The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime New York Times bestseller about one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.
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.
Michelle Omeno –
‘Born a Crime’ is a collection of eighteen personal stories tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist.
Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man’s fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother – a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse.
Who knew when Trevor Noah would serve me a book of short stories I’d take a big gulp and immensely enjoy the succinct, funny, writing style. I. LOVED. THIS. FREAKING. BOOK ! 😍😍
But aaaah Trevor Noah you forget to tell me the rest of your journey. You left me so thirsty than you first served me. Is there another book in the works? I wanna know how you eventually left the streets and everything in between. I was so invested 🤭
Oh and your momma, your momma is a force to reckon with. It’s like her spirited sipped through your words into me. I want more despite the challenges. I intend more. And your energy, angst and sense of adventure kinda reminded of me before I sobered up. But it’s your creativity and pov that so fascinated me so much that I want more of you.
Meanwhile, I learnt so much about apartheid and racism more than I initially did. You ‘cooked’ it so well in ways that were easy to digest yet hit the right buds. Those people did a number on us didn’t they?
Not forgetting the humor that left me finding it hard to breath and the writing style that had me hooked. Oh we are so having this tête à tête with you again before the year ends. Believe it!
You being born a crime was such a blessing. Standing ovation!
Love, your newest fan, Empress of Bookingham