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What I've been reading: Books No. 29-30
Jun. 9th, 2020 10:59 amBook No. 29 was "Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood" by Trevor Noah. Comic Trevor Noah tells stories of growing up in post-apartheid South Africa, about his strong-willed mother, his distant but loving white father, his own illegal shenanigans, his brutal stepfather, and more. You get a peek into what life was like as apartheid was being gradually dismantled.
What you don't get is much insight into Noah's beginnings as a comic. He mentions it in passing several times but doesn't go into much detail about what got him started, though he mentions that being mixed-race in South Africa, he used humor to fit into various groups. This is very much a love letter to his mother, and I really adored this book. Highly recommended.
Book No. 30 was "Whoreson" by Donald Goines. I became aware of Donald Goines through other authors who cite him as an influence and was curious to see what his writing was like. I appreciated that this book was set in my state of Michigan and had familiar landmarks in Jackson, Detroit, and Flint. It's also an interesting glimpse into Goines' early life as this novel is known to be semi-autobiographical. It was fun to see some of the hustles and cons I've heard about put into action, as well.
The constant misogyny and violence against women was hard to take, though. I almost wish I was reading it as an e-book so I could do a search on how many times the word "bitch" is used, for instance. I think this was totally worth reading, but be aware that the main character, Whoreson Jones, is a bit hard to like and there is a lot of sexual violence against sex workers and other women in the novel.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
What you don't get is much insight into Noah's beginnings as a comic. He mentions it in passing several times but doesn't go into much detail about what got him started, though he mentions that being mixed-race in South Africa, he used humor to fit into various groups. This is very much a love letter to his mother, and I really adored this book. Highly recommended.
Book No. 30 was "Whoreson" by Donald Goines. I became aware of Donald Goines through other authors who cite him as an influence and was curious to see what his writing was like. I appreciated that this book was set in my state of Michigan and had familiar landmarks in Jackson, Detroit, and Flint. It's also an interesting glimpse into Goines' early life as this novel is known to be semi-autobiographical. It was fun to see some of the hustles and cons I've heard about put into action, as well.
The constant misogyny and violence against women was hard to take, though. I almost wish I was reading it as an e-book so I could do a search on how many times the word "bitch" is used, for instance. I think this was totally worth reading, but be aware that the main character, Whoreson Jones, is a bit hard to like and there is a lot of sexual violence against sex workers and other women in the novel.
( The other books I've read so far this year: )
