“Born A Crime” by Trevor Noah

“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.”

“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.”

Trevor Noah is a television host, actor, comedian, and political commentator. A son, an uncle, a philanthropist, and a vivacious storyteller. “Born A Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood,” is an amazing read that comically and insightfully outlines Noah’s upbringing as a child of mixed race in South Africa during the apartheid era. Noah uses comedy and imagery to fully immerse the reader in all of his experiences. He flawlessly weaves accurate information about South African apartheid, its reign, its rules, and its effect on the people with his tales of love, tragedy, trials, and successes.

Trevor Noah was born to a Swiss-German father and a Xhosa mother when the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages act was in full effect. It was an act that prohibited the marriage, cohabitation, and production of kids between Europeans and non-Europeans living in South Africa. Defilement of this law was punishable by imprisonment. For this reason, Noah was kept away from his father for most of his life only being able to see him in hiding. Noah himself was classified as a “coloured” which was the term used for people of mixed race in accordance with the apartheid system of racial classification. Throughout the book, Noah talks about how he always had trouble fitting in whether it was in school, at work, or within his own family. He talks about how in school though he felt most comfortable with the black children, they wouldn’t make nice with him because of his light skin. He made friends with the only other outlier in on the campus- the indian child. He also talks about how his grandmother treated him kinder than his darker skinned cousins. There’s one specific story he tells in Chapter 4 titled “Chameleon,” of when he accidentally broke his cousins ear drum playing “surgeon,” but his grandmother didn’t whip him stating “I don’t know how to beat white children.” His mother on the other hand, sparred no punishment.

In large part, the book is an homage to Noah’s mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo. Noah describes his mother as being stubborn, fearless, and an extraordinary teacher. Throughout the book, Noah tells stories of ways his mother constantly supported him in being a liberated and well-cultured free thinker. Due to her influence, Noah was exposed to many kinds of lifestyles through the activities that he partook in, the different schools that he went to and the books that he read. From a young age he was able to learn seven different languages which meant he was able to communicate with any person in the country regardless of race, wealth, or classification. His well-rounded experiences were able to take him many places outside of the poverty stricken community he lived in.

Growing up in poverty, he was able to find independence from his mother and abusive stepfather by earning money from selling illegal bootleg CDs and starting a party promotion group with his dancing friends, and himself as the DJ. Noah’s plans to use this money to leave his home are set back when he has to spend a week in jail for driving an unregistered car from his stepfather Abel’s, car shop. Noah talks about his fear of receiving harsh consequences from his tyrannical stepfather and bible-pushing mother. The toxic dynamic of their relationship is what makes him want to move away and leave behind his younger brother. The book ends with the story of Noah’s mother trying to leave the relationship and being hunted and shot in the head by a drunken maniacal Abel. Ultimately she survives and the remainder of the book is an ode to her life and the impact she continues to have on Noah’s wellbeing.

I would suggest this autobiography to anyone looking for an informative yet informal read. The way Noah starts each chapter with a brief history of South African apartheid structures, taught me more in this week-long read than I’d ever learned in school or otherwise. As a Black American, I was able to sympathize with the trials as outlined and was still surprised at how deep into “modern times” the Afrikaans’ neanderthal laws and ideologies were enforced. This autobiography is hilarious and flawlessly iterates his ability to create vivid settings and develop character personalities while detailing true stories. This autobiography sheds a bright light on his personality and how his upbringing made him into “The Daily Show” host that we all know and love today.