Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! A “brilliant” (Lupita Nyong’o, Time), “poignant” (Entertainment Weekly), “soul-nourishing” (USA Today) memoir about coming of age during the twilight of apartheid
“Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten.”—Esquire
Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and an NAACP Image Award • Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Time, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Esquire, Newsday, and Booklist
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.
“Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten.”—Esquire
Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and an NAACP Image Award • Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Time, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Esquire, Newsday, and Booklist
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.
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Community Reviews
Born a Crime was a big hit among both readers and listeners. Trevor Noah achieved an amazing balance with the book that touched on some horrific realities, but also delivered on some delightful humor. When I was recounting, for someone who missed it what we discussed, I was kind of amazed that we had run such broad and intense territory. From the difficult history of apartheid and tribal tensions, to abuse; forgiveness; the power of hope, parenting a “naughty” child; the impact of language on identity and opportunity; what does diversity really mean, and is it natural to humans; and more! It was a book bursting with love and adoration for a mom whose quiet determination to give a child a life beyond the ghetto, or at least let him know that the world was out there, inspired admiration in us all.
"Born a Crime" is an autobiographical novel by the African standup comedian Trevor Noah. It was highly recommended to me by two of my friends. Incidentally, one of them had seen his standup shows and was a fan before he read his book while the other only had a fleeting idea who he was.
I also had very high expectations from the book because of the recommendations and also because I have this biased belief that most comedians are extremely smart individuals and so, their books ought to be really witty and funny and good.
"Born a Crime" does give a sneak peek into what it is like living in Africa in the 80s and 90s. And although I can image culture shock to people living in the West, it didn't seem too far our from what is experienced in the slums of Mumbai or some rural areas in India.
The book itself should have been titled "Queen Noah" , just like "King Richard" (the movie about Serena and Venus Williams' father) as it showed the resilience, defiance and irreverence of a single African woman who dares to dream in a difficult world.
The book was fun to listen as an Audiobooks because Trevor does some amazing African accents, but other than that, his jokes themselves aren't as funny.
My favourite line in the whole book was "...Human beings like to laugh. And lucky for me, pretty girls are human beings".
I also had very high expectations from the book because of the recommendations and also because I have this biased belief that most comedians are extremely smart individuals and so, their books ought to be really witty and funny and good.
"Born a Crime" does give a sneak peek into what it is like living in Africa in the 80s and 90s. And although I can image culture shock to people living in the West, it didn't seem too far our from what is experienced in the slums of Mumbai or some rural areas in India.
The book itself should have been titled "Queen Noah" , just like "King Richard" (the movie about Serena and Venus Williams' father) as it showed the resilience, defiance and irreverence of a single African woman who dares to dream in a difficult world.
The book was fun to listen as an Audiobooks because Trevor does some amazing African accents, but other than that, his jokes themselves aren't as funny.
My favourite line in the whole book was "...Human beings like to laugh. And lucky for me, pretty girls are human beings".
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