Let me start by saying that I do not typically gravitate towards the non-fiction genre of books as some of you might already be aware. A good story is what spurred my childhood love of reading and that doesn’t seem to have changed even after all these years. I consider myself to be a mildly imaginative and creative person by nature so escaping into a world of fiction where there is an absorbing story and compelling characters is my jam.
That said, I’ve been making a conscious effort to broaden my knowledge and perspective by interspersing fiction novels with non-fiction books in my reading list. I’ve read a couple of really thought-provoking non-fiction books in the last two years. They do tend to derail my reading pace but in the interest of personal growth, I’m determined to keep going.
I added Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah to my reading list after seeing the sky-high ratings on Goodreads. The title of the book also piqued my curiosity. Born a crime? That sounded serious.
Prior to reading the book, my husband and I had watched The Daily Show many times as well as several stand-up stage performances by the charming and hilarious Trevor Noah. But I had no idea if his flair for comedy and public speaking would translate into a good autobiography. Would the book be well-written? Would it be uplifting or bleak? What could I learn from it? These were some thoughts that entered my mind. In the end, I was not only pleasantly surprised but wowed even!
In this fascinating memoir about his life, Trevor Noah, shines light on the complexities growing up as the child of a Swiss-German white father and Xhosa black mother during the dying days of apartheid in South Africa. His very existence as a biracial child during those times was considered illegal and even after apartheid fell, he continued to face the unique challenges from his ill-defined racial identity. He wasn’t black and he wasn’t white so he didn’t 'fit in' anywhere.
In a nutshell, Born a Crime is an amalgamation of tumultuous history, brilliant storytelling, acute observations and meaningful reflection of the political climate and culture of South Africa during the 80s and 90s. At the crux of the memoir is Noah’s relationship with his mother, a single and formidable black woman who subverted the system at every step and equipped her son with essential skills that he needed in life to succeed.
Noah opens his memoir with a line stating that as a 9-year old child, his mother pushed him out of a moving bus. As shocking as that sounds, he proceeds to explain just why she did that and from there onwards, you just want to know more.
