18.6k reviews for:

Born a Crime

Trevor Noah

4.56 AVERAGE

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phenomenal. i laughed out loud more than once. heart-warming and heart-wrenching at the same time. noah is a very entertaining story teller and i absolutely loved his prose. i would recommend this to anyone, especially if you think you don't like nonfiction.
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Incredible. What a life, what a brilliantly written story. Go and read this book!
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I truly adored this book. I knew Trevor Noah was from South Africa, but I had NO IDEA what his life was like there. Fascinating read. It will make me definitely see him in a different view now. What a survivor!!! Plus this memoir of such manages to be quite funny as well.

Second read it’s even better!!! The audio is fantastic—read by the author. 11/22/23.
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I absolutely loved Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. Trevor is a gifted writer who brings his childhood stories to life so vividly that I could picture him as a young boy, moving through all of his adventures throughout South Africa. His storytelling ability made me feel like I was there experiencing everything alongside him.

What I loved most was the book's perfect balance of humor, heart, and real-life issues. While there are genuinely funny stories throughout, he doesn't shy away from addressing racism, poverty, domestic violence, colonialism, religion, education, and gender roles. Learning about his culture and experiences growing up during apartheid was fascinating and eye-opening. I found myself wanting to know even more, and I hope that he will write another book with stories from both childhood and adulthood.

The real star of this book, though, is Trevor's mother. She is an incredibly strong woman whose tough love and unwavering faith shaped him into the man he is today. Their bond is the driving force of the narrative, and I found myself in awe of her strength and wisdom. I would absolutely love to meet her in person after reading about her resilience and determination.

Reading these stories in Trevor's own voice was an incredible experience that made me feel even more connected to his journey. His perspective as someone who was literally "born a crime" under apartheid laws gives the memoir a unique and powerful foundation that stayed with me long after I finished it. 
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