Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood is the compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime memoir from one of the world’s most beloved comedians, Trevor Noah, host of The Daily Show.

Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to 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 earliest 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.

His story is that of a boy who grows up in a country unraveling, armed only with a keen wit and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love. Delightful, funny, and at times heartbreaking, Born a Crime is a portrait of a boy becoming a man, and a man discovering the meaning of family.

What the Critics Say:

• "[A] substantial collection of staggering personal essays… Incisive, funny, and vivid… [Noah’s] electrifying memoir sparkles with funny stories… and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class." — Booklist (starred review)
• "A gritty memoir… studded with insight and provocative social criticism… with flashes of brilliant storytelling and acute observations." — Kirkus Reviews

Book Details:

• Author: Trevor Noah
• Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
• Format: Paperback (International Edition)
• ISBN: 9780399590443
• Category: Biography & Autobiography / Memoir