Born a Crime

Hat mich teilweise zu Tränen gerührt.

Muss man gelesen haben.

Beim Lesen hatte ich das Gefühl, ich sitze mit Trevor Noah zusammen und wir quatschten einfach so über sein Leben. So humorvoll, inspirierend und intelligent wurde diese Autobiografie geschrieben.

Trevor Noah erzählt über sein Aufwachsen während der Apartheid in Südafrika. Man lernt sehr viel über die Zeit während der Apartheid und über Rassismus, aus einer sehr emotional intelligenten Sicht, wow.

Absolutely amazing, would recommend to everyone

Truly one of the best autobiographies I've ever had the pleasure of reading. Noah is able to take some of the true horrors in his past and imbue them with humour and love in a way that will make you cry with compassion at the same time that you cry from laughter. Long live Fufi.

Definitely recommend the audiobook for this one! Hearing Trevor Noah recount these incredible stories from his youth felt like him and I were sipping a beer by the bonfire late at night. Love how he incorporated and twisted South African history and culture to enhance the meaning of the stories he told. As someone who really didn’t know much about apartheid before reading this, I felt this educated me on so many aspects of race and class I wouldn’t have known in such a gripping way. My first memoir book I’ve read and I hope the rest are as good as this one.

** spoiler alert ** Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" is a humorous and insightful memoir that delves into the comedian's upbringing in South Africa during and after apartheid. The book is a fascinating look at the challenges and opportunities that faced Noah as he grew up in a country that was still grappling with its past. One of the most enjoyable aspects of the book is the humor that Noah brings to his storytelling. He uses his experiences growing up in poverty, his mischievous childhood antics, and his interactions with his mother to create a funny and engaging narrative. The infamous "pooping on the floor" story is just one example of the many hilarious anecdotes that Noah shares in the book. But beyond the humor, "Born a Crime" also offers a poignant look at the impact of apartheid on South Africa and its citizens. Noah's mother, who is a central figure in the book, is a strong and determined woman who instills in her son the importance of education, independence, and resilience. Through her story, and his own, Noah communicates a number of life lessons that are both inspiring and relatable. What makes "Born a Crime" so powerful is Noah's ability to balance the humor and the serious themes of the book. He is able to use his own experiences to shed light on the broader issues facing South Africa and the world. By the end of the book, readers will come away with a deeper understanding of the country and its people, as well as an appreciation for the resilience of the human spirit. Overall, "Born a Crime" is a must-read for anyone interested in South African history, memoirs, or simply a good laugh. Trevor Noah's ability to combine humor and insight make this book a truly enjoyable and enlightening read.

I’d love Trevor Noah to write a fiction book someday.

Trevor Noah erlebt eindrucksvolle Dinge und gibt diese intelligent, reflektiert und noch dazu unheimlich witzig wieder. So etwas liest man selten.

★★★★★ // Where do I even begin talking about this book? I love it in the way that it is a memoir, that is also an historical account of life during the height of apertheid in Africa, as well as a love letter to his mom. I honestly did not really know Trevor Noah before this but I’ve heard his name a few times. My best friend just recommended this to me one time because she said it’s very well-written (and it is). I started watching Trevor’s standup special on Netflix and got even more curious, so I finally bought the book. It’s such a fascinating read in that it feels so mundane. I oftentimes struggle to read memoirs because some stories tend to come across as theatrical or (un)intentionally dramatic for the sake of getting a reaction or earning sympathy. This one was just one’s life, quite matter-of-fact, but stories so rich that seems larger than life. It is about Trevor’s life as a kid growing up in South Africa. He is mixed, a product of an affair between his black mom and white dad. Born at a time when sexual relations between the two races are literally a crime, he lived somewhat hidden and his parentage a secret. He grew up not exactly fitting in, couldn’t fully identify as black because of his skin color, but also privileged in the way that sometimes his color causes him to be untouchable even within the household where his grandma is too afraid to beat him up. It also contains some accounts through his life where he did “soft” illegal hustles like pirating CDs as a living, some runins with the law. While reading through those, I find myself checking my thoughts and whether I am being too judgemental. As one passage in ‘The Cheese Boys’ said, “In society, we do horrible things to one another because we don’t see the person it affects. We don’t see their faces. We don’t see them as people. […] We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them.” This was Trevor’s personal reflection very specific to his experiences, but as a reader, I think it was my reminder to try to understand first the context of what was happening before pulling out my judgement card. Our tendency is to see things through our own lens and decide if it is good or bad based on our own standards. But I was reminded of our differences and the society in which we live and grew up in, so it definitely was a moment of learning for me. This book was also an historical account of one’s life during the height of apartheid. Of course, I know this from numerous history lessons in school but not much the depth of it. I just know that it was bad, and so many black people had suffered and died because of it. Of course, Trevor’s own experience is just one way to look at it but it was an avenue to understand just how deeply it has affected the lives of so many people. Based on one’s skin color, people are treated less than human, stripped of freedom, and made to believe that they did not deserve to live. How a broken system ultimately turn people against each other, and how this manifests even today — at a lesser degree, but still very much present. Then it was also Trevor’s letter to his mother who shaped him into the man that he is, who pushed him to reach the world beyond what the broken system dictates. It was him questioning all her decisions but also trying to understand why she had to make those choices. It was a tribute to the woman who raised him all on his own — a mother whose core was unshakeable, from which he also drew his strength. One of my favourite chapters here was ‘The Second Girl’ which was about his mom, and specifically these lines: “My mom raised me as if there were no limitations on where I could do. […] We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited. […] The thing that always amazed me about her life was that no one showed her. No one chose her. She did it on her own. She found her way through sheer force of will.” Trevor says that his mom had him because he was a product of her search for belonging. Interestingly, one would expect that she will be dictating his life down to a tee — to make sure that he had the ‘perfect’ life — but instead she brought him up free to think and to break barriers and take up spaces, to stumble and figure out a way to go back up on his own. Trevor acknowledges that his mom was not perfect, and that she had questionable choices in certain aspects of her life, but she also made choices that far exceeded what you would expect and she truly is a force that made things happen for her and her kids. This reading experience was so good, it made me write an essay and it is not even enough to cover everything. I’ll think about this for the rest of my life. Other favourite chapters: — Robert: Trevor talks briefly about his relationship with his father. This made me cry honestly. It’s a different kind of love between them because he did not grow up with him, but I think this was a reminder that some people love differently, but it is still love all the same. (“When a parent is absent, you’re left in the lurch of not knowing, and it’s so easy to fill that space with negative thoughts. I never turned to bitterness, because [my mom] made sure I know his absence was because of circumstance and not a lack of love. ‘Don’t ever forget: He chose you.’”) — Go Hitler!: Honestly this was just really funny. I mean he talked about the different ways some historical facts affect us, but mostly the account of what happened was a mix of morbid and hilarious. — The Cheese Boys: I love this because it made me think and re-evaluate the way I understand people and their circumstances. It is a chapter filled with so many layers and nuances. Finally, I just really love the book’s dedication: “For my mother. My first fan. Thank you for making me a man.”

Trevor Noah was able to capture my attention throughout the whole book. I believe he perfectly balanced comedy and seriousness while talking about such a depressing thing that is oppression and racism. It was a really light read that got me out of a reading slump and I would blindly recommend it to anyone.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Trevor Noah himself. He did an excellent job telling stories of his childhood, growing up in South Africa. His story is unique because of his mixed race (so he never quite fit in) & his loving, crazy mother. Will be recommending this to Trevor Noah fans as well as to those who have never heard of him. Well written & well narrated.

This is how you do memoirs.

Heartbreaking and funny, terrifying and inspiring.

I love this book! One of the best I've read in the past year. Trevor's insight into post-apartheid South Africa and the social mechanisms which created it are beautifully balanced and illustrated by his personal experience and life story. His mom is wonderful!

I absolutely loved this book, for several reasons. Trevor Noah’s story is touching and deep, but he’s also able to easily draw out the lighter parts of his life as well, buried in what would be otherwise deeply touching or traumatic events. I was pleasantly surprised and delighted by how he was able to balance his humor with the deep, serious events in his life. There were two sides of this book that particularly resonated with me that I wanted to highlight. One was him writing about growing up as a mixed child, and not fitting in among the black and white communities of his childhood. There’s several parts of his experiences that echoed my own childhood experiences: growing up as a brown kid in the US in largely white neighborhoods. I also appreciated seeing his first-hand insight into apartheid. To be honest after reading this book, I now feel incredibly ignorant only realizing now how absolutely terrible apartheid was, with specific examples. This is a side of history that my history classes only glancingly touched. Triggered by this book, I have since been trying to cover at least a little bit of the gaping holes of my understanding of this part of history. The second side of this book that I greatly appreciated was his writing about the domestic violence and abuse in his life. In particular, I appreciated him exploring how toxic the environment can be. Grappling with someone you simultaneously love and despise, and trying to reconcile the reality of someone ordinarily charming but incredibly violent and abusive at home. It’s something I’m lucky to not have had much direct experience with, but I hugely appreciated him being able to articulate the complex, often conflicting, feelings that arise from this.

3.5 to the story and 5 to the narration This book was extremely interesting for me since I don't know much about South Africa, which I've only visited once for a few days. The social commentary was amazing and Trevor Noah touched upon quite diverse subjects such as religion, race, domestic violence, school, the justice system, etc. The fact that it is an autobiography gave a very interesting point of view since he experienced all of those aspects first-hand, and being a mixed-race kid made his life quite unique compared to kids who lived in one of the main racial groups. The writing is very good and the humor is spot on, as usual with Trevor Noah. I lost interest at one point since it is a succession of vignettes, but it came back after a little while so I would still highly recommend it, especially in audio format (the narration was great!)

Interessante und für mich überraschende back story zu noah trevor, den ich vorher “nur” als comedian wahrgenommen habe. Sehr gute Möglichkeit Apartheid und die Folgen auf einer persönlichen und nicht wie üblich theoretisch geschichtlichen Ebene aufzuarbeiten. Gut beschriebene und zeitweise humorvoll tragische Darstellung keiner Gruppe wirklich anzugehören und einen Weg zu finden sich selbst einzuordnen.

This book gives both an enlightening, informative historical and cultural perspective of South Africa and a touching, appreciative look at Trevor Noah's relationship with his mother. While it is funny at times, this book doesn't fall into the same yuk-yuk trap as many memoirs of comedians. It's sweet, interesting, and honest. Written in an episodic style, Born a Crime is easy to pick up and set down, but keeps the pace moving in a way that also lends itself to binge reading. Despite being a regular viewer of The Daily Show, I had no idea Noah's life and personal history was so complex. Give it a read; you'll be glad you did.

Excellent. Extremely informative about apartheid, begins and ends with his relationship with his unparalleled mother. It wasn’t the point of this book, but I really wish he’d covered his career path and how he ended up at The Daily Show. My favorite segments on The Daily Show are the behind the scenes clips where he talks about something random. He brings a lot of depth to topics that indicate a more nuanced, insightful way of looking at things, and after learning more about how grew up it makes sense. There was also a section that was very validating as a parent, as I share his mom’s beliefs about access to books and speaking to children like they can handle full sentences. The book is funny as well, but I’m personally less interested in his humor and more in how he sees the world.

This book was a fascinating read. Not everyone is a fan of Trevor Noah, but I enjoy his work. In this book, he talks about his childhood. In no particular order, since now and then, he'll tell a story of when he was older while at the next moment, he's mentioning something that happened years before. That's alright, though, as you can count on each chapter being a different part of his life. He has been through a lot. This also gives you a glimpse into the life of a child, teenager, and young adult in South Africa. An easy and exciting read; I can recommend this.

Born a Crime is a perfect mix of hilarious, heartbreaking, and introspective stories of tough childhood. Trevor's misadventures as a kid are relatable, his insecurities as a teen draw a knowing smile, and yet he shows the reader a world so different to anyone who has not lived through South African apartheid. I am so very moved by Trevor's mother Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, who has so much wisdom, kindness, and faith in goodness of people. Through all the things she went through, she remained strong and selfless; she was driven to succeed despite odds and circumstance, and gave the best life to her family that she could get. That woman is a hero, and she raised a good son.

An incredibly compelling and illuminating read.

5 Stars *A funny and heart-wrenching memoir* Ok, I’ll admit that when my bookclub picked Born a Crime I was not thrilled. I can’t stand celebrity memoirs. Primarily because I can’t stand celebrities. I was afraid this was going to be yet another narcissistic mess (glares at Yes Please). Even though the subtitle said this was about Noah’s childhood, I expected the usual self-promotion. But happy to be wrong in this case! Born a Crime truly is about Trevor Noah growing up during Apartheid in South Africa. There are a few references to the start of his comedic career, but they are only passing mentions. There was none of that awful self-promotion and name dropping. This isn’t a book about his fame. This is truly a book about his roots. The title of this book is quite literal. Noah was born to a black mother and a white father in a time and place when that was illegal. Between the racism he faced and an abusive home situation, it would have been so easier for him to become just another statistic. His life truly is amazing, and this was a humbling book to read. The stories run the gambit from capricious childhood pranks to life-threatening situations. I laughed out loud at parts and choked up at others. He painted such a vivid picture; it was captivating to read. The book did feel targeted towards Americans, often using relevant analogies to explain things. It never felt condescending or confusing though. Noah did an excellent job of knowing when to dig into broader facts such as the history of South Africa and when to simply tell his personal stories. He displays a love for his homeland while also being honest about problems there. His writing is simultaneously Insightful and irreverent. I couldn’t stop turning the pages. My only possible critique is that the book does jump around a lot. The stores are not in chronological order, and some of them do backtrack over the same events. But this is a minor thing to mention. Born a Crime is a wonderful memoir that I highly recommend! RATING FACTORS: Ease of Reading: 5 Stars Writing Style: 5 Stars Level of Captivation: 5 Stars Attention to Details: 4 Stars Plot Structure and Development: 4 Stars

fucking sobbed at the end good god