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Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood - Trevor Noah
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood
by: (author)
4.24 115
The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of 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.... show more
The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of 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 stories 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.Advance praise for Born a Crime“[A] substantial collection of staggering personal essays . . . Incisive, funny, and vivid, these true tales are anchored to his portrait of his courageous, rebellious, and religious mother who defied racially restrictive laws to secure an education and a career for herself—and to have a child with a white Swiss/German even though sex between whites and blacks was illegal. . . . [Trevor Noah’s] electrifying memoir sparkles with funny stories . . . and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class.”—Booklist (starred review) “A gritty memoir . . . studded with insight and provocative social criticism . . . with flashes of brilliant storytelling and acute observations.”—Kirkus Reviews
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Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780399588174 (0399588175)
ASIN: 0399588175
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Pages no: 304
Edition language: English
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Community Reviews
Bookish Blerd
Bookish Blerd rated it
5.0 Review: Born A Crime
This was amazing. I do not understand how there are people who thought this was bad. My first thought is that it's white people who just don't/won't get what growing up black is like, but I don't want to be that person. As a black woman growing up in racist America, even I cannot imagine what it w...
Words of a Bibliophile
Words of a Bibliophile rated it
4.0 Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
I barely knew anything about Trevor Noah because I don't follow American late night talk shows, but I found his story to be profoundly eye-opening and an important one to be told. Born to a black mother and a white father in South Africa during apartheid, the fact that Noah exists was in itself cons...
Mae's Library
Mae's Library rated it
5.0 Born a Crime
Self-portrait of the artist as a very cheeky child. Highly entertaining.
sherrysniderfundin
sherrysniderfundin rated it
4.0 Monday Mini Review – Born A Crime by Trevor Noah @Trevornoah
I have been watching Trevor Noah on The Daily Show for some time now and when I saw he had a book out, I had to have it. I checked it out from the library and I was not disappointed. Cover Design: Greg Mollica Publisher: Spiegil & Grau/Penguin Random House Amazon / Goodreads MY REVIEW ...
Kenny Loves to Read
Kenny Loves to Read rated it
4.5
Wow! What a great read. I'm not a fan of non-fiction or memoirs but this was truly interesting, funny and weirdly relatable. Almost unbelievable to think that he lived this life but that's probably what makes it such a good book for a fiction reader like me. I found myself laughing at horrific scene...
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