Book Reviews

Holiday Reading 2: Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

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There’s been a lot of controversy surrounding the personal essay as of late. As an IB Language & Literature teacher, I know the IB doesn’t particularly like the personal essay and doesn’t suggest it as an acceptable text type on which students can base their Written Tasks. Earlier this year, Jia Tolentino of The New Yorker wrote an article stating that the personal essay is a dying genre. To counter this, Arielle Bernstein of Salon wrote a rebuttal, claiming that while “Tolentino sees the end of a boom, what we are […] experiencing is an evolution — of writers being encouraged to not simply mine personal feelings for a quick click, but to make connections between the personal and the political more explicit.”

Enter Trevor Noah.

Now, anyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge fan of The Daily Show. This is the show I watch in order to get my fill of politics and global news. I was heartbroken when I learned that Jon Stewart would be retiring from TDS in order to pursue a more noble lifestyle (Jon and his wife Tracey run Bufflehead Farm, an animal sanctuary in New Jersey). I didn’t think anyone could possibly take his place and do a decent job of presenting the news with humour, wit, and just a touch (a touch!) of sarcasm.

I guess I was wrong.

Trevor Noah hosted his first show on September 28, 2015 and I was immediately impressed. He was charming, witty, and included just enough sarcasm to make me think, “Yup. OK. This guy can do it.” He had gained another fan.

In 2016, Noah published a collection of personal essays entitled “Born a Crime.” I put it on my list of books to read, but then never got around to checking it out. It wasn’t until I happened to be in our high school library and saw it on a shelf that I was reminded of my promise to myself to read this book. I took it with me on holidays and once again finished it within a couple of days.

Noah has not had an easy life. In fact, it’s incredible to think of who he is now considering all the adversity he faced growing up in South Africa. One particular quote in his book really stood out; I earmarked it so I wouldn’t forget:

“I never let the memory of something painful prevent me from trying something new. If you think too much about the ass-kicking your mom gave you, or the ass-kicking that life gave you, you’ll stop pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules. It’s better to take it, spend some time crying, then wake up the next day and move on. You’ll have a few bruises and they’ll remind you of what happened and that’s okay. But after a while the bruises fade, and they fade for a reason — because now it’s time to get up to some shit again.” (Noah 90-91)

I think these are some really good words to live by. Take life as it comes. Take the punches. Cry. Let it out. Then get up and try again. In my opinion, Noah’s “Born a Crime” is a great place to try something new.

Holiday Reading 1: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

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Students have been telling me for years that I should read this book. I was always reluctant. Why? I can’t possibly say, but every time I looked at the cover, I thought “this book will make me cry.”

Well, I was right.

I took this book on holidays with me and devoured it within two days. Some on the plane, some in the airport between flights, some on the beach, some by the pool, some in bed before I fell asleep. At one point, I didn’t care who saw me gasping, who saw me holding my breath, who saw me sobbing. It was a real page turner. Anderson writes the way I speak; I felt like I was reading pages from my own teenage diary. My heart broke every time Melinda (the main character) wanted to speak but couldn’t find her voice. My freshman year of high school was much different to hers, but I still felt the pain of not fitting in. Now as a teacher, I think about those students I see in my classes who are voiceless and I wonder if they are going through the same horrible things that Melinda goes through.

God, I hope not.

This is the kind of book I think all young adults should read. And if you’re not a young adult, you should still read it to remind yourself that those quiet kids who sit at the back, who frequently miss class, who avert their gaze, who don’t seem to have any friends … they are the ones we should be paying more attention to.

Perhaps they are harbouring a secret they are afraid to reveal.

Perhaps they are scared.

Perhaps they want to speak, but don’t know how.

Speak to them, and allow them as much time as needed to speak to you.

October Reading: The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden by Jonas Jonasson

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A couple of years ago, one of my seniors gave me a book entitled The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared as a thank you gift when he graduated. That book sat on my shelf for a while until one day, I decided to give it a go. I was so enamoured by the story that I had trouble putting it down. I even went so far as to describe some of the plot to my daughter (who wasn’t really interested in the stories of a 100 year old man) because I felt like I had to talk to someone about it. It was that good.

Now fast forward to October 2017. Two days before the half-term break began, I came across another one of Jonasson’s books on the desk of one of my colleagues. Naturally, I snatched it up and took it home, figuring I’d tell her about it the next day. Well, by the next morning, we received a frantic email from said colleague who wanted to know if anyone had taken the book from her desk. You see, she had put it aside because a parent wanted to borrow it for the break! Great minds, right? Well, I pled my case and told her I’d bring it back if she really wanted me to, but I probably wanted to read it more than the parent so could-I-please-take-it-on-holidays-with-me-and-I-promise-to-bring-it-back-and-give-it-to-the-parent??

Thankfully, she said yes.

So I took this book to Bali with me and once again, I inhaled it (not literally, mind you). Jonasson knows how to tell a story. He knows his history and politics, too, and he is seamlessly able to weave these historical facts into his fictional story. I found myself looking up certain things just to see if they are true (hint: they are!). Without getting too much into it, let’s just say that on the surface, it seems improbable that a young girl from Soweto, South Africa could ever have anything to do with the King of Sweden, but she does. And it’s funny. And it’s heartbreaking. And it’s good. And I recommend it.

Go get it from your library, but please ask before your borrow it …

5/5 coffees