Apartheid, domestic abuse, and a mother’s love.
I don’t tend to read biographies and other non-fiction work, but I read this after seeing the author being interviewed about this book. I’m really glad I picked it up.
One part of the book mentions how black history is taught in America: there were slaves, they were freed, there was Jim Crow, then MLK came along and civil rights passed. Apartheid is also taught in the US in much the same simplistic way: there was a system to control black South Africans, Nelson Mandela was freed, and Apartheid went away. Born a Crime provides a much deeper understanding of what Apartheid was, the extent to which it went to suppress the black majority and keep whites in power. I really had no idea. For the history lesson alone, Born a Crime is worth reading.
It’s also a love letter to the author’s mother, a woman with a depth of strength which is hard to comprehend.
Trevor has an easy, readable style and a compelling story to tell. Recommended!