Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood in Reading with Style

Apr 30, 2017 Connie G rated it it was amazing

Shelves: south-africa, autobiography-memoir

"Born a Crime" is an enormously engaging memoir about the early years of Trevor Noah's life. Noah is the successful host of The Daily Show, the satirical American news show on Comedy Central. He was born in 1984 during apartheid in South Africa to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father. His parents could have been jailed for five years for having a mixed race child, and Noah could have been sent to a state orphanage. He spent much of his childhood indoors at his grandmother's home with hi "Born a Crime" is an enormously engaging memoir about the early years of Trevor Noah's life. Noah is the successful host of The Daily Show, the satirical American news show on Comedy Central. He was born in 1984 during apartheid in South Africa to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father. His parents could have been jailed for five years for having a mixed race child, and Noah could have been sent to a state orphanage. He spent much of his childhood indoors at his grandmother's home with his cousins for playmates since it was dangerous for him to be seen outdoors.

Post-apartheid, Noah went to school but he felt like he did not fit in because of his mixed heritage. Noah had picked up multiple languages from his mother and other people so he used language to be accepted in school and on the street. "I became a chameleon. My color didn't change, but I could change your perception of my color. If you spoke to me in Zulu, I replied to you in Zulu. If you spoke to me in Tswana, I replied to you in Tswana. Maybe I didn't look like you, but if I spoke like you, I was you." (56) South Africa has 11 official languages so Noah's facility with languages was important.

Noah's mother was a secretary who tried to expose Noah to the world. She was also very religious, and Sundays were spent going to multiple churches. Money was tight, but she made sure her son went to good schools and had books to read. Even when things were hard, their senses of humor always came through. When she married Noah's stepfather, Abel, their world changed. Although Abel was a good mechanic, he was a violent person when he was drinking. Noah left their home when he finished school, and continued his business of copying and selling pirated CDs for a few years. He also worked as a DJ at dances. Eventually he went on to become an internationally known comic.

This book is dedicated to his mother: "For my mother. My first fan. Thank you for making me a man." Noah's stories are sad and humorous at the same time. There's a wealth of knowledge about South African people in this book. Every time I put the book down, I wanted to get back to it to read more. Highly recommended! ...more

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Aug 22, 2020 GONZA rated it really liked it

Shelves: biblioteca

The life of a South African child, with a black mom and a white dad, before apartheid fell. This may sound like a tragic story, and in some ways it is, but only if we read is as the story of a country than of a childhood or adolescence, because Trevor Noah, who will later become a comedian, has two unbeatable weapons: an extraordinary mother and a wonderful sense of humor.

La vita di un bambino sudafricano, con una mamma nera e un papá bianco, prima che cadesse l'apartheid. Detta cosí puó sembrar ...more

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Jan 17, 2021 Bhavesh Mehta rated it it was amazing

Funny, Sad, Enlightening and Entertaining.

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Jun 04, 2020 Nancy rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, 2020-books

4.5 Stars for me. I loved this book and everything it stands for. Trevor Noah's story is interesting and entertaining and informative. I knocked off 1/2 a star because there were parts that were repetitive. It could have been edited a bit tighter but all in all a great read! ...more

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