Born a crime: Book review





Title: Born a crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Genre: Memoir

This book was recommended to me by my professor at Stanford. 

Born a crime is the story of Trevor Noah who was born to a black mother and a white father. It’s an account of his childhood experiences of growing up in South Africa during apartheid.  

He narrates his experiences of dealing with being a coloured individual, trying to find a sense of belonging in a community, his social awkwardness, falling into bad company, dealing with heartbreaks and an abusive and alcoholic step father. 

In his compelling style, Trevor traces his bitter sweet journey with a dash of innocence, humour and darkness. What stands out in the book is his rather unique and unconventional rapport with his mother who is a rebellious and an independent woman.  The narrative style hooks you right from the time when he mentions about how his mother threw him out of a moving car. 

The book showcases the brutality of racism and complexities of a dysfunctional family. Candid and unabashed, Born a crime is a coming of age story of a boy interspersed with the cultural horrors of the dark continent.

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