Hey everyone! Welcome back to another episode of a kids book review podcast. Today we will be talking about Trevor Noahs “Born a Crime”. “Born a Crime” was about Trevor Noah’s life and has 18 chapters all telling different stories of his life. Today is a very special episode, keep listening and you’ll find out why.
What did I think of the book? Overall, I think the book is one of the only books I actually enjoyed reading. Books never really make me want to read more but this was one of them that I liked and wanted to read more. Starting from the beginning, all the chaos Trevor causes is hilarious and made me want to read more and more. My favorite part of the book was definitely when Trevor took a big poop on the ground and his grandmas did a whole ritual to destroy any demons that it contained. I actually laughed out loud at it, and that’s the first time I’ve ever actually laughed out loud at a book. All jokes aside, I think the book is a good explanation for people young and old of what Apartheid was and what it did to people. I think Trevor Noah put what racism really was perfectly and had many life lessons that could apply to people my age as well. To be honest I could even relate to some of Trevor’s situation as in Iran racism is a huge problem and Iran is quite literally ranked one of the most racist countries in the world. This even goes for most of the Middle East. While there weren't many downsides to this book I do wish Trevor elaborate on his journey to becoming a worldwide comedian in the book, I think that would’ve been a good way to finish it off. The ending was honestly the only part in the book I was unsatisfied with. My favorite quote from Trevor was “Give a man a fish, he’ll have food for a night but teach a man to fish and he’ll always have food. But you also have to give him the fishing rod”-that really stuck with me. What did you think about the book, Alex?
That was a really interesting opinion, Radin. Because of the harsh lifestyle Trevor Noah had to go through; racially profiled, separated, mixed between white and black, I believe the book truly linked to the whole worldview because of these events that took place during this book. I enjoy works like these because they interest me by discussing a real narrative with real issues that people have to go through every day. Apartheid was the main issue in this book, and even though it is no longer a thing, people still racialize events and people so this issue is still not over. If there was anything I was unsatisfied with it would definitely be about some loose ends. There were some parts where I thought Trevor Noah could’ve made it a bit more detailed and elaborate a bit further; like the part where his friend Teddy gets arrested. That part really left me wondering what happened next. My favorite part of the book is when he and his friend began selling unlicensed copies of DVDs to raise money for his family; if he hadn't done so, he would have been unable to pay his mother's medical bills. We’ll hear about Tino’s thoughts on the book right after this ad break.
(Advertisement break)
My opinion on this book was that it was a great book and I enjoyed reading all about his life that is more different than others. I liked how he made the book funny and that made the book more interesting and more wanting to read. I also am surprised at how he was very open to tell all about his personal life and It just made the book better. I'm also very surprised at how racism played a big part of his life and where he lived. Here in Canada we don't have that type of racist society. I also can relate to how when I was in Greece, it seemed not very clean and messy when you walked around. This kind of seemed like the setting in Africa where Trevor Noah lived . The only bad thing that was in the book was not that I felt overwhelmed by how many chapters there were. If he shortened the book by a few chapters It would be a book that I would read again. What’s your take on the book Isaac?
Although I usually don't like books I really enjoyed this one. This book was very interesting and different because unlike all other books this one had all different types of funny chaos and crazy real life issues like how he got thrown out of a car or drinking all the grape juice and eating all the bread in church. I also loved how he wrote about the racism that was going on around him and his family because it really gave me a different sense of worldview. My favorite part of the book has to go to when in the book it really shows how strong and religious his mother is especially when his mother got shot in the head by her mechanic who was also her husband. After that situation happened she says how God saved her and protected her from dying which shows that the mother was a very religious person. A downside and my general opinion surrounding this book was the problem that I couldn’t exactly relate to it. Trevor Noah’s experience is just something I don’t relate to that well. Everything from growing up in a struggling environment to his mom being very religious. Otherwise it was an amazing book that kept me interested the entire way through. Now, everybody, I would like to introduce a special guest. Please welcome Trevor Noah!
Trevor Noah (Faisal or Radin)-Hey guys! I’m excited to be here! What were your names again?
My name is Isaac
My name is Tino
My name is Faisal
My name is Alex
My name is Radin. Welcome to the podcast, thank you for putting the time into coming on our podcast today.
-Of course!
We have some questions for you today if you don’t mind. My question is that why didn’t your mother move out of the toxic environment of Abel? No need to answer if you’re uncomfortable with the question.
Good question. I think a big part of it was that my mom put my brothers and I in front of everything and anything else before thinking about her situation and if she was happy with it. In the end, she did eventually move out but that’s when Abel shot her multiple times. My mother was a very stubborn person and always looked on the bright side, along with trusting god. She also loved Abel. Not the drunk Abel, but Abel. When Abel wasn’t drunk he was a pretty awesome guy. When he was he wasn’t at all. I hope that answers your question, Tino.
It does, thank you.
This is sort of related to Tino’s question, what made you finally move out? What was the breaking point for you?
I always wanted to from the moment Abel started hitting my mother. It was just a matter of being old enough to move out at that point. Otherwise I just hated seeing my mother that way. For the first time I saw her truly vulnerable, with Abel. She was truly scared for her and us. I just couldn’t live like that any longer. Good question Isaac! Unfortunately I have a meeting to catch, it was awesome talking to you guys! I hope you get a good mark.
Thank you so much Trevor, it was honestly amazing having you (“Trevor” leaves after this). The book featured different things he experienced in each chapter that I could genuinely enjoy reading because his lifestyle was unusual and I don't see many people talking about South Africa, so it really taught me about the struggles of Apartheid. I can relate to some of what he told us about because I grew up in the Middle East, where we had a comparable way of life. Anyway, Trevor Noah seems like a good man, and I'd want to meet him in person someday. Thank you everyone so much for joining us on this special quarantine episode of Kids Fun Book Review, thank you so much to 5 gum for sponsoring us in today's episode, and finally a huge thanks to Trevor Noah for being our guest in today’s episode. Until next time!