Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

‘Born a Crime’ is a memoir of Trevor Noah about his childhood in South Africa. He brings us his stories of growing up in a monarch society when apartheid was prevalent in Africa. He talks about his mother and grandmother, who were strong independent women, and how the monarch society has shaped his view of the world. He reflects on various aspects of apartheid and how it affected the lives of the black families of South Africa. All via his own stories.

I found Trevor Noah’s way of storytelling very intense. One moment, I am laughing out loud, and the other moment, I am tearing up. It’s not something that I experience with a book very often. That’s how I know I have read a great book. Trevor’s stories are silly and witty at the same time. Even though he talks about his naïve childhood stories, he reflects on the incidents with much more wisdom as an adult. It’s a wild ride, a great one. By the time the book ended, my heart was heavy, yet I was feeling lighthearted.

It is one of the best memoirs I have read. I find memoirs quite interesting, especially when it’s by someone I follow in real life. If you watch ‘The Daily Show’ and like Trevor Noah’s way of storytelling. This is a must-read.

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Rating: 5 out of 5.

The Hilarious World of Depression by John Moe is a compilation of the Author’s thoughts in a Memoir format. He is the host of the podcast, The hilarious world of depression, where he interviewed various celebrities and comedians dealing with depression and other mental illnesses and talk about their journey and struggles.

While I have never heard of the podcast before reading this book, he frequently quotes the stories discussed on the podcast with the celebrities. He incorporates all the stories in a discussion format while delving into his own thoughts about the topic and bringing in the other’s experience of the same. On the podcast, he uses terms like saddies for people diagnosed with depression and Normies for people not diagnosed with depression to lighten the discussion.

The book sensitively deals with the topic while diving deep into the dark and heavy discussions about the struggles of living with a mental illness and yet manages to make it funny. I had second thoughts about continuing the book because while I was liking the writing styles, metaphors, humor, and stories of the book, it was probably not a good idea to read it amidst this pandemic situation.

I would totally recommend this book for everyone, for saddies to relate and for normies to understand the experiences of saddies and be empathetic about it. But at the same time, reading about such descriptions and stories can be triggering for some people. This book can probably be picked up once everything is normal, and you are in a good mental state to handle your emotions.

Dear Girls by Ali Wong

‘Dear Girls’ is a hilarious memoir of Ali Wong, written as a series of letters addressed to her daughters, Nikki and Mari. Ali narrates her story of studying abroad, her dating life, the story meeting her husband, and her journey as a stand up comic. This book is very casual and fun, just like Ali’s personality. I picked up this book because I like reading Memoirs of celebrities. It gives me more insight into their background and their work. Being her fan, this was on my TBR since it came out.

Ali talks about everything in this book, the hard work she put in to be where she is right now. Sharing her struggles being a comic and raising two daughters, her relationship with her parents, about her husband and more. This book is funny, but it’s more than just a funny memoir. It’s inspiration covered in humor.

I really liked the ending of the book. The afterword is written by Ali’s I really liked the ending of the book. The afterword is written by Ali’s husband, Justin, who’s referred to as ‘Daddy’ in the entire book. Everything until that point was narrated by Ali, most of which was about her marriage and raising Mary and Nikki in which Justin played a prominent role. So it was refreshing to read his side of the story. It completed the book for me.

This book, being fun and humor might only cater to readers who are familiar with Ali Wong’s work and want to read more about her. However, I believe if the new audience gives it a chance, this book and Ali wong will grow on them. It’s a very transparent record but very sexual as well, in a humorous way, just like Ali’s stand-ups. Don’t let the title throw you away, ‘Dear Girls’ is for Nikki, Mari and everyone else.