Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Reviewed by: Carey Gibbons, Adult Reference Services
Genre: Autobiography
Suggested Age: Adults
What is the book about?: Some of you might recognize Trevor Noah as the host of The Daily Show. But before he took over from Jon Stewart, he had a successful comedic and television career in South Africa, where he was born. This book is about Noah’s life as a child and teen, growing up in South Africa, a mixed race child of a black mother and white father at the end of apartheid. Noah’s very existence was a crime in apartheid South Africa and he discusses the challenges of early life where being seen in public with either of his parents could have gotten them arrested. He also tells of his and his parents’ lives immediately after the legal end of apartheid, paying particular attention to his mother and the sacrifices she made to raise him and his brothers with love and care.
My Review: Noah tells the story of his childhood with both humor and grace. He looks back from a personal perspective, infusing dire situations with humor as only an adult can when they are perhaps surprised that they survived those situations. Noah also discusses the political and social aspects of this early childhood and teen years. One of the things I appreciated about this book was that Noah prefaced each chapter with South African history and politics for context. While one of his stories might have been humorous on the surface, the added information gave the story layers, allowing readers to better understand what was at stake when Noah did something as seemingly innocent as steal chocolate from a convenience store. Noah’s book is an entertaining read but it also gives much needed perspective to those who only know the basics of South African history from a long ago high school class (like myself). I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. You don’t need to know Noah from The Daily Show as this book is written about his early life. It’s already one of my favorite books of both 2017 and all time.
Three Words That Describe This Book: Humorous, Educational, Emotional
Give This a Try if You Like… David Sedaris, Key & Peele, District 9
Rating: 5/5
About FDL Reads
Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library. Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available. If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently. We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!