Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
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- Create Date：2023-03-11 07:04:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Trevor Noah
- ISBN：0399588191
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Summary
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The compelling， inspiring， and comically sublime story of one man's coming-of-age， set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
Michiko Kakutani， New York Times - USA Today - San Francisco Chronicle - NPR - Esquire - Newsday - 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。
Praise for Born a Crime
"[A] compelling new memoir 。 。 。 By turns alarming， sad and funny， [Trevor Noah's] book provides a harrowing look， through the prism of Mr。 Noah's family， at life in South Africa under apartheid。 。 。 。 Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid， but a love letter to the author's remarkable mother。"--Michiko Kakutani， The New York Times
"[An] unforgettable memoir。"--Parade
"What makes Born a Crime such a soul-nourishing pleasure， even with all its darker edges and perilous turns， is reading Noah recount in brisk， warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism。 。 。 。 What also helped was having a mother like Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah。 。 。 。 Consider Born a Crime another such gift to her--and an enormous gift to the rest of us。" --USA Today
"[Noah] thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother。 。 。 。 Their fierce bond makes this story soar。" --People
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
Michiko Kakutani， New York Times - USA Today - San Francisco Chronicle - NPR - Esquire - Newsday - 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。
Praise for Born a Crime
"[A] compelling new memoir 。 。 。 By turns alarming， sad and funny， [Trevor Noah's] book provides a harrowing look， through the prism of Mr。 Noah's family， at life in South Africa under apartheid。 。 。 。 Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid， but a love letter to the author's remarkable mother。"--Michiko Kakutani， The New York Times
"[An] unforgettable memoir。"--Parade
"What makes Born a Crime such a soul-nourishing pleasure， even with all its darker edges and perilous turns， is reading Noah recount in brisk， warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism。 。 。 。 What also helped was having a mother like Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah。 。 。 。 Consider Born a Crime another such gift to her--and an enormous gift to the rest of us。" --USA Today
"[Noah] thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother。 。 。 。 Their fierce bond makes this story soar。" --People
Reviews
Patsy
，
4。5⭐️ What a life and brave， strong mother。
Tatiana
，
How you can make a fun to read book about Apartheid in RSA？ Trevor made it and amid all the horrors of his story I admire his ability for a reader to see his brighter days as well。
Akash Arasu
，
Listen to this as an audiobook， do not read。 When someone talks about their mother being shot by their abusive step-father， you must stop， and Listen。
Toni
，
I don't know why I waited so long to listen to this audiobook！ So many laugh out loud moments and so full of hope。 I don't know why I waited so long to listen to this audiobook！ So many laugh out loud moments and so full of hope。 。。。more
Gabe
，
I was a bit confused reading this because it felt like I'd read it before！ Laura definitely played a chapter or two of the audiobook for me， so perhaps that's why， but it felt very familiar。 I'm still a bit perplexed！ It was very good and I am really glad I'd listened to him a bit on audiobook first: I think that is the best medium because of all the accents。 Either way， there were so many great stories and Noah does a great job of providing fascinating stories of his childhood while informing a I was a bit confused reading this because it felt like I'd read it before！ Laura definitely played a chapter or two of the audiobook for me， so perhaps that's why， but it felt very familiar。 I'm still a bit perplexed！ It was very good and I am really glad I'd listened to him a bit on audiobook first: I think that is the best medium because of all the accents。 Either way， there were so many great stories and Noah does a great job of providing fascinating stories of his childhood while informing about growing in in apartheid and post-apartheid SA。 A genuinely engaging book。 。。。more
Bea Costin
，
Not a dull page in this book， I loved every line。I made so many highlights on the kindle。。。！！！
Martha
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 TW: domestic violenceThis is an amazing book。 Trevor Noah has a gift for storytelling。 His memories of growing up in South Africa during and after apartheid are detailed and present a lasting message: “if you teach a man to fish， don’t forget to get him a fishing rod。” The disparity between the theoretical freedom to do something vs the actual opportunity to do it is exemplified by his experience。The other main thread in the book is his mother who has a truly miraculous story。 It’s hard for me t TW: domestic violenceThis is an amazing book。 Trevor Noah has a gift for storytelling。 His memories of growing up in South Africa during and after apartheid are detailed and present a lasting message: “if you teach a man to fish， don’t forget to get him a fishing rod。” The disparity between the theoretical freedom to do something vs the actual opportunity to do it is exemplified by his experience。The other main thread in the book is his mother who has a truly miraculous story。 It’s hard for me to find the words because it’s difficult and emotional to talk about independent， successful， generous women who experience domestic violence。 But I will say as someone who has a deep trigger around DV， Trevor Noah has laid bare the worst of it and the truth of it while providing his mom and her story the love that she （and any survivor of DV） deserves。 。。。more
Caroline Rainey-Fluegel
，
I love a well-written memoir， and Trevor Noah’s is great。 I don’t watch the Daily Show and have only tuned in to his show on occasion at best， so I went into his book knowing nothing about him。 My favorite way to read a new book。 This memoir is so much more than I expected。 I loved his anecdotes on life in South Africa and the facts on Apartheid， on which my knowledge is strongly lacking。 Appreciated his take on tough topics like racism and gender norms， and recognizing someone’s language/cultur I love a well-written memoir， and Trevor Noah’s is great。 I don’t watch the Daily Show and have only tuned in to his show on occasion at best， so I went into his book knowing nothing about him。 My favorite way to read a new book。 This memoir is so much more than I expected。 I loved his anecdotes on life in South Africa and the facts on Apartheid， on which my knowledge is strongly lacking。 Appreciated his take on tough topics like racism and gender norms， and recognizing someone’s language/culture - all with a light， comedic undertone/current。 “You can only dream of what you can imagine， and， depending on where you come from， your imagination can be quite limited。” “We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others， because we don’t live with them。” “When you make the effort to speak someone else’s language， you’re saying to them， “I understand you have a culture and identity that exists beyond me。 I see you as a human being。” 。。。more
Кремена Георгиева
，
Страхотен комедиен талант， дори и в писмена форма。 Има много негативни аспекти и проблеми в живота му， но са представени с такова чувство на хумор， че не натоварват。Насладих се на историята， смях се доста。
Sarah B
，
I had heard so many great things about this book， and the hype was well deserved。 Trevor Noah takes us through a series of short stories that highlight was his childhood and young adult hood was growing up in South Africa。 I have to say I have not been exposed to much information about this region of the world， so this was an eye opening book and very educational that Noah paired with comedic relief throughout the book。 All the while， it also reads as a love note to his tough-loving， brave， stro I had heard so many great things about this book， and the hype was well deserved。 Trevor Noah takes us through a series of short stories that highlight was his childhood and young adult hood was growing up in South Africa。 I have to say I have not been exposed to much information about this region of the world， so this was an eye opening book and very educational that Noah paired with comedic relief throughout the book。 All the while， it also reads as a love note to his tough-loving， brave， strong willed mom。 If you haven’t read this yet， I recommend you do as soon as you can！ 。。。more
Isabella
，
Trevor Noah told his story in a way that made the brutality of apartheid completely clear， yet gave this book so much light and joy through his story telling skills。 One of the best books I’ve ever read， I could hardly put it down。
Jaqui
，
Absolutely extraordinary memoir， and oh， so achingly beautifully narrated by the writer。 Witty， sharp， insightful， laugh out loud funny and heartbreakingly sad too and at the same time， a complete joy。 A fitting tribute， too， to his amazing mother。 There are so many levels to this story; personal， political， economic， historic， and the writer manages it all with such skill and searing honesty。 It's brilliant 。 I listened to this on Audible。 I had never heard of Trevor Noah before， but I see peop Absolutely extraordinary memoir， and oh， so achingly beautifully narrated by the writer。 Witty， sharp， insightful， laugh out loud funny and heartbreakingly sad too and at the same time， a complete joy。 A fitting tribute， too， to his amazing mother。 There are so many levels to this story; personal， political， economic， historic， and the writer manages it all with such skill and searing honesty。 It's brilliant 。 I listened to this on Audible。 I had never heard of Trevor Noah before， but I see people have been on waiting lists for months waiting for his book。 Those people are in for a journey that is quite something。 It is moving and amazing what he and his family have come through。 it was utterly captivating to listen to Extraordinary as I said。 Sobering and touching too。。。 I really Can't praise it highly enough。 。。。more
Rachel
，
Hilarious and heartbreaking。 Trevor teaches readers about the messed up systems of apartheid and the injustices faced in his own life through a series of hilarious anecdotes and sad truths faced by many South Africans。 “People love to say “give a man a fish， and he’ll eat for a day。 Teach a man to fish， and he’ll eat for a lifetime” What they don’t say is “and it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod。” That’s the part of the analogy that’s always missing。”
Joana
，
5 of 5 stars
Jagan K
，
A coming of age story like no other， the way Trevor has written the entire book by interspersing his personal stories with the complicated history of South Africa makes it one of the best reads。 Also， like his stand up special， this book should've been called Son of Patricia A coming of age story like no other， the way Trevor has written the entire book by interspersing his personal stories with the complicated history of South Africa makes it one of the best reads。 Also， like his stand up special， this book should've been called Son of Patricia 。。。more
Teresa Weber
，
Love Trevor's story。 He is just an amazing fella and has so much insight into this crazy world。 The sense of humor he adds to his life story， though it has had its difficulties， is so admirable。 Love Trevor's story。 He is just an amazing fella and has so much insight into this crazy world。 The sense of humor he adds to his life story， though it has had its difficulties， is so admirable。 。。。more
shivani n
，
I LOVE THIS BOOK！！！ it was amazing， definitely the best memoir i've ever read （even though that is a very short list）。 i've been meaning to read this for a very long time and i'm so glad i finally picked it up; i actually listened to the audiobook which was such a good experience。 the way trevor noah narrates the story is soo stunning and descriptive。 nothing felt out of place， boring， or redundant。 every part of the story felt intentional and perfectly paced。 he clearly had something to say and I LOVE THIS BOOK！！！ it was amazing， definitely the best memoir i've ever read （even though that is a very short list）。 i've been meaning to read this for a very long time and i'm so glad i finally picked it up; i actually listened to the audiobook which was such a good experience。 the way trevor noah narrates the story is soo stunning and descriptive。 nothing felt out of place， boring， or redundant。 every part of the story felt intentional and perfectly paced。 he clearly had something to say and knew exactly how to say it。 also something i liked was that unlike a lot of other celebrity memoirs， this one wasn't just taking you through his whole life story from birth to adult and how he got famous and all， it wasn't about that。 it was about his childhood and how he was raised and the experiences he's had influenced him and made him the person he is today。 i loved all the stories and it was a perfect mix of light and bubbly but also emotional and profound。 some of them are sooo funny like i love all the accents he does and the dialogues he says （i know it's a nonfiction book but his mum was my favourite character。 from what he said about her and all the scenes that she was in， she seems so freaking iconic like i just love her what a queen）。 anyways i would definitely recommend this！！ amazing！！！ 。。。more
Emily
，
I really enjoyed this memoir。 I don't generally watch talk shows， so I'm not really familiar with Trevor Noah's comedy， but now I'm interested in knowing more about his story and how he ended up in the USA。 I laughed out loud several times while reading Born a Crime -- the two times that come to mind are the first chapter when he was describing his Sundays full of white church， black church， and colored church， and the chapter entitled "Go Hitler。" （Spoiler: he had a friend named Hitler， and the I really enjoyed this memoir。 I don't generally watch talk shows， so I'm not really familiar with Trevor Noah's comedy， but now I'm interested in knowing more about his story and how he ended up in the USA。 I laughed out loud several times while reading Born a Crime -- the two times that come to mind are the first chapter when he was describing his Sundays full of white church， black church， and colored church， and the chapter entitled "Go Hitler。" （Spoiler: he had a friend named Hitler， and they booked a deejay/dancing gig at a Jewish school。。。 I never really thought about how Adolf Hitler is the worst person in the world only in the eyes of the west。 In some parts of the world， like South Africa， there are worse villains and Hitler is just a name。） There's a little bit of bad language but I recommend this book to practically anyone， anyway。 Come for the humor， stay for the education and the relationship between Trevor and his mother; it's truly heartwarming。 。。。more
Connor Patterson
，
This was a unique type of book。 Trevor Noah intertwines South African history / socioeconomic dynamics with stories of his own youth。 They all seem a bit unrelated until the final chapter。 I expected this to be more about Trevor Noah the comedian but it really wasn’t at all， and that was fine。 Easy to read and highly recommend！
Moldir Seilkhanova
，
I like the personality of Trevor Noah， and reading his autobiography raised my sympathy for him even more。 I dived into the life of a little boy who grew up in the period of apartheid and experienced the South African world through his eyes—loved the book。
Lynsi Nauman
，
This was easy to give 5 stars to。 I listened to this on audiobook and was glad I did because Trevor Noah reads it and his voice is just lovely。 I did not know much about the South African Apartheid before reading this。 I liked how this was about his experience of the Apartheid， being born to a white mother and a black father， and not his comedy carrer。 This book was fascinating and shocking。 Highly recommend。
Emily Keller
，
Love love loved this book so muchWhether u like or dislike him from the daily show this is such an amazing read。 He doesn’t even touch on his path to fame and solely highlights on his journey through life with his mother in South Africa。 Every chapter the stories I swear are either insanely funny， sad， crazy， or unbelievable and you never knew which one was coming next。 He piles in so much historical and cultural information while also making it an entertaining read about navigating life lessons Love love loved this book so muchWhether u like or dislike him from the daily show this is such an amazing read。 He doesn’t even touch on his path to fame and solely highlights on his journey through life with his mother in South Africa。 Every chapter the stories I swear are either insanely funny， sad， crazy， or unbelievable and you never knew which one was coming next。 He piles in so much historical and cultural information while also making it an entertaining read about navigating life lessons and self identity。 South Africa has such a dense history that is so interesting and heartbreaking to learn about。 I really enjoyed how honest Trevor was through the whole book even when his thoughts and actions （or his mothers） weren’t the most noble at times。 Loved his mom through the whole book he painted her so realistically and beautifully。 。。。more
Romana
，
This is one of the best books ever。 Heartbreaking & vulnerable meets absolutely hilarious & completely candid。It’s a detailed & gut-wrenching share， a history lesson， a recount of the best stories that had me laughing aloud， & more wrapped up in one。It’s so good & doesn’t let up even for a second - 5 stars just ain’t enough
Jenny Kl
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Full disclosure : did not finish the book。 Read about 60% of it。 The first part of the story is great （and very tragic） historial stories around the time of apartheid。 Towards the middle of the book， the stories of Trevor’s teenage life seemed to drag on with too many details， when the moral of the specific situation could have been summarized a little better。 But， if you like lots of details of situations ， then you’d like that part。
Claire Angione
，
Listened on audio book！
Rosalie
，
Such a good book！ Especially traveling through South Africa while reading it gave the extra dimension。
Margit
，
Ooh boy！ A könyv első feléig azt éreztem， hogy lassan hömpölyög。 Abszolút értékeltem ennek a számomra eddig ismeretlen helyszínnek a bemutatását。 És értettem， hogy valóban egy outsider helyzetéből kommentálja az eseményeket， ami kiváló narrátori pozíciónak tűnt。 Ugyanakkor nyelvileg kevésnek éreztem。 És a stand up-ját vagy a műsorát jobban szerettem。De azért voltak kedvenc részeim。 A "hood" leírása， az apjával való kísérletei， az iskolai sodródásai， a börtön és az anyja kórházba kerülése。Zokogva Ooh boy！ A könyv első feléig azt éreztem， hogy lassan hömpölyög。 Abszolút értékeltem ennek a számomra eddig ismeretlen helyszínnek a bemutatását。 És értettem， hogy valóban egy outsider helyzetéből kommentálja az eseményeket， ami kiváló narrátori pozíciónak tűnt。 Ugyanakkor nyelvileg kevésnek éreztem。 És a stand up-ját vagy a műsorát jobban szerettem。De azért voltak kedvenc részeim。 A "hood" leírása， az apjával való kísérletei， az iskolai sodródásai， a börtön és az anyja kórházba kerülése。Zokogva olvastam a végét。 。。。more
Deb
，
4。25 or 4。5
Michelle L。 E。 Price
，
I already loved the author as both a comedian and interviewer， but now I can say that I loved him even more as a storyteller。 Whether talking about the complicated racist systems he navigated as a child of black and white parents before Apartheid ended in South Africa or pooping on a newspaper on his grandmother’s kitchen floor，every story was both utterly relatable and heartbreakingly unique。 He described himself as a chameleon， but his sharp wit， wry wisdom and perfect comedic spin are crafted I already loved the author as both a comedian and interviewer， but now I can say that I loved him even more as a storyteller。 Whether talking about the complicated racist systems he navigated as a child of black and white parents before Apartheid ended in South Africa or pooping on a newspaper on his grandmother’s kitchen floor，every story was both utterly relatable and heartbreakingly unique。 He described himself as a chameleon， but his sharp wit， wry wisdom and perfect comedic spin are crafted perfection。 。。。more
grace
，
It's always a pleasant surprise when you read a celebrity memoir that is written thoughtfully。 It's always a pleasant surprise when you read a celebrity memoir that is written thoughtfully。 。。。more
tpg0
，
As an AI language model， I cannot have an opinion， but I can provide you with a brief summary about the book。 "Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood" is an autobiography written by Trevor Noah， a South African comedian， and television host。 The book tells the story of Noah's childhood as a mixed-race child during the apartheid era in South Africa。 It describes the challenges he faced growing up， such as his mother's religious beliefs， his father's absence， and the discrimination he faced in school， at church， and on the streets。 Despite these struggles， the book also highlights Noah's resilience and his ability to find humor in the darkest of circumstances。 The book was critically acclaimed and became a New York Times bestseller。
tpg1
，
As an AI language model， I cannot provide personal opinions or reviews on books。 However， Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah is a critically acclaimed memoir that describes Noah's experiences growing up in post-apartheid South Africa as the son of a black mother and a white father。 The book explores themes of race， identity， family， and resilience。 It has received widespread praise for its humor， honesty， and insight into the complexities of life in South Africa。
tpg2
，
Written by Trevor Noah， 'Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood' is a compelling memoir that chronicles the comedian's childhood growing up in apartheid-era South Africa。 Using his signature wit and humor， Noah shares the challenges and absurdities of his upbringing， where his very existence as the child of a black mother and a white father was considered a crime。 Through his personal narrative， Noah sheds light on the complex racial landscape of South Africa and the trauma that people of color faced under apartheid。 He also explores universal themes of family， identity， and resilience。 'Born a Crime' is an engaging and enlightening read that offers a unique perspective on history， culture， and humanity。 It is a memoir that will touch your heart and make you laugh out loud。
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