#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 … 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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Absolutely wonderful read. His dysfunctional youth was surprising given his current achievements.
This was a very poorly written book. It jumped around so much it was difficult to know what really happened. He loved his mother but the descriptions of her very incredibly contradictory. No mention of how he became a comedian.
I would never recommend it. A waste of paper.
Fascinating story of Trevor’s life growing up in South Africa. Couldn’t put it down. Humorous and thoughtful.
To grow up during apartheid is something that is hard to even imagine. Trevor Noah puts it all in perspective.
Trevor Noah was a mixed race child in a country that criminalized such unions. By turns funny and shocking.
A great way to see apartheid in South Africa through human eyes.
I have always enjoyed Trevor’s quick-witted humor, but after reading the story of his life I have tremendous respect for him as a man.
Funny and frank. Growing up was a challenge for Trevor Noah. But, you’ll laugh and sometimes be shocked at his candid story.
Written with humor, wit and, warmth, Trevor Noah reports his youth as a mixed race child under apartheid. Inciteful discussion at our book group.
There was a lot I had not heard about South Africa that I learned in the book. He wrote with no bitterness.
I didn’t realize he was a comedian at first which I think is helpful to know. His phrases at times had an irreverent quality but once you know he’s a comedian, it makes more sense and you understand his phrases and point of view. A very interesting account of his life history and how his biracial background impacted his life in South Africa.
Everyone knows Trevor Noah as the best mimic around today. I have laughed myself onto the floor listening to his take off of South African accents and ways of speech. But he is alo an intelligent observer of life and a polyglot. This book describes his life in the townships of Johannesburg before he became famous.
Disappointing in two areas: too many f-bombs and the events in the story were repetitive enough to drag. Love him in-person when he has a cleaned-up act.
Very nice story about Trevor Noah, where he grew up, how his was raised being of mixed race during apartheid.
A first hand look at the complexities of growing up during the Apartheid era of South Africa, and the capacity of the human spirit to rise beyond the limitations of the culture.
I loved reading this book so much that I bought a set and am teaching it to my 10th graders! Trevor Noah taught me a great deal about life in South Africa and his struggles with being bi-racial in a time when it was forbidden.
I didn’t know anything about Trevor Noah. Turns out he had an interesting life and overcame a lot. He is very bright and I now when he is on TV I enjoy listening to him.
it was just okay. however these books are kind of interesting when the subject is able to overcome their less than favorable upbringing.
This book was funny as well as tragic. A must read on the horrors of apartheid and growing up as a mixed race child in South Africa and how the author and his Mom persevered
It’s heartbreaking to read about the legacy of apartheid, and then heartwarming to see how Trevor Noah managed to transcend the ugliness and racism that defined that early life. His mother is so inspiring and also scary. It brings the DV that so many women and children endure right into your face with the twist of Noah’s humor making it more bearable than it should be.