Trevor Noah's autobiography about his childhood in South Africa as apartheid ended is great – in several different and unexpected ways.
One unexpected way: This black man gives the best description of the benefits of white privilege that I've seen. (As a light-skinned boy he was treated as white in all-black Soweto, and he completely took it for granted.)
It's an easy read but fascinating.
by GraniteGeekNH
6 Comments
Dude yes, that book hit different than I expected. The way he breaks down how privilege works without being preachy about it was honestly eye-opening
I think one of the most interesting things was how he talked about language. How he learned the different languages because he noticed people were less weary of him if he could speak their language.
Fascinating and horrifying at the same time. The degree Noah had to hustle to just live was astonishing. I enjoyed the read, but I think about people that didn’t have the talent that he had and couldn’t get out, what happened to them?
I tend to listen to vs read memoirs if they’re narrated by the author, and Noah’s narration enhanced the experience for me. He infused humor into it, and you could hear the emotion in his voice during the heavier parts. Great book.
That book lead me to read a Long Walk to Freedom. It’s a much longer read but it’s a great account of SA if you want to go back before Trevor’s time. Also, Mandela is just awesome 😁
I read it and was amazed and would love to listen to the audiobook, but it’s not available on Libby