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Trevor Noah's unlikely path from apartheid poverty to becoming one of the biggest names in comedy began with a crime: his birth.Born to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison, Trevor was kept indoors for most of his early life, in hiding from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away.
Finally liberated by the fall of apartheid, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure into the dangers and opportunities of a new South Africa.
Born a Crime follows the story of a mischievous boy as he grows into a restless young man, struggling to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It also tells the story of that young man's fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother - a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life.
Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty.
Born a Crime is an unforgettable portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humour - and his mother's unconventional, unconditional love.
About the Author
Born under apartheid to a black South African mother and a white European father, Trevor Noah's improbable rise to stardom led to his sold-out one-man show at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival that became one of the most talked-about shows at the festival that year. He has appeared on QI, 8 Out of 10 Cats, The Royal Variety Performance and Live at the Apollo. In 2015 Noah succeeded Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show.
Industry Reviews
PRAISE FOR BORN A CRIME - *
An engaging, fast-paced and vivid read . . . Essential reading not only because it is a personal story of survival, leavened with insight and wit, but because it does more to expose apartheid - its legacy, its pettiness, its small-minded stupidity and its damage - than any other recent history book or academic text - GUARDIAN
It's no surprise that Trevor Noah, the slyly suave successor to Jon Stewart as host of
The Daily Show, should write a smart book. But 'smart' doesn't begin to cover what he pulls off in
Born a Crime . . . Noah's memoir is extraordinary . . . essential reading on every level. It's hard to imagine anyone else doing a finer job of it - SEATTLE TIMES
Powerful . . . a unique perspective - THE TIMES