Born A Crime

Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

Non-Fiction, Screen & Performing Arts, Film, TV & Radio, Film, Film, TV & Radio Biographies
Paperback Published on: 21/09/2017
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Bookseller Reviews

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Born A Crime
Truly Amazing
I'm usually more of a fantasy reader and can really struggle with non fiction. I'd heard really good things about this however, and when I realised that Tr... READ MORE
Deborah
Born A Crime
An insightful and funny read
I listened to this as an audiobook and it did not disappoint. Trevor Noah recounts his experience in post Apartheid South Africa, navigating his youth as a... READ MORE
Robyn  Vlok

Synopsis

The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world's brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of the US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him.

Noah was born a crime, son of 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 first 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, take him away.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime 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 that ultimately threatens her own life.

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, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah's own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read.

  • Publisher: John Murray Press
  • ISBN: 9781473635302
  • Number of pages: 304
  • Weight: 210g
  • Dimensions: 196 x 126 x 24 mm

Customer Reviews

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Born A Crime
Wonderful read
This is a wonderful book, brilliantly written. Trevor Noah not only brings us through his own story but ties in and makes understandable the histories and ... READ MORE
Cara
Born A Crime
A history lesson wrapped in comedy and relevant for today
4.5 stars BORN A CRIME was engaging from start to finish. I have to recommend the audio of this book because you get Trevor Noah as the narrator and that ... READ MORE
Micky - bookphenomena
Born A Crime
A moving story mitigated by the sense of humour throughout the book.
Trevor Noah tells a good story. However I found the writing style of a timeline that jumped forwards and then back somewhat confusing at times. I would ea... READ MORE
Shirley
Born A Crime
The funniest book I have ever read
Trevor Noah possesses a unique gift for storytelling, effortlessly entertaining with a surprising ability to educate. I’ve always thought a book should be ... READ MORE
Sophia Ismaa
Born A Crime
must read
With hints of humour, it is so easy to read and very interesting. Such a different culture and life from mine. We never know how privileged some of us are ... READ MORE
june.reads
Born A Crime
Irreverent, inspirational and ultimately human
Trevor Noah relates his early years growing up as an outsider in Johannesburg, neither black nor white but in a place between where cultures and colours do... READ MORE
Nick A
Born A Crime
Loved this
I love Trevor Noah's comedy but above all I love his delivery of his own story. Its a great insight into his life, South Africa and some of his career. The... READ MORE
Nickie De
Born A Crime
Funny, thrilling and whoa
Amazingly down to earth, not bragging, thrilling, the best autobiography I’ve read so far!
Sustainable_reader on bookstagram
Born A Crime
Really enjoyable!
Trevor is a good writer and an excellent story teller. He entertains throughout the book and focuses more on his past and until he was a comedian instead o... READ MORE
Jessica Woolfson
Born A Crime
born to write
'Your taillight’s out.” I’d always wonder, Why do American cops bother lying? One thing I appreciate about South Africa is that we have not yet refined the... READ MORE
Esrin  yi