Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

"I was nine years old when my mother threw me out of a moving car."

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4/5



Blurb taken from here:

"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."

***

It seems that everyone has a political opinion nowadays and talk show hosts are among the most outspoken of them all. This alone made me hesitant to read this book. But I'm glad I did. I may not always agree with Trevor Noah, but I do understand him better after reading this book. His up bringing is unique and educational. He brings humor and truth together to create a story worthy of any fiction reader, which is always a feat when you are writing a non-fiction book! 

This book made me realize how much bigger the world is than my little corner of it. It informed me and gave me an education I haven't had before. It also helped me string together a lot of similarities no matter where you grew up. 

If you're looking for a better understanding of the world and are able to not get hung up on opinions that are expressed in the book, this is for you.

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