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Born a Crime : : Stories From a South African Childhood

Noah, Trevor, 1984- Book - 2016 791.45 No, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Biography / Musicians & Entertainers / Noah, Trevor None on shelf 1 request on 8 copies Community Rating: 4.6 out of 5

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REVIEWS & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Publishers Weekly Review
Summary / Annotation
Table of Contents
Fiction Profile
Excerpt
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Apartheid and Humor submitted by sdunav on June 17, 2017, 11:15am This was a fun but informative memoir by the new host of the Daily Show, who grew up in South Africa under apartheid, surrounded by violence, strong women, and many different cultures and races. Noah is funny (of course, he’s a comedian) but clear-headed when it comes to race, and I think this is a painless way for a lot of people to learn a bit about the history of apartheid and race relations there and poverty and segregation. Plus it's a great coming of age story, and a lot of the book is a tribute to his mother.

Born A Crime submitted by SBNB on July 17, 2017, 8:02pm This book is amazing. The book is funny, dark, extremely informative and looks deeply at the issues of race and racism, abuse and domestic violence, and poverty and social justice. It's amazing. I don't remember the last time I finished a book and wanted to start right over again at the beginning.

Born a Crime submitted by asiangirl on August 11, 2017, 10:54pm A well written, interesting and poignant memoir about growing up and never feeling like you belong.

Five Stars! submitted by evie2017 on August 25, 2017, 6:33pm Perhaps the only five star review I have ever given-- I don't have a single complaint about this book! From page 1, Trevor uses his humor and wit to tell captivating tales of relationships, pain, love, and growing up during his childhood in Apartheid South Africa. If you get the chance, check out the audiobook version of this. Hearing his voice and pronunciations of many of the people and places is so worth it. The story flows even better!

Good but the CD is better submitted by lballard on June 15, 2018, 12:34pm Normally, I feel it’s better to read books than to have them filtered through a reader, but this book is the exception. Trevor Noah reads it himself, so it has the advantage of the author reading it but also having a talented entertainer. He’s also able to speak the bits of different languages that are in the book, and it’s wonderful to hear how they are supposed to sound.
This is a wonderful book that gives you a feel for a different time and place.

Born a Crime submitted by lpettie on June 19, 2018, 7:10pm Trevor Noah is a fabulous story teller. I highly recommend the audio book. His ability to imitate voices and his ability to speak multiple languages is a marvel.

Learned so much! submitted by Xris on June 19, 2018, 9:44pm I learned so much from this book! He knows so many languages and has had so many experiences to share that aren't what most people have experienced. Loved it!

Learned a lot, but more sarcastic than humorous submitted by kressara on July 11, 2018, 12:02am I enjoyed the book. It was easy to read and I learned a lot about South Africa, race, and apartheid. It was thought-provoking in many areas. It was amazing to me how difficult it was for him to find a spot where he belonged. I didn't find it to be funny though. There's plenty of sarcasm and irony, but much more bitterness than I expected. It's understandable, but before I picked up the book, I expected to laugh at least a little. I would have liked to hear about how he used his background to become the comedian that he is today. I feel like there is a gap from when he is just a hustler to where he is now.

Terrific submitted by ravsara on July 21, 2018, 9:11am I am so glad that I read this. Trevor Noah is a gifted storyteller and hilarious. This book also gave me insight into South Africa and apartheid, which I did not have before. I highly recommend this book.

Great story, audiobook is better submitted by edb.blanchard on July 25, 2018, 10:29pm Trevor has an amazing story, each individual chapter as well as the entire memoir. The audiobook is more satisfying because he is such a dynamic storyteller and he can use the languages and dialects correctly.

Humorous and fascinating memoir submitted by A2AE on August 2, 2018, 2:53pm I found Noah's storytelling style to be incredibly engaging; his ability to add humor to the difficulties he faced in his life was impressive (but not surprising given his position on the Daily Show), and this book was a fantastic page turner.

Funny, moving, thought-provoking submitted by Lea on August 31, 2018, 9:19pm A terrific read. One of my favorites for the year!

Wow! submitted by Pooh3238 on June 18, 2019, 9:39pm Trevor Noah is an amazing writer/story teller. If you really want the full effect of this book, get it as an audiobook with him narrating it!

Worth your time submitted by Susan4Pax -prev. sueij- on June 21, 2019, 10:56pm A really well-written autobiography, _Born A Crime_ was funny when it needed to be (especially some of the stories of Noah’s early years) and insightful all the time. Noah appears to have a really great perspective on his life from having lived between cultures, countries, and families, and he shares those stories with wit and wisdom. Definitely worth my time and yours, whether you watch his show or not.

Book of the Year submitted by Sumayya.sahin on June 27, 2019, 9:47am Really enjoyed every page of this autobiography. It was hilarious, eye-opening, historical, and heartwarming.

an awesome book submitted by RowPio on July 12, 2019, 7:11pm loved this book so much and learned so much about post apartheid South Africa and his childhood.

Eye-opening submitted by lostoria on July 15, 2019, 3:01pm I'm always skeptical of celebrity written novels/memoirs, and this book was no different. The first few chapters didn't charm me that much, but I am very glad I kept reading. Trevor Noah has had a childhood full of life, learning, love, loss, laughter... I can go on. His story is unique and at times beautiful, and I appreciate him much more after reading this book. Would recommend for fans of Noah (or anyone who has any interest in him whatsoever).

Great look at South African life submitted by tbbrown76 on July 15, 2019, 10:31pm Nice history and current events of the country along with a big dollop of Trevor's humor. Highly recommended.
TB

Son of PatriciA submitted by caburr47 on August 5, 2019, 10:41pm Trevor’s mother is extraordinary. It is no wonder he turned out to be the thoughtful and charismatic individual hosting The Daily Show. Dealing with horror with humor, and candor

GREAT book! submitted by unknown on July 13, 2020, 5:07pm This book did so many things SO well -- it's funny, dark, introspective. I love how he balanced so many things so wonderfully. Very highly recommend!

Loved it so much I listened to the audio book too. submitted by kbcmmom on July 24, 2020, 10:45am I read this book in print and thoroughly enjoyed it. I often enjoy listening to audio books especially when there are accents and words spoken in languages other than English. Whether you prefer print or audio, you can't go wrong with this book. I'll be interested to see how the movie turns out.

Laugh and Learn something too submitted by gennydc on July 27, 2020, 9:04pm Currently reading this with my 11 year old. Really great description of Apartheid and it’s history.

Great read - and funny, too submitted by pk on August 27, 2020, 7:57pm Trevor Noah writes a great memoir about how Apartheid affected him and his family as he was growing up "colored" (mixed race - white father and black mother) when that was illegal. He writes very openly about racism and he has great lessons for our current culture. He is also very, very funny in this book - it's an easy, enjoyable read with some wonderful life lessons.

Outstanding! submitted by krathje on June 27, 2021, 4:16pm I used this book in my classroom with High School seniors. We found it easier to interrogate racism in another country than to look squarely at our own. It's a start.

Fantastic! submitted by audreyhalversen on July 12, 2022, 10:33pm Incredible man, incredible stories told with poignancy and wit. Intelligent but still accessible writing style. I would recommend this to anybody-whether they were familiar with Noah or not.

amazing read submitted by graytabby on August 7, 2022, 8:28pm it was truly spectacular, cover to cover. couldn't put it down! it tackles so many real issues.

Absolutely wonderful submitted by clk.9123 on August 21, 2022, 3:01pm I found this to be brilliant and just so much more. Noah is a true writer and storyteller, from anecdotes ranging throughout his life in South Africa, to political and historical detailing, he has it down. I loved that this book was meant to be about his childhood in South Africa, and that is what we got. Celebrity memoirs often fall into the trap of "this is how I became famous, here is why my depraved childhood led me to being famous, these are all the times I used drugs/had sex underage/drank underage which is why I am such a good celebrity..." (can you tell I'm over it?) and this was literally about his childhood in South Africa. In fact, his current career and celebrity are glossed over in the most perfect of ways, because they aren't the point. (Celebrity memoir writers, take note PLEASE)

I enjoyed that he included a lot of background information about South Africa and race relations, as context was often key to fully understand the setting and circumstances, and much of his biting commentary will line up with today's political climate. Well timed criticism and reflection. If you don't know a lot about Apartheid, you won't have trouble reading this and getting it, if you do know, it is far from boring.

A Must - Read submitted by gracekil on June 14, 2023, 2:30pm Highly entertaining, well-written, and very interesting bit if history as lives through Trevor Noah's life. He's had an incredible amazing life, and I had no idea before reading this!

Fantastic submitted by emlunning on July 8, 2023, 10:12pm This book is great and so funny

Interesting submitted by suttonp on July 14, 2023, 10:53am Trevor Noah has a captivating reading style. Even when dealing with painful subjects, he is able to laugh at himself and the silliness of humanity. I enjoyed this immensely.

Informative and funny submitted by syahidah on August 27, 2023, 5:58pm This is a great book with much information about South Africa and some social issues, with a lot of funny moments. Very recommended!

Born a Crime submitted by leighsprauer on August 31, 2023, 12:29pm Born a Crime is Trevor Noah's memoir of growing up in South Africa during the end of apartheid. He does a great job of describing life in South Africa during the 80s and 90s, both the overarching society, and what that meant for him, a poor, bi-racial, talented kid. It's often said that bi-racial people don't fit easily in established groups, but in South Africa, where race dictated every aspect of a person's life, this was all the more obvious. Noah has to navigate a convoluted social structure as someone who fully belongs to no group.
Noah also had a tumultuous childhood for other reasons: a progressive and contrarian mother who was determined to provide him with a better life, a violently abusive step-father, and poverty that made every hurdle even higher.
Noah's writing is good, but not great. I have this 3 stars mostly because of the insight he gives into South African history and culture, which is worth the read.

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PUBLISHED
New York : Spiegel & Grau, 2016.
Year Published: 2016
Description: 288 pages ; 25 cm.
Language: English
Format: Book

ISBN/STANDARD NUMBER
9780399588174
0399588175
9780399590443
0399590447

SUBJECTS
Noah, Trevor, -- 1984-
Comedians -- Biography.
Comedians -- South Africa -- Biography.
Television personalities -- Biography.