Book Review: Born a Crime

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime” is an original and authentic memoir that takes you through a range of emotions from sadness, disgust, and horror, but through it all, it continues to make you laugh. The most important factor for having a memoir feel authentic is for the writer to bare their soul. Trevor Noah is not afraid to share his most vulnerable moments from his childhood to young adulthood and share the confusing and terrifying state of growing up in a world where his mere existence was evidence of a crime. The richest character in the book is his mother who made the bold decision to follow her heart to date a white man and have a child with him when it was illegal to do so in South Africa during apartheid. She then raised Trevor in her own way as a single mother with the help of her family and community. She hid him from the world until apartheid ended and gave him opportunities that she didn’t have. Trevor Noah’s deep love and respect for his mother is what makes this book more than just a fun read. It makes it a richer and much more compelling read. The writing and humor is so authentic to his on screen personality that I as I read the book, I heard his voice telling me the story. I highly recommend this book!


View all my reviews