Thursday, March 23, 2017

First Line Friday: Non-Eleanor Edition II


I have been in writing mode the last few evenings so I thought I would take a very short Eleanor-related break and show off some of the other fun stuff I am reading right now.

This week's line is from Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah. Now let me be the first to say I was very wrong about Trevor Noah. I loved The Daily Show. Loved, loved, LOVED! I love Jon Stewart, I love Stephen Colbert, I loved all of them. Then came The Colbert Report, and eventually he moved on to a more traditional late-show spot because he could no longer play such a buffoon of a character, and then a few months later Stewart announced he would be ending his run with Comedy Central. I was sure there was no one who could replace Jon Stewart. No way this Trevor guy could ever be even a fraction of as awesome as Jon.

Boy, was I wrong.

Trevor Noah is fucking awesome. Don't get me wrong, Jon Stewart will always be the person I think of first in fond memories of The Daily Show. But Trevor Noah is incredibly intelligent and funny as hell. I am so glad I came around to the idea of anyone else hosting the show, because Trevor's spot-on impression of trump is some much-needed humor in this living nightmare.

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I am cheating and using two first lines. Ahead of every chapter, there is a brief section relating to the history of apartheid in South Africa (in addition to the horrifying things I am learning from the chapters themselves), So, for this one I am using the first paragraph from the apartheid section, followed by the first paragraph of Chapter 1: Run

"The genius of apartheid was convincing people who were the overwhelming majority to turn on each other. Apart hate, is what it was. You separate people into groups and make them hate one another so you can run them all."

and

"Sometimes in big Hollywood movies they'll have these crazy chase scenes where somebody jumps or gets thrown from a moving car. The person hits the ground and rolls for a bit. Then they come to a stop and pop up and dust themselves off, like it was no big deal. Whenever I see that I think, That's rubbish. Getting thrown out of a moving car hurts way worse than that."

(And for the record in case you are wanting to know, he knows this because when he was nine his mother threw him out of a moving car, then herself jumped out, while holding Trevor's baby brother. All were okay - his brother did not have a mark on him, Trevor says -  but they most certainly would not have been had they stayed in the car.)

Leave a comment below about my line or feel free to share one of your own. Then take a look at what my fellow First-Liners have for you this week.


Rachel - Bookworm Mama




Lauraine - Lauraine's Notes

Andi - Radiant Light


Robin - Robin's Nest


Kathleen - Kathleen Denly



Happy Friday and Happy Reading!
Sarah

18 comments:

  1. Happy Friday! Your book sounds interesting!
    My first line is from Joel C. Rosenberg’s new book
    Without Warning:
    “I had never been in the Oval Office before.
    But I’d always imagined my first time going differently.”

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    1. Hi Becky. It really was quite interesting. Thanks for coming by, happy reading!

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  2. Claire Murray headed for the barn, a burst of cold air lifting her long blonde hair and tossing it into her face. – To Dance with Dolphins by Bonnie Leon

    Happy Friday and Happy Reading!

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    1. Great imagery with that one; my hair is long and it happens to me all the time! Happy Reading :)

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  3. Interesting!

    My first line is from a favorite author. Again. ;)
    "Let innocence be your mask."
    (from Ring of Secrets by Roseanna M. White)

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    1. Hey Amanda, thanks for coming by. It was a great read. Thank you for sharing a line. Happy reading!

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  4. Replies
    1. It really was. I can't imagine a single scenario in my whole life where my mom would to throw me from a moving car and then jump herself. His life in South Africa was quite a rough ride.

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  5. Replies
    1. It was a really great read, and quick too. That could be because I enjoy his sense of humor and The Daily Show. But either way, a good way to spend a few hours!

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  6. I don't watch any of these American talk show things so I wasn't aware of who Trevor Noah was. I tend to watch tough job reality tv from the US like Gold Rush and Deadliest Catch. The book itself does sound interesting. I spent some great holidays in South Africa and I loved the place and the friendly people.

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    1. I never really watched any except The Daily Show, beginning with Jon Stewart. Everything I see now is online, but Trevor is definitely worth looking up. He's also got a comedy special on Netflix, at least it is on here in the US. I would love to visit South Africa someday, I bet you have wonderful photos and memories!

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