Born a Crime

Stories from a South African Childhood

by

Hardcover, 304 pages

English language

Published Jan. 14, 2016 by Spiegel & Grau.

OCLC Number:
969105382

View on OpenLibrary

4 stars (3 reviews)

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. Source: www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/537515/born-a-crime-by-trevor-noah/9780399588174/

14 editions

reviewed Born A Crime by Trevor Noah

'Born a Crime' review

4 stars

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.

reviewed Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Stories of Trevor Noah (and South Africa)

5 stars

The book starts light-hearted the same way young Trevor takes his life. He takes it as a fact, to be a born crime, somehow different from the rest of the family. As the author Trevor Noah puts his childhood into perspective - with entertaining anecdotes and insights. Many stories in the book create a mix of emotions to process. I needed often day-long breaks where I was just reflecting over a story.

Nearly every story brings a broader understanding of Apartheid and the struggles in South Africa. It makes you understand how unfair everything was set-up by design. How it evolved from colonialism to a modern police state - and eventually felt apart.

The book is well written and combines personal life with the day-to-day history of South Africa in a unique way. Whether you find Trevor interesting or the history of South Africa, this is a book for you.

reviewed Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

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.