Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

Born A Crime

by Trevor Noah

WINNER OF THE THURBER PRIZE

The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world's brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of the US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him.

Noah was born a crime, son of 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 first 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, take him away.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man's fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother - a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.

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, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah's own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read.

Reviewed by Amber (The Literary Phoenix) on

5 of 5 stars

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In his memoir, comedian and Daily Show host Trevor Noah doesn't talk about his rise to fame. Instead, he uses this platform to take his readers to his childhood in South Africa. It's difficult to imagine this charismatic man ate worms and slept in the cars as a kid, but he did. That and so much more.

This book was inspiring and eye opening. I don't know much about apartheid, and now that I've had a peek, it just seems like something that should be taught in schools? There are all kinds of racism and it's important we learn so we can be better. But apartheid is only a small part of this book. I felt like this modest peek into his childhood opened up a world that I hadn't seen before. It was enlightening, fascinating, and a bit heartbreaking. But it never seemed like he was trying to garner sympathy or anything like this - it's just his story.

I'm actually really struggling to review this, because while it is undoubtedly a five star review, it's a very powerful book. Trevor Noah has excellent storytelling, a lot of emotions, and explains things without ever sounding condescending. This book is so relevant to a lot of the issues we're facing today as a planet, and Trevor's voice is perfect. He's honest, raw, funny, and serious all at once. This book isn't "feel good" by any means, but it is enlightening and important. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to everyone. EVERYONE.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 14 March, 2019: Finished reading
  • 14 March, 2019: Reviewed