The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime New York Times bestseller about one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
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 …
The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime New York Times bestseller about one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
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 eighteen personal essays 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.
Pretty good! My biggest complaint is in the editing -- the time periods kind of jump all over the place, and not in an interesting, Christopher Nolan sort of way. Also, the transition from being a street hood in Johannesburg to host of the Daily Show was kind of not present at all; I guess we have to wait for the sequel to see how Trevor gets out of the country!
That said, the ultimate message of "holy shit Trevor Noah lived through some real abject poverty and abuse as a kid" was great, and something that all privileged kids should read. Also, I learned a lot more about street-level life in South Africa during the transition to post-apartheid, which was interesting and terrible.
I learned so much about Trevor Noah (and South Africa)
5 stars
It took me about a year to finish this one. I started off reading out loud with my partner but we moved on to something a bit cheerier due to the fact that a lot of the chapters are pretty depressing (it's still a great book, it just wasn't working for us in that context).
Having said that, I really enjoyed Trevor's book here and I have a whole new level respect for him. He's a terrific writer and a hilarious storyteller.
If you like Trevor Noah or are interested in South Africa, consider reading this book.
Review of 'Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This memoir tells the story of Trevor Noah's childhood spent in a wildly different society from what we're used to in the West. Being a mixed race boy meant in large part that he didn't fit into most of the categories in people's minds. When he was very young, it was a time where the law severely suppressed the mixing of races, accounting for the title of the book. His mother, of Xhosa background, plays a large role during the major part of the story, his Swiss German father only in one short but memorable chapter. By the time he was going to school the apartheid system was abolished and Nelson Mandela rose to power.
His personality shines through strongly, as a young and naive child, in school as he found his gift for cutting deals, then working on the township streets once out of school culminating in a brush …
This memoir tells the story of Trevor Noah's childhood spent in a wildly different society from what we're used to in the West. Being a mixed race boy meant in large part that he didn't fit into most of the categories in people's minds. When he was very young, it was a time where the law severely suppressed the mixing of races, accounting for the title of the book. His mother, of Xhosa background, plays a large role during the major part of the story, his Swiss German father only in one short but memorable chapter. By the time he was going to school the apartheid system was abolished and Nelson Mandela rose to power.
His personality shines through strongly, as a young and naive child, in school as he found his gift for cutting deals, then working on the township streets once out of school culminating in a brush with the law. As a natural comedian at heart and narrator of his own audiobook, he frequently plays up the comic aspects of his experiences, but not always, and especially not in the last chapter in an unexpectedly dark and harrowing coming of age account. South Africa sounds like a land of huge variations not only between cities, ethnic homelands, and townships but even from block to block. I felt like it would be hard to imagine what it would be like if I were thrown into that kind of setting, and given the enormous shifts that country went through, maybe life was really more of a matter of luck than other places. I found it absorbing and complex, not afraid to dig below the surface of how societies work and explain this to the world in a thoughtful fashion.
I enjoy watching Noah on The Daily Show. Had never heard of him before that and knew next to nothing about him. But even if I'd never heard of him before listening to his memoir, I'd have found it very interesting. And having him tell his own story made it even better. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys memoirs.
Review of 'Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
I don't watch The Daily Show regularly; but, I usually enjoy clips when I see them. I generally find Trevor Noah to be funny, clever, and thoughtful. I listened to Trevor reading the book, which added to the story (though, I would have heard his voice in my head even if I had read the book with my eyes).
The book jumps around from time to time and back again, several times, which detracted from my overall enjoyment a little. I learned some things about him that I probably wish I hadn't. Overall, though, it was really interesting to learn of his experience, and I'm glad I read it.
Review of 'Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
Fascinating, but weird pacing. Like the narrative keeps going back and forth and bits of it seem to contradict itself, so at times it was hard to follow. Audiobook performance is excellent, and as it was free on Audible, no complaints from me.
