One of the comedy world’s fastest-rising stars tells his wild coming-of-age story during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. Noah provides something deeper than traditional memoirists: powerfully funny observations about how farcical political and social systems play out in our lives.
Trevor Noah is the host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, where he gleefully provides America with its nightly dose of serrated satire. He is a light-footed but cutting observer of the relentless absurdities of politics, nationalism, and race – and in particular the craziness of his own young life, which he’s lived at the intersections of culture and history.
In his first book, Noah tells his coming-of-age story with his larger-than-life mother during the last gasps of apartheid-era South Africa and the turbulent years that followed. Noah was born illegal – the son of a white Dutch father and a black Xhosa mother, who had to pretend to be his nanny or his father’s servant in the brief moments when the family came together. His brilliantly eccentric mother loomed over his life – a comically zealous Christian (they went to church six days a week and three times on Sunday), a savvy hustler who kept food on their table during rough times, and an aggressively involved, if often seriously misguided, parent who set Noah on his bumpy path to stardom.
The stories Noah tells are sometimes dark, occasionally bizarre, frequently tender, and always hilarious – whether he’s subsisting on caterpillars during months of extreme poverty or making comically pitiful attempts at teenage romance in a color-obsessed world; whether he’s being thrown into jail as the hapless fall guy for a crime he didn’t commit or being thrown by his mother from a speeding car driven by murderous gangsters.
This is a stunner. Give us more Trevah! A stunner. Noah’s story telling is superb. He completely draws you into his life experiences with insightful, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant, but always grounded and without pretense, narratives. A treasure of amazing stories told with clear eyes, and great affection for those he writes about. And his mom – who wouldn’t want to know her? For me, the book exceeded any expectations I had, and is a real page turner. Entertaining, thoughtful, and thought-provoking. Give us more Trevah.
Comedy out of Tragedy My decision to request Born a Crime has nothing to do with star power or fandom. I have to admit I have never seen Trevor Noah on the Daily Show. I requested this book when I learned it was about Trevor Noah’s childhood in Apartheid South Africa.Â
A Treasure I am generally a pretty critical reader, and it’s almost embarrassing to write such a glowing review, but I can say without reservation that this book is a treasure. (And no, I am not a friend of the family. I haven’t even watched him on The Daily Show, although I’ll probably start to watch now.) Trevor Noah is a superb storyteller, and this memoir is his eloquent and touching account of growing up as the mixed race child of a single mother, living in poverty in deeply racist and sexist South…