Book Review – Born A Crime – Trevor Noah

Book Review – Born A Crime – Trevor Noah

Facts:

Title: Born A Crime

Author: Trevor Noah

Genre: Memoir

Year of Release: 2016

Read 289-page paperback edition in July 2022.

Book Description:

This memoir is a coming of age story for comedian Trevor Noah, who grew up as the evils of apartheid came to an end in South Africa. Born to a white father and black mother, Noah never quite fit in anywhere, and in fact his birth was a crime given the government criminalized white and black people to having intimate relations.

This memoir is the story of Noah growing up as a creative but rebellious child and teenager, and later a young adult who struggled with the relationship his mother had with his abusive step-father. It is also the story of the close bond between Noah and his mother, who the book is dedicated to.

Book Review:

This was a fantastic memoir by Trevor Noah, the hose of the Daily Show. Noah utilizes his comedic flair in this novel and you can definitely here his voice on the page, as he instills lots of comedy and amusement no matter what story we are hearing about. Whether there is trouble or strictly hilarity, Noah finds a way to tell the tale with a light-hearted and warm approach.

Noah also doesn’t shy away from talking about heavy topics. The challenges and multi-faceted reality of racism in South Africa, what colonizers did in Africa more broadly, the nightmare of apartheid, is all discussed through the lens of Noah’s childhood experiences. This memoir is a great way for readers to learn more about what it was like during this time period, and how apartheid and racism caused so much damage in all facets of life.

The memoir is a collection of stories from Noah’s childhood and young adulthood. Stand out sections are when Noah speaks about his strong mother, who he has a powerful connection with. The memoir definitely allows their relationship to shine through.

Some of the chapters are a little bit slower and have a little bit less potency to them, but overall this is a great memoir that has emotional moments, educational moments, and lots of amusing moments.

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – The Midnight Library – Matt Haig

Book Review – The Midnight Library – Matt Haig

Facts:

Title: The Midnight Library

Author: Matt Haig

Genre: Fiction / Science Fiction

Year of Release: 2020

Read 396-page electronic edition in July 2022.

Book Description:

After a particularly horrible day, Nora Seed decides she would be better off dead. However, instead, she wakes up in a strange library, staffed by her old school librarian. She is told that this library will allow her access to other lives that she may lead, based on different choices she may have made in the past.

Nora jumps at the chance to see what life might have been life, if she had made other choices and avoided other regrets that are weighing on her. When she starts to explore these other lives though, she starts to learn a lot more about herself, and about life, than she realized.

Book Review:

This was a fascinating book that touched on science fiction and quantum mechanics concepts of the multiverse. What if there is an infinite number of different universes out there for each choice we are faced with? And what if we had access to try them out?

The concept of this book is explored in an adventurous and thoughtful way by Matt Haig. He does a nice job of showing us different windows into Nora’s life based on a variety of distinct options and choices she could have made. This allows us to explore her psyche from many perspectives. Of course, Haig does a wonderful job of also showing the reader, through Nora, some interesting life lessons along the way.

At times, Nora can come across as a needy and annoying protagonist. That can be slightly frustrating from time to time, particularly in the opening stages of the novel. However, one must also remember she is suffering from depression, and so remembering this mental health reality for our main character should also allow us to cut her a little slack as well, and remember that we need to be patient with people around us, as we don’t know what they might be going through.

Overall, this is a fun book exploring the concepts of multiverses and alternate universe theory, and is well worth the read,

Overall: 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Book Review – A Trick of the Light – Louise Penny

Book Review – A Trick of the Light – Louise Penny

Facts:

Title: A Trick of the Light

Author: Louise Penny

Series: Chief Inspector Gamache (Book 7)

Genre: Mystery / Crime

Year of Release: 2011

Read 339-page paperback edition in June 2022.

Book Description:

Clara Morrow is pleased to have found success with her unique paintings, having been asked to put on a solo shot at a popular gallery in Montreal. Her husband Peter can’t help but feel jealous, for his middling painting career has never seen this.

But at the after-party back in Three Pines, Clara’s victory is disrupted by the finding of a body in the Morrow garden. When they realize the body is that of a former artist and nasty art critic who had long left Quebec and their lives, there are many suspects in the art community who were at the party. It is up to Inspector Gamache and his team to decipher what happened, and who the killer is.

Book Review:

This is an excellent book in the Gamache series, and with us now in book seven of the series, acclaimed author Louise Penny has a lot of character development she can continue to focus on, while also looking to the actual case of murder at hand. There are relationships challenges with Peter and Clara, angry feelings from the last book between Olivier and Gamache, and ongoing tension between the officers coming off a shocking incident in the last book. Penny does a great job exploring these and continuing to expand her setting of the small town as well as its inhabitants.

The actual murder case in this book is interesting, and the explorations of the world of AA meetings and the art world make for unique storylines.

Overall, the action outside the murder is sometimes more interesting than the case itself, but this is a strong addition to the Gamache universe.

Overall: 4.5 stars out of 5 stars

Book Review – We Were Dreamers – Simu Liu

Book Review – We Were Dreamers – Simu Liu

Facts:

Title: We Were Dreamers

Author: Simu Liu

Genre: Memoir

Year of Release: 2022

Read 289-page hardcover in May 2022.

Book Description:

Simu Liu tells the story of his life and his parent’s life, starting from his birth in Harbin, China, and his subsequent immigration to Canada with his parents, who are striving to create a prosperous life for their family.

However, Simu Liu also shares about the trials and challenges of learning to live in another country, including the sad reality of racism. He also talks openly about his rebellious nature, the pressure of parents who want him to be perfect, and his ultimate dream of acting.

Book Review:

This memoir from Marvel superstar, and before that Kim’s Convenience star, Simu Liu, is absolutely incredible. The author has done an amazing job of opening up and telling a thoughtful, emotional, and powerful story, being very candid about his own shortcomings and the shortcomings of his parents. This creates an intimate and close-knit memoir, where we really do feel that we are getting inside his life and understanding his feelings. His decision to be so open about things makes this a more powerful memoir, where we feel we are getting the inside story.

The writing in the memoir is also strong, and Simu Liu balances powerful emotional moments and lessons with a lot of light-hearted comedy. He has a funny and amusing voice, always happy to throw some self-deprecating humour into the narrative.

Despite the emotional challenges he has faced, he also has great respect for his parents, and this is made clear in the opening chapters when he shares where they came from in China. Seeing the path they all follow through Simu Liu’s life is ultimately uplifting.

The overall memoir is a powerful one to read. There is a lot to think about here about family stressors, racism towards Asian people in Canada and the western world, but also about setting goals and achieving your dreams.

Well done!

Overall: 5 stars out of 5 stars