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Woman At Point Zero
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Nawal El Saadawi's highly acclaimed feminist novel, Woman at Point Zero, follows the life of...
Despicable Bear - Top Games
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Meet the hilarious and absolutely despicable bear! - Get ready to beat up the most annoying bear...
The Saint of Lost Things
9.0
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Lindy Morris is stuck. She lives in rural Ireland, banished to a lonely bungalow by her Granda...
Literary Fiction Rural Life Ireland Trigger warning: domestic abuse
Don't Speak
7.0
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DS Amelie Davis is utterly devoted to her husband. After years of abuse at the hands of her father,...
How To Be A Complete And Utter Blunt
8.0
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Once upon a time, James Blunt's most enduring legacy was a three-minute, thirty-second pop song...
Jamie (131 KP) rated Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood in Books
Jul 22, 2017
Noah’s wit and charm (1 more)
Frank discussions of racism, poverty, and family
A stellar memoir
For those that don’t already know who Trevor Noah is, he is a comedian from South Africa that is now the current host of The Daily Show, taking the place of Jon Stewart when he retired. Trevor is an accomplished polyglot, speaking 9 languages fluently and has some fluency in several more. In much of his comedy he talks about his difficulties with racial identity having been born during apartheid to an African mother and a Swiss father. Apartheid was a system of institutionalized segregation in South Africa that lasted from the 1940’s to the 1990’s.
The book is bursting at the seams with humorous anecdotes about growing up as the wild child in his family. Getting in trouble, trying to outrun and outsmart his mom, committing petty crimes with friends, striking out with girls; Trevor’s life was colorful in no small part because of his mother. In interviews Trevor has stated that his memoir became sort of an open love letter to his mother, Patricia Noah–a fiercely independent woman that refused to be held down by her race or gender and sought to show her son the world outside of apartheid South Africa, who tried to save her son from the cruelty of the world.
“The world doesn’t love you. If the police get you, the police don’t love you. When I beat you, I’m trying to save you. When they beat you, they’re trying to kill you.”
The last chapters had me sobbing which was something that I hadn’t anticipated. Trevor mentions his step-father in the early chapters in passing, like a dark cloud that hung over his family’s life. I wasn’t prepared for the deeply troubling and heartbreaking portrait of a loving family ripped apart by abuse and the failures of law enforcement to prevent tragedy despite numerous attempts to get help.
I was already a fan of Trevor Noah, having watched some of his stand-up comedy and was overjoyed when he took over The Daily Show. From this memoir I have a newfound respect for Trevor not only for the horrendous abuse and racism he has endured, but how he allowed these things to shape who he is. He approaches issues of race, identity, poverty, and abuse with honesty and was able to articulate his feelings on topics that I have been struggling with for years. This memoir was surprisingly cathartic to me as someone that has struggled both with a mixed racial background and as a survivor of domestic abuse.
This was a wonderful memoir that really showcased that even in the darkest of places one can still find hope and strength in love. It was both insightful and laugh out loud funny, even if some of the humor could be viewed as highly offensive. I really enjoyed this memoir and am happy that I read it, it’s definitely going down on my shelf as a favorite.
The book is bursting at the seams with humorous anecdotes about growing up as the wild child in his family. Getting in trouble, trying to outrun and outsmart his mom, committing petty crimes with friends, striking out with girls; Trevor’s life was colorful in no small part because of his mother. In interviews Trevor has stated that his memoir became sort of an open love letter to his mother, Patricia Noah–a fiercely independent woman that refused to be held down by her race or gender and sought to show her son the world outside of apartheid South Africa, who tried to save her son from the cruelty of the world.
“The world doesn’t love you. If the police get you, the police don’t love you. When I beat you, I’m trying to save you. When they beat you, they’re trying to kill you.”
The last chapters had me sobbing which was something that I hadn’t anticipated. Trevor mentions his step-father in the early chapters in passing, like a dark cloud that hung over his family’s life. I wasn’t prepared for the deeply troubling and heartbreaking portrait of a loving family ripped apart by abuse and the failures of law enforcement to prevent tragedy despite numerous attempts to get help.
I was already a fan of Trevor Noah, having watched some of his stand-up comedy and was overjoyed when he took over The Daily Show. From this memoir I have a newfound respect for Trevor not only for the horrendous abuse and racism he has endured, but how he allowed these things to shape who he is. He approaches issues of race, identity, poverty, and abuse with honesty and was able to articulate his feelings on topics that I have been struggling with for years. This memoir was surprisingly cathartic to me as someone that has struggled both with a mixed racial background and as a survivor of domestic abuse.
This was a wonderful memoir that really showcased that even in the darkest of places one can still find hope and strength in love. It was both insightful and laugh out loud funny, even if some of the humor could be viewed as highly offensive. I really enjoyed this memoir and am happy that I read it, it’s definitely going down on my shelf as a favorite.
Kristy H (1252 KP) rated Under Currents in Books
Apr 1, 2021
A tense yet romantic read
This is the twenty-first book in my #atozchallenge! I'm challenging myself to read a book from my shelves that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Let's clear those shelves and delve into that backlist!
To an outsider, the Bigelows look like a perfect family: loving parents, two kids, beautiful home. But elder son Zane knows better, as he suffers verbal and physical abuse at the hands of his father, a surgeon. The family keeps their secrets close until one evening when everything comes out in the open and all changes. Years later, Zane returns to his hometown, determined to put the past behind him. He meets a landscape artist, Darby McCray, who has her own dark past. Together, the two must figure out if they are able to leave their secrets and horrible memories behind and forge a life together.
I'm honestly not sure if I've read a Nora Roberts book before, but picked this off my shelves for my A to Z challenge. It was one of those slightly over-the-top yet engaging books that sucks you in quickly with its story. It begins when Zane and his sister, Britt, are kids and moves on from there. It's a bit long--as it moved from section to section I was surprised there was more to keep going. A lot of that is due to descriptions of the North Carolina town, pontificating about landscaping, etc.
But it's still a book that held my interest. There's a crackling tension in the early piece, when Zane is merciless at the hands of his horrible, abusive father. As he ages, the tension recedes somewhat, but the book is still full of violent episodes. In fact, I would wonder if the town was cursed, based on how much brutality occurs in such a short period of time, but perhaps that's just me. Still, you can't help but be swept up in the various dramas, as well as Zane and Darby's relationship. The supporting cast is excellent as well, especially Zane's aunt, Emily; the local police chief; and some of Zane's friends.
Overall, a heartbreaking yet powerful read. It ended a bit abruptly for my taste, but I liked the characters and intensity of the story. (Please note: trigger warnings for sexual assault, spousal abuse/familial abuse, gay slurs.)
To an outsider, the Bigelows look like a perfect family: loving parents, two kids, beautiful home. But elder son Zane knows better, as he suffers verbal and physical abuse at the hands of his father, a surgeon. The family keeps their secrets close until one evening when everything comes out in the open and all changes. Years later, Zane returns to his hometown, determined to put the past behind him. He meets a landscape artist, Darby McCray, who has her own dark past. Together, the two must figure out if they are able to leave their secrets and horrible memories behind and forge a life together.
I'm honestly not sure if I've read a Nora Roberts book before, but picked this off my shelves for my A to Z challenge. It was one of those slightly over-the-top yet engaging books that sucks you in quickly with its story. It begins when Zane and his sister, Britt, are kids and moves on from there. It's a bit long--as it moved from section to section I was surprised there was more to keep going. A lot of that is due to descriptions of the North Carolina town, pontificating about landscaping, etc.
But it's still a book that held my interest. There's a crackling tension in the early piece, when Zane is merciless at the hands of his horrible, abusive father. As he ages, the tension recedes somewhat, but the book is still full of violent episodes. In fact, I would wonder if the town was cursed, based on how much brutality occurs in such a short period of time, but perhaps that's just me. Still, you can't help but be swept up in the various dramas, as well as Zane and Darby's relationship. The supporting cast is excellent as well, especially Zane's aunt, Emily; the local police chief; and some of Zane's friends.
Overall, a heartbreaking yet powerful read. It ended a bit abruptly for my taste, but I liked the characters and intensity of the story. (Please note: trigger warnings for sexual assault, spousal abuse/familial abuse, gay slurs.)
Paying the Tab: The Costs and Benefits of Alcohol Control
Book
What drug provides Americans with the greatest pleasure and the greatest pain? The answer, hands...
Kirk Bage (1775 KP) rated The Trials of Gabriel Fernández in TV
Apr 8, 2021
This incredibly powerful six part mini series from last February is almost impossible to watch, but once started it feels important that you do see it through to the end. It details a case of child cruelty, abuse and torture leading to eventual death that the entire childcare support system first ignored and then failed to prevent. It shows the exact ways that the support system and then the legal system let down a young boy that may have been saved were it not for a series of shocking professional negligence. The recounting of the story and visual details of the abuse are sickening and beyond any reasonable estimation of tragic. If attempting to watch this, be sure of the reasons you are doing so and approach it with extreme caution.
There is so much natural outrage and actual anger towards the parents who were responsible for these crimes when we see them in court, but also towards the social and justice systems themselves for showcasing their many failings so graphically. The lessons learned are vital in preventing this kind of thing happening elsewhere, and so the drive of watching this is to seek the scraps of hope that emerge by understanding what went wrong and how the law might address the issue to prevent it happening again. Watching this one has an entirely different and sober feel for me. This was in no way entertainment, but it was educational, so I don’t regret going through it, as I feel entirely better informed than I was before.
There is so much natural outrage and actual anger towards the parents who were responsible for these crimes when we see them in court, but also towards the social and justice systems themselves for showcasing their many failings so graphically. The lessons learned are vital in preventing this kind of thing happening elsewhere, and so the drive of watching this is to seek the scraps of hope that emerge by understanding what went wrong and how the law might address the issue to prevent it happening again. Watching this one has an entirely different and sober feel for me. This was in no way entertainment, but it was educational, so I don’t regret going through it, as I feel entirely better informed than I was before.