Born a Crime
Buy Now
By using these links, you support READO. We receive an affiliate commission without any additional costs to you.
Description
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 eighteen personal essays 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.
Book Information
Posts
What a life story! By narrating anecdotes from his childhood, Trevor Noah gives insights into what experiences, influences and values made him the person and brilliant comedian he is today. Although it never feels like lecturing, he also reminds and educates about how it was to grow up in South Africa shortly before and after the end of the horrific apartheid regime. A truly inspiring book. I'm keen to see how as the host of the "Daily Show" he will help us to see the funny side of the world while it continues to go crazy...
I loved every second of it! I laughed so much listening to the audiobook, but it was also really sad from time to time. The book is also a great source of information on systematic racism and what it is was like growing up under apartheid. Recommendation to everyone interested in South African culture.
I never would have imagined Trevor Noah’s life to have been like this. The way he appears on stage and in interviews doesn’t hint at the hard life he had. The autobiography feels very honest. But it not only tells his story but the story of apartheid and so many other African people. The only thing missing for me was his way into comedy. He talks about his life before his career but I also would have loved to read about how he got there, even if it was only a short chapter.
I went into this book not knowing anything about Trevor Noah and his background, but I was really impressed with his life story and especially his mother. I learned a lot... I honestly was ignorant about how apartheid worked and I think I will have to read another book about it. And of course, great narration by the author!
Description
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 eighteen personal essays 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.
Book Information
Posts
What a life story! By narrating anecdotes from his childhood, Trevor Noah gives insights into what experiences, influences and values made him the person and brilliant comedian he is today. Although it never feels like lecturing, he also reminds and educates about how it was to grow up in South Africa shortly before and after the end of the horrific apartheid regime. A truly inspiring book. I'm keen to see how as the host of the "Daily Show" he will help us to see the funny side of the world while it continues to go crazy...
I loved every second of it! I laughed so much listening to the audiobook, but it was also really sad from time to time. The book is also a great source of information on systematic racism and what it is was like growing up under apartheid. Recommendation to everyone interested in South African culture.
I never would have imagined Trevor Noah’s life to have been like this. The way he appears on stage and in interviews doesn’t hint at the hard life he had. The autobiography feels very honest. But it not only tells his story but the story of apartheid and so many other African people. The only thing missing for me was his way into comedy. He talks about his life before his career but I also would have loved to read about how he got there, even if it was only a short chapter.
I went into this book not knowing anything about Trevor Noah and his background, but I was really impressed with his life story and especially his mother. I learned a lot... I honestly was ignorant about how apartheid worked and I think I will have to read another book about it. And of course, great narration by the author!