Born a Crime is the memoir of South African comedian Trevor Noah who grew up during Apartheid and its turbulent aftermath. The title refers to his birth as a mixed race child, a union between people of different races being illegal at the time. Trevor’s mother was a courageous Xhosa woman whose daily life defied the system that tried to suppress her. His father was a Swiss man. Trevor and his mother spent years hidden away in the city in a white area that was illegal for them to live in.

Trevor’s story takes us through his experiences living in a white area where he was considered too black, in a township in Soweto where he was considered too white and in a coloured area where he looked similar but was culturally too black to fit in.

I enjoyed the portrayal of his mother, the hardships of her life, her obvious strength and resilience, and the deep respect he clearly has for her. I found some of the sections about how gangster he was less engaging. It also felt like it was very clearly written for an American audience and I wondered how South African readers would perceive this story. I certainly can’t imagine any South African ever referring to their mother as Mom! 3.5 stars for me. ( )

I’ve always liked Trevor Noah. I find him hilarious and extremely intelligent. This book made me love him even more. Filled with stories that will make you laugh and stories that will make you cry, his memoir is definitely a story of hope and faith. ( )

Wow. Trevor Noah certainly led an interesting life in South Africa. I'm ashamed to admit I never really knew much about how bad Apartheid was. I knew it existed and just likened it to segregation after the Civil War in the US. Boy was I wrong.

This is a great book to not only get a touch of history, but to read the life of an interesting person. I enjoyed Noah's storytelling and earmarked quite a few pages for the anecdotes and life lessons he tells.

I picked this up because it's been on my list for a while and I figured I'd finally read it. I'm sure glad I did. This is an excellent biography for anyone to read. ( )

I love Trevor Noah, and this book did not let me down. It was a very honest and educational tale of his childhood in South Africa, what it was like growing up, and how apartheid affecting everything. Easily one of the best biographies I've read, and I look forward to his next one.


Would fit The 52 Book Club's 2021 prompts:
1 - Set in a School
2 - Featuring The Legal Profession
8 - A Book in the 900's of the Dewey Decimal System
10 - Related to the Word Fire
17 - A Character On The Run
23 - An Ending That Surprises You
26 - An Author of Colour
28 - Includes a Historical Event You Know Little About
32 - A Selfish Character
35 - Set In A Country That Starts With The Letter S
37 - An Educational Read
40 - Found via Bookstagram
43 - A Character With a Pet Cat
44 - Includes a Garden
45 - A Coming of Age Novel
47 - A Character With a Disability
48 - Cover With a Woman Who is Facing Away ( )

Wonderful, colorful stories from Mr. Noah's childhood, not just about the insidious institution of apartheid but about its democratic aftermath; family and particularly, his mother's fierce love; being different because he was "colored" and therefore neither black nor white (his mother a Black African, his father a Swiss-German ex-pat), and, under the apartheid regime, a "crime" because he was the product of an illegal union; religion; and rebellion. The stories are not presented linearly, and they are often vignettes, but they trace Mr. Noah's life from his birth in 1984 to his early years as a comedian. I read part of it on my Kindle app but listened to most on Audible. Mr. Noah narrated, which made it perfect. ( )