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A review by calarco
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah
5.0
After taking over The Daily Show in 2015, Trevor Noah has since emerged as a pivotal voice in American late night. I have watched almost every episode and am also a fan of his stand up; the guy is a great story teller. Still, I was completely and unexpectedly blown away by Born a Crime. One part South African apartheid history, one part a boy's coming-of-age narrative, this memoir left me crying and laughing up until the last page.
First off, there are some truly hilarious stories in this collection. That one where he feels remorseful to God because, "He had more important things to deal with than my shit," (47) had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. If you read it, you know. If you haven't, oh boy are you in for a treat, or something shity, it's all about perspective.
And it's Trevor's desire to understand people's perspectives that allows him to reflect on both his and others' actions in insightful ways. By understanding that his knowledge of languages enables him to express his point of view and to discern others, and that his lack of language can land him in Tower of Babel-esque situations, he meaningfully concludes that communication can be akin to survival.
There is a great deal that Trevor has to survive, including poverty, hunger, and later on an abusive step-father. Being born to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father, Trevor is literally born a crime under South Africa's (1927) Immorality Act, which is law until the fall of apartheid, something that only begins during Trevor's childhood. This puts Trevor in an odd place. On the one hand, he reaps benefits and privileges from his lighter skin, like getting away with mischief as his grandmother is unable to hit a "white" child. On the other hand, he is still profiled and arrested later on in life for being "from Alex" and at the wrong place and the wrong time.
Either way, throughout his life Trevor finds that how people treat him depends entirely on what they perceive his race to be. This leaves him isolated in many situations growing up, because he does not 100% fit into the specific racial groups created by apartheid. He could not very well go around chiding people that race is a social construct. Instead, he learns how to play on people's perceptions, and how he can use language and communication to fit in and survive.
Perhaps my favorite part of the book, is how thankful Trevor is to his mother. He reveres her as a force of nature, even when he does not agree with her actions. When reflecting on his mother Trevor writes, "Love is a creative act. When you love someone you create a new world for them. My mother did that for me, and with the progress I made and the things I learned, I came back and created a new world and a new understanding for her" (262).
Their relationship was really touching to read. I really loved this book, I couldn't recommend it more.
First off, there are some truly hilarious stories in this collection. That one where he feels remorseful to God because, "He had more important things to deal with than my shit," (47) had me laughing so hard my stomach hurt. If you read it, you know. If you haven't, oh boy are you in for a treat, or something shity, it's all about perspective.
And it's Trevor's desire to understand people's perspectives that allows him to reflect on both his and others' actions in insightful ways. By understanding that his knowledge of languages enables him to express his point of view and to discern others, and that his lack of language can land him in Tower of Babel-esque situations, he meaningfully concludes that communication can be akin to survival.
There is a great deal that Trevor has to survive, including poverty, hunger, and later on an abusive step-father. Being born to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father, Trevor is literally born a crime under South Africa's (1927) Immorality Act, which is law until the fall of apartheid, something that only begins during Trevor's childhood. This puts Trevor in an odd place. On the one hand, he reaps benefits and privileges from his lighter skin, like getting away with mischief as his grandmother is unable to hit a "white" child. On the other hand, he is still profiled and arrested later on in life for being "from Alex" and at the wrong place and the wrong time.
Either way, throughout his life Trevor finds that how people treat him depends entirely on what they perceive his race to be. This leaves him isolated in many situations growing up, because he does not 100% fit into the specific racial groups created by apartheid. He could not very well go around chiding people that race is a social construct. Instead, he learns how to play on people's perceptions, and how he can use language and communication to fit in and survive.
Perhaps my favorite part of the book, is how thankful Trevor is to his mother. He reveres her as a force of nature, even when he does not agree with her actions. When reflecting on his mother Trevor writes, "Love is a creative act. When you love someone you create a new world for them. My mother did that for me, and with the progress I made and the things I learned, I came back and created a new world and a new understanding for her" (262).
Their relationship was really touching to read. I really loved this book, I couldn't recommend it more.