BLURB: Noah was born a crime, son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison.Living proof of his parents' indiscretion,Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away.A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally 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.
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BOOK REVIEW
GENRE: Memoir
TYPE: Audiobook/book
I have spent quite a few days trying to process this book.
I knew of Trevor Noah from his TV show. I had assumed he wasn't old enough to have experienced life under apartheid. I quickly realised however that not only had he lived through the latter years of the apartheid but also its tumultuous aftermath. Then to realise that Apartheid had only ended 24 years ago was extremely hard to process. This was a hugely eye opening account of a childhood lived in a country, where your skin colour influenced every aspect of your life. it dictated where you would live, be educated and work(if you were lucky).
Noah recounts key events in his childhood and his teens that helped shape him in some way. Though the stories were laced with subtle humour, they never strayed far from how hard life was growing up where overt racism was a way of life.
It is an unflinching look at how systemic racism infiltrated every aspect of their lives and how hard it is to leave that cycle if the ones in power do not provide the means to do so.
I went in expecting an irreverent humorous recounting of his childhood misadventures. (And though we certainly get some of that) what I found went far deeper than that, I found beautiful stories of a son expressing his love and respect for the mother that raised him to never accept anything less than was his due.
"She taught me to challenge authority and question the system. The only way it backfired on her was that I constantly challenged and questioned her."
This was typical of how Noah told his stories, full of honesty and humour. The 18 stories we get here, range from hilarious childhood stories to frightening encounters with the law. I was at times smiling and at other times I was sitting silently, aghast not quite believing my ears as he recounted a particularly horrific story. Noah takes us through a journey full of harsh life lessons and experiences, that shaped him to be the man he is today.
I particularly loved how he portrays his mother as fearless, and who followed her own path, did what she wanted despite what was expected of her.( deliberately choosing to have a baby with a white man, even knowing it was against the law and the punishment if found out was severe, is a case in point!)
I walked away with a better understanding of what it was like growing up as a 'coloured' person in South Africa. and with a deep, deep respect for the brave mothers out there still living through all the hardships and obstacles and fighting every day for their kids. Highly Highly recommend this book to everyone.