Born a Crime - Secret Bear Library

Paperback, 342 pages

English language

Published Dec. 12, 2016 by Macmillan.

ISBN:: 978-1-77010-506-5
OCLC Number:: 964574945

(2 reviews)

Trevor Noah’s path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show in New York 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. 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 his 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 being thrown from a moving car during an attempted …

Trevor Noah’s path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show in New York 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. 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 his 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 being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping or simply trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. --back cover

21 editions

todb reviewed Born A Crime by Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

'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.

Rainer 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.