When I saw Trevor Noah, host of “The Daily Show”, do a comedy bit about President Trump, I loved his humor, but I couldn’t figure out his accent. Turns out Noah is a native of South Africa and the author of a memoir, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. During Apartheid in South Africa, it was illegal for whites and non-whites to intermingle. Since Noah was born to a black mother and a white father, he was literally born a crime, and this status had a profound affect on his early life.
Premise
Born a Crime, narrated by Noah himself for Audible, is a funny, poignant, and informative description of Noah’s childhood during the end and aftermath of Apartheid. I listened to it shortly after watching Invictus, the story of how Nelson Mandela tried to unite his fractured country behind the South African rugby team. Since I didn’t know much about South Africa or Apartheid, Invictus raised many questions. Born A Crime answered a lot of them.
What I liked
Noah is an excellent story teller, and hearing him talk about his childhood in his accented voice added authenticity I would have missed if I read the print version. He is fluent in many languages, and throughout the book he includes snippets of those languages. Hearing him speak them brought me closer to the culturally diverse world in South Africa. If I were reading the book, I probably would have skimmed over the foreign phrases.
Noah tackles tough subjects in his memoir: prejudice, poverty, and abuse, but he balances the dark topics with humor, keeping the book from becoming too depressing. I loved hearing about his relationship with his mother, a fascinating woman of great strength and religious conviction, and how that evolved as he grew up.
He does an excellent job of explaining the culture of South Africa. His tells the history of the different tribal groups in South Africa, and why there was so much violence after Mandela became president. He describes the conflicts between the different races of people- whites, blacks, and coloreds- and why he had a hard time fitting in with any one of those groups. He tells how South African people name their children and how he and his friend Hitler, an excellent dancer, unwittingly caused outrage during a cultural presentation at a Jewish school.
What I didn’t like
Very little. At times, Noah relies on cliché too much to describe the events in his life, and his reactions to them, but this is a picky criticism.
Recommendation
Born a Crime is a great listen if you want to learn more about the culture of South Africa, or if you just want to be entertained. I plan on suggesting this book to my older children to help them gain a broader perspective of the world. I highly recommend listening to it.
Notes on content
Born a Crime has some foul language and touches on mature themes, such as physical abuse, incarceration, and pornography. Tender ears and eyes beware!
Have you read Born a Crime? What did you think? Can you suggest another interesting memoir?
Happy reading
I’ve been wanting to read this! I even have the book – just need to open. I heard him do an interview recently (can’t remember where!) and was very impressed. I’ve also heard the audio is fantastic. Thanks for the review; I’ll get to it!
I hope you enjoy! Watch out for the language… 😉