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  • Born a Crime

  • Stories from a South African Childhood
  • By: Trevor Noah
  • Narrated by: Trevor Noah
  • Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (4,633 ratings)

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Born a Crime

By: Trevor Noah
Narrated by: Trevor Noah
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AUD $16.45/mo after 2 months. Renews automatically. Cancel anytime.

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Editorial reviews

A number one New York Times best seller, Trevor Noah’s critically acclaimed autobiography will open your mind to the brutality of systemic racism and touch your heart with its testaments to a mother’s fierce love and the remarkable resilience of the human spirit.

Born a Crime is a deeply affecting and engaging memoir with a powerful commentary on the end of apartheid and its aftermath. Award-winning comic and host of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah tells the at-once moving, serious and outrageously funny story of his rebellious birth and his often chaotic coming of age in South Africa in the 1990s. 

Set against a backdrop of radical social reform and reconciliation, Noah’s memoir explores themes of belonging and community, what it means to be a family, the racism that has shaped South Africa’s history and the absurdity of growing up within that as a mixed-race child. At its heart, Born a Crime is the story of a mother who will go to extraordinary lengths to protect her son.

Listen to Trevor Noah’s life story in his own words, as he narrates the Born a Crime audiobook with the humour and warmth for which he is renowned. Given the author’s knack for impersonations, the audiobook has been called 'even more splendid than an already terrific memoir'. Through his performance, Noah brings his childhood world to life and traces his escape from poverty using his quick thinking, linguistic abilities and wit. He also captures the vision and stubbornness of his mother.

Publisher's Summary

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 listeners 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 18 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 incisive wit and 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.

©2016 Trevor Noah (P)2016 Audible Ltd.

What listeners say about Born a Crime

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best audiobook I've listened... Ever!

This was hands down the best purchase i have made from Audible. You will not be disappointed. Trevor's story is hilarious, heartbreaking and hopeful. His performance was outstanding, I loved every minute

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12 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Best book in years!

Fascinating story of Trevor Noah’s upbringing. Beautifully written and narrated, I could not put this down. Love love loved it and can’t wait for the next one!!!

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining, funny and heartfelt.

Trevor takes you through his life as a naughty but smart kid in South Africa, born to a black woman and a white man in the time of Apartheid. There are moments where you just sit there smiling at his childhood stories. The significance of Church in his early life, the roles the women in his family played to make him who he is and his stories of teenage romance; this is a book that will take you through a roller coaster of emotions.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Thrilling, real, heartfelt

Have been a fan of Trevor Noah for a long time, but unbelievably I was surprised by how captivating his life story and journey was to listen to, the fact that he narrates it himself just makes it that much better too. Had me listening 24/7! Would definitely recommend ⭐️

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Mind opening

Every sgingle chapter opened my mind to some new perspective. he had the ultimate experience of been born and raised as a outsider of all groups, that and his wonderfully strong mum and unique history South Africa was going through, all of these gave his so far only 30 odd years long life incredible depth and wisdom that most of us will never have in a full 80+ years life time. Absolutely loved it and strongly recommended to everyone.

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2 people found this helpful

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  • Joe
  • 10-10-2020

Heart-warming and beautifully told story

Absolutely loved it! It was like reading my childhood story! The richness and rawness of the experiences have made me pause a few times. Trevor had cleverly and seamlessly woven history, adventures and human resilience. It confronted domestic violence, racism and relationships without bitterness and resentment. It's truly a joy listening and learning about his life and South Africa. Very highly recommended!

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1 person found this helpful

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Gripping

Trevor Noah doesn't beat you over the head with hus stories. He tells great stories and then lets you draw your own conclusions.

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1 person found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

choppy timeline but great listen

I think Trevor Noah is a great comedian and this book allows the listener to get a better understanding that growing is the same no matter where you're from.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Really enjoyed it

Awesome!
Not like his comedy routines.
But very funny stories from his childhood in shanty town squalor.
His mother was amazing.
He was half-black half white born in apartheid.
Doesn't cover his career in comedy etc
Tragedy pain humour hustling naughtiness etc
Leave with Hope and gratitude in face of challenging life
Great narration
Highly recommend

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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A bit of nostalgia

Very real story. Well told and well narrated. Lots of memories of those schools and those suburbs.

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