Cannonball Read 11

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

Search This Site

A surprisingly educational celebrity autobiography

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

by Leave a Comment

In this very engaging autobiography, Trevor Noah opens up about growing up in South Africa, born from a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father at a time when this was literally a crime punishable with several years in prison. The Apartheid regime ended while Noah was still young, but his childhood was still deeply affected by the fact that he was a mixed race child in a society where the races were not supposed to mix at all, to the point where his mother had to walk behind her own child and a mixed race woman when they […]

Help Support Cannonball Read

Buy the following on Amazon and help our mission to stick it to cancer, one book at a time:

We pay for our website first, and then all proceeds above and beyond those fees are donated to the American Cancer Society in AlabamaPink's name. Find out how else you can help support our mission.

Share the post "A surprisingly educational celebrity autobiography"

3/4/2019 | 's CBR11 Review No:6 |

Yes, this memoir is as good as everyone says.

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

by 3 Comments

If you like audiobooks at all, I would suggest doing this by audio. I know I enjoyed it a lot more than I would have reading in another format because Trevor Noah narrates it himself, and his voices for everyone are very charming. There’s also something very satisfying about hearing someone tell stories about their life in their own voice. This book is made up of a series of interconnected stories about his youth in South Africa, from when he was “born a crime,” with a white father and black mother (something that was illegal during Apartheid), through his early […]

Share the post "Yes, this memoir is as good as everyone says."

7/9/2018 's CBR10 Review No:81 |

A Personal View into Life under and after Apartheid

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

by Leave a Comment

In an effort to try to get into Audio books, I crowd sourced the FB group for recommendations, and this had a large number of glowing recommendations.  I quite liked it, and it helped that I had a three hour drive to complete when I started the book.  I still struggle a bit with focusing on audiobooks when not in a car so I may have missed a few minor details but overall, I really enjoyed this book. I remember vaguely learning about South Africa and Apartheid in high school since we read Cry, the Beloved Country, but I feel […]

Share the post "A Personal View into Life under and after Apartheid"

3/4/2018 's CBR10 Review No:22 |

Best Audiobook of the Year (Yes, it is only February, don’t care!)

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

by 5 Comments

How can I have already listened to the best audiobook of the year? It’s only the beginning of February! But I have. It’s that good. Go listen. I didn’t even know much about Mr. Noah going in besides that he hosts the Daily Show, was from South Africa, and does stand up. Doesn’t matter, he tells you all you need to know. So when I told Mr. Beth Ellen what I was listening to his response was, “he’s too young to write a memoir”. And that’s kind of how I felt when I saw Mr. Noah was first publishing a […]

Share the post "Best Audiobook of the Year (Yes, it is only February, don’t care!)"

2/5/2018 's CBR10 Review No:6 |

“He’s Mine, He’s Everyone’s”

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

by 1 Comment

Last year there were several glowing reviews of Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime. Based on positive word of mouth I had already picked up the audio version which Noah narrates himself. I was intrigued by Noah – we’re the same age (well, I’m almost exactly a year older) but our lives couldn’t be more different, and I love a good memoir. For the many reasons life throws your way I did not manage to listen to Born a Crime in 2017. However, fast forward to New Year’s where I am terribly sick, it was ridiculously cold, and the friends I […]

Share the post "“He’s Mine, He’s Everyone’s”"

1/21/2018 's CBR10 Review No:4 |

Laugh, Learn and Cry with Trevor Noah

Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

by 2 Comments

Trevor Noah’s autobiography, Born a Crime: Stories from A South African Childhood, was my first audio book. I was determined to hear his narration and found the CD version at my local library. My car still has a cd player, so Trevor kept me company during my first week commuting to a new job. All I knew of Trevor Noah was he replaced Jon Stewart, grew up in South Africa and was a comedian. I had no idea what to expect from his book to be honest. The book begins by introducing you to his amazing mother who defied Apartheid and gave […]

Share the post "Laugh, Learn and Cry with Trevor Noah"

12/26/2017 's CBR9 Review No:6 |

If you’re looking for a memoir, this is a good one.

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

by Leave a Comment

I don’t really do memoirs so much but had heard so many good things about this book that I was convinced to try it.  All the good reviews are right, and this book is great. I hadn’t heard of Trevor Noah before he took over The Daily Show, and while I still miss Jon Stewart (I mean, who doesn’t?) Noah has grown on me.  After this book, I like him even more.  This is not a comedian’s memoir; rather, it’s a growing-up memoir, stories about a boy trying to make his way in a confused and confusing world, and it […]

Share the post "If you’re looking for a memoir, this is a good one."

8/18/2017 's CBR9 Review No:8 |

This is Criminally Good

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

by 2 Comments

Audible and Goodreads gave away free copies of Born a Crime a few weeks ago and I jumped at the chance to download a book that was already on my TBR list. This is one of the best celebrity memoirs I’ve ever read because it is not really a celebrity memoir; besides a few throwaway lines about his introduction into touring comedy Noah doesn’t talk about his career. This is a story about growing up as a mixed child with his black Xhosa mother in South Africa in the later days of apartheid and after its dissolution. Patricia Noah met Trevor’s Swiss-German […]

Share the post "This is Criminally Good"

2/3/2017 's CBR9 Review No:16 |


Shop on Amazon and Support CBR

Buy Original Cannonballer Prisco's book and help CBR!

Ad Partner