Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood - Softcover

Noah, Trevor

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1473635292 ISBN 13: 9781473635296

Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd, 2016

Synopsis

The compelling, inspiring and comically sublime story of a young man's coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. Trevor Noah is one of the comedy world's brightest new voices, a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics, race and identity, sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life. As host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers in America and around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire, but here Noah turns his focus inward, giving readers a deeply personal, heartfelt and humorous look at the world that shaped him. Noah was born a crime, the 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. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa's white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle. A collection of eighteen personal essays, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself 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. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a lovable delinquent making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed with only a keen sense of humour and a mother's unconventional, unconditional love.

About this title

Review:

An engaging, fast-paced and vivid read . . . Essential reading not only because it is a personal story of survival, leavened with insight and wit, but because it does more to expose apartheid - its legacy, its pettiness, its small-minded stupidity and its damage - than any other recent history book or academic text (GUARDIAN)

It's no surprise that Trevor Noah, the slyly suave successor to Jon Stewart as host of The Daily Show, should write a smart book. But 'smart' doesn't begin to cover what he pulls off in Born a Crime . . . Noah's memoir is extraordinary . . . essential reading on every level. It's hard to imagine anyone else doing a finer job of it (SEATTLE TIMES)

Powerful... The story of his life is full of chase scenes in which he runs, hell for leather, from spankings, from the long arm of the law, and from the swinging fist of his stepfather... a unique perspective (THE TIMES)

A soul-nourishing pleasure, even with all its darker edges and perilous turns, reading Noah recount in brisk, warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism . . . is an enormous gift (USA TODAY)

A BOOK TO READ NOW (WALL STREET JOURNAL)

A memoir with heft... The interracial coupling that produced him really was a crime, making him an outsider. But he thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother. (At one point she tosses him from a moving car -- driven by gangsters -- to save his life.) However brutal South African history is, their fierce bond makes this story soar (PEOPLE, Best New Books)

Noah has a real story to tell -- and tells it well... A little scary, but trust me -- it's funny (NEWSDAY)

An affecting memoir. . . a love letter to his mother (WASHINGTON POST)

Mind-blowing as f*** (COSMOPOLITAN)

Noah proves a gifted storyteller, deftly lacing his poignant tales with amusing irony (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY)

Book Description:

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 memorists: powerfully funny observations about how farcical political and social systems play out in our lives.

About this edition

• Publisher: John Murray Publishers Ltd
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1473635292
• ISBN 13: 9781473635296
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 304