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Born a Crime

Stories from a South African Childhood

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Born a Crime

By: Trevor Noah
Narrated by: Trevor Noah
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About this listen

 The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed.

One of the comedy world's brightest new voices, Trevor Noah is 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 US hit show The Daily Show with Trevor Noah, he provides viewers 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, 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.

A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place 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 personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as Noah's own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must listen.

(P)2016 Audible, Inc.©2016 Trevor Noah Entertainment & Celebrities Comedy Funny Heartfelt Witty Inspiring Thought-Provoking Celebrity Crime

Critic Reviews

Essential reading... Engaging, fast-paced and vivid, leavened with insight and wit . . . Born a Crime 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
Powerful and unique
A brilliant memoir, bonding and hilarious... Fantastic
Witty and brilliant...You'd be hard-pressed to find a better origin story
Trevor Noah's childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa's history that must never be forgotten
Compelling . . . By turns alarming, sad, and funny, Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to Trevor Noah's remarkable mother
A soul-nourishing pleasure... an enormous gift
A book to read now
A memoir with heft... Astonishingly fearless... this story soars
Mind-blowing
Trevor Noah has a real story to tell -- and tells it well... A little scary, but trust me -- it's funny
An affecting memoir. . . and a love letter to his mother
Extraordinary . . . essential reading on every level. It's hard to imagine a finer job
Noah proves a gifted storyteller, deftly lacing his poignant tales with amusing irony
Incisive, funny, and vivid, Trevor Noah's electrifying memoir sparkles with staggering true tales . . . and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class
A gritty memoir . . . studded with insight and provocative social criticism . . . and brilliant storytelling and acute observations
Humble, candid and funny
Thoughtful, observant and empathetic...warm and human
Treats what could be a dark topic with humour and light
All stars
Most relevant
I just finished reading this little gem of a book. Growing up in a similar environment on the other side of the continent I could relate with a lot of the smells, sounds, rhythms of the book.
Thanks Trevor

Raw..Funny..Confronting and full of hope

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gripping from start to end. Whilst some of the stories are more anecdotes, it's the broader theme of not giving up that resonates.

fantastic well worth the read.

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Great narration by Trevor.. immersive, entertaining and inspiring. I was hooked from start to finish.

Exceptional

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I planned to listen to this when I had time. Instead I MADE time to sit and hear out this tempestuous story as it played out.

Animated by the self narration, which in my opinion is always preferred. What I appreciate most is that it brings light to his mothers' strength of character, as well as so many others around him. In particular her difiance in just accepting what was. These real life stories that ordinarily would go completely unknown to those outside of that upbringing. Thank you Trevor

A heartfelt glimpse in to South-African cultures

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An amazing story, with great narrating by Trevor Noah himself. A very eye opening listen.

Brilliant

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