrote about her like a vulture waiting to swoop in - it was bittersweet to read about the funny moments he had with his mother, knowing she would soon be a victim of domestic abuse. The acknowledgement of both his original anger at why she stayed and his ignorance of how abusive relationships worked is unusual, but I think it exemplifies the good man he grew up to be, the good man his mother raised against so many odds.
M's rating: 4/5
Each chapter opens with a page about the history of colonization, oppression and apartheid that South Africa was steeped in over centuries of European rule. About half-way through, these mini-history lessons became less general and more personal in how they applied to him, but not less informative. I have never learned so much broad history from a such scant offerings.
His breakdown of the relationship between racism and language is beautiful and succinct: "If you spoke to me in Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu. If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn't look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you."
Trevor's love for his mother comes through clearly and constantly, even when he is numerating all the ways they clashed (his mischievous ways as a child, his devil's advocate stance in regard to her piousness, etc.) He foreshadowed the violence they would face at the hands of his stepfather early on and that hung over every interaction he wrote about her like a vulture waiting to swoop in - it was bittersweet to read about the funny moments he had with his mother, knowing she would soon be a victim of domestic abuse. The acknowledgement of both his original anger at why she stayed and his ignorance of how abusive relationships worked is unusual, but I think it exemplifies the good man he grew up to be, the good man his mother raised against so many odds.
M's rating: 4/5