Born A Crime By Trevor Noah Book Review — Isaiah Abisoye
Born a Crime is a memoir of hope, resistance, and love. With doses of humor.
The author, Trevor Noah, was born a mixed-race colour during apartheid in South Africa. Under an institutionalize racism system. A system that was unsustainable, incoherent, flaws/loopholes and could be easily tricked to work in one’s favour. Born to a black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father, Trevor literally spent his earliest days hiding indoors in a world run by women.
Born a Crime is a book about growing up in the days of apartheid and its aftermath, and what it’s like to grow up in a culture of poverty and crime, as a mixed-race child, where he wasn’t white enough to be considered white, nor was he black enough to be considered black. While at times this had its advantages, for the most part, it left him on the outside looking in, having to handle everything on his own, fight his own battles, struggle to find people who genuinely liked him for who he was and not the novelty of his skin color, and rebel against a mother who only wanted him to behave well. It is a story of survival, of how to make money and be able to feed, clothe, and enjoy oneself. He did upset his mother at different times, but she knew he would accomplish whatever he sets his mind upon.
Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, Trevor’s mother. She’s one of the main character in the book. She’s a typical Xhosa woman: “promiscuous and unfaithful”. Trevor’s partner and playmate. Religious, stubborn, headstrong, undaunted, and independent. She’s everly believing, “If God is with me…” she said, even on the hospital bed. Little wonder a chapter was dedicated to her. She molded Trevor’s life. Though they were poor, she made sure he never felt poor, but rich with experience. She taught him about life, love [in an unorthodox manner], how to treat women, and being responsible for choice made. She made it evident that she chose him to be a part of her life. She taught him to exploit loopholes/flaws. “She taught me to challenge authority and question the system. The only way it backfired on her was that I constantly challenged and questioned her.” She did made a man out of a boy. “Learn from the past and be better because of your past,” she would say, “but don’t cry about your past. Life is full of pin. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it.”
But unlike Patricia, Trevor’s father, Robert, was quiet and reserved. A closed book.
I enjoyed this book and learned a lot about apartheid, which I really didn’t know much about. Though the author didn’t say much about how he made the leap to hosting an acclaimed television comedy show.
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