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joeesuuu 's review for:
Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
by Trevor Noah
★★★★★ // Where do I even begin talking about this book? I love it in the way that it is a memoir, that is also an historical account of life during the height of apertheid in Africa, as well as a love letter to his mom.
I honestly did not really know Trevor Noah before this but I’ve heard his name a few times. My best friend just recommended this to me one time because she said it’s very well-written (and it is). I started watching Trevor’s standup special on Netflix and got even more curious, so I finally bought the book.
It’s such a fascinating read in that it feels so mundane. I oftentimes struggle to read memoirs because some stories tend to come across as theatrical or (un)intentionally dramatic for the sake of getting a reaction or earning sympathy. This one was just one’s life, quite matter-of-fact, but stories so rich that seems larger than life.
It is about Trevor’s life as a kid growing up in South Africa. He is mixed, a product of an affair between his black mom and white dad. Born at a time when sexual relations between the two races are literally a crime, he lived somewhat hidden and his parentage a secret. He grew up not exactly fitting in, couldn’t fully identify as black because of his skin color, but also privileged in the way that sometimes his color causes him to be untouchable even within the household where his grandma is too afraid to beat him up.
It also contains some accounts through his life where he did “soft” illegal hustles like pirating CDs as a living, some runins with the law. While reading through those, I find myself checking my thoughts and whether I am being too judgemental. As one passage in ‘The Cheese Boys’ said, “In society, we do horrible things to one another because we don’t see the person it affects. We don’t see their faces. We don’t see them as people. […] We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them.” This was Trevor’s personal reflection very specific to his experiences, but as a reader, I think it was my reminder to try to understand first the context of what was happening before pulling out my judgement card. Our tendency is to see things through our own lens and decide if it is good or bad based on our own standards. But I was reminded of our differences and the society in which we live and grew up in, so it definitely was a moment of learning for me.
This book was also an historical account of one’s life during the height of apartheid. Of course, I know this from numerous history lessons in school but not much the depth of it. I just know that it was bad, and so many black people had suffered and died because of it. Of course, Trevor’s own experience is just one way to look at it but it was an avenue to understand just how deeply it has affected the lives of so many people. Based on one’s skin color, people are treated less than human, stripped of freedom, and made to believe that they did not deserve to live. How a broken system ultimately turn people against each other, and how this manifests even today — at a lesser degree, but still very much present.
Then it was also Trevor’s letter to his mother who shaped him into the man that he is, who pushed him to reach the world beyond what the broken system dictates. It was him questioning all her decisions but also trying to understand why she had to make those choices. It was a tribute to the woman who raised him all on his own — a mother whose core was unshakeable, from which he also drew his strength. One of my favourite chapters here was ‘The Second Girl’ which was about his mom, and specifically these lines: “My mom raised me as if there were no limitations on where I could do. […] We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited. […] The thing that always amazed me about her life was that no one showed her. No one chose her. She did it on her own. She found her way through sheer force of will.” Trevor says that his mom had him because he was a product of her search for belonging. Interestingly, one would expect that she will be dictating his life down to a tee — to make sure that he had the ‘perfect’ life — but instead she brought him up free to think and to break barriers and take up spaces, to stumble and figure out a way to go back up on his own. Trevor acknowledges that his mom was not perfect, and that she had questionable choices in certain aspects of her life, but she also made choices that far exceeded what you would expect and she truly is a force that made things happen for her and her kids.
This reading experience was so good, it made me write an essay and it is not even enough to cover everything. I’ll think about this for the rest of my life.
Other favourite chapters:
— Robert: Trevor talks briefly about his relationship with his father. This made me cry honestly. It’s a different kind of love between them because he did not grow up with him, but I think this was a reminder that some people love differently, but it is still love all the same. (“When a parent is absent, you’re left in the lurch of not knowing, and it’s so easy to fill that space with negative thoughts. I never turned to bitterness, because [my mom] made sure I know his absence was because of circumstance and not a lack of love. ‘Don’t ever forget: He chose you.’”)
— Go Hitler!: Honestly this was just really funny. I mean he talked about the different ways some historical facts affect us, but mostly the account of what happened was a mix of morbid and hilarious.
— The Cheese Boys: I love this because it made me think and re-evaluate the way I understand people and their circumstances. It is a chapter filled with so many layers and nuances.
Finally, I just really love the book’s dedication:
“For my mother. My first fan.
Thank you for making me a man.”
I honestly did not really know Trevor Noah before this but I’ve heard his name a few times. My best friend just recommended this to me one time because she said it’s very well-written (and it is). I started watching Trevor’s standup special on Netflix and got even more curious, so I finally bought the book.
It’s such a fascinating read in that it feels so mundane. I oftentimes struggle to read memoirs because some stories tend to come across as theatrical or (un)intentionally dramatic for the sake of getting a reaction or earning sympathy. This one was just one’s life, quite matter-of-fact, but stories so rich that seems larger than life.
It is about Trevor’s life as a kid growing up in South Africa. He is mixed, a product of an affair between his black mom and white dad. Born at a time when sexual relations between the two races are literally a crime, he lived somewhat hidden and his parentage a secret. He grew up not exactly fitting in, couldn’t fully identify as black because of his skin color, but also privileged in the way that sometimes his color causes him to be untouchable even within the household where his grandma is too afraid to beat him up.
It also contains some accounts through his life where he did “soft” illegal hustles like pirating CDs as a living, some runins with the law. While reading through those, I find myself checking my thoughts and whether I am being too judgemental. As one passage in ‘The Cheese Boys’ said, “In society, we do horrible things to one another because we don’t see the person it affects. We don’t see their faces. We don’t see them as people. […] We live in a world where we don’t see the ramifications of what we do to others, because we don’t live with them.” This was Trevor’s personal reflection very specific to his experiences, but as a reader, I think it was my reminder to try to understand first the context of what was happening before pulling out my judgement card. Our tendency is to see things through our own lens and decide if it is good or bad based on our own standards. But I was reminded of our differences and the society in which we live and grew up in, so it definitely was a moment of learning for me.
This book was also an historical account of one’s life during the height of apartheid. Of course, I know this from numerous history lessons in school but not much the depth of it. I just know that it was bad, and so many black people had suffered and died because of it. Of course, Trevor’s own experience is just one way to look at it but it was an avenue to understand just how deeply it has affected the lives of so many people. Based on one’s skin color, people are treated less than human, stripped of freedom, and made to believe that they did not deserve to live. How a broken system ultimately turn people against each other, and how this manifests even today — at a lesser degree, but still very much present.
Then it was also Trevor’s letter to his mother who shaped him into the man that he is, who pushed him to reach the world beyond what the broken system dictates. It was him questioning all her decisions but also trying to understand why she had to make those choices. It was a tribute to the woman who raised him all on his own — a mother whose core was unshakeable, from which he also drew his strength. One of my favourite chapters here was ‘The Second Girl’ which was about his mom, and specifically these lines: “My mom raised me as if there were no limitations on where I could do. […] We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited. […] The thing that always amazed me about her life was that no one showed her. No one chose her. She did it on her own. She found her way through sheer force of will.” Trevor says that his mom had him because he was a product of her search for belonging. Interestingly, one would expect that she will be dictating his life down to a tee — to make sure that he had the ‘perfect’ life — but instead she brought him up free to think and to break barriers and take up spaces, to stumble and figure out a way to go back up on his own. Trevor acknowledges that his mom was not perfect, and that she had questionable choices in certain aspects of her life, but she also made choices that far exceeded what you would expect and she truly is a force that made things happen for her and her kids.
This reading experience was so good, it made me write an essay and it is not even enough to cover everything. I’ll think about this for the rest of my life.
Other favourite chapters:
— Robert: Trevor talks briefly about his relationship with his father. This made me cry honestly. It’s a different kind of love between them because he did not grow up with him, but I think this was a reminder that some people love differently, but it is still love all the same. (“When a parent is absent, you’re left in the lurch of not knowing, and it’s so easy to fill that space with negative thoughts. I never turned to bitterness, because [my mom] made sure I know his absence was because of circumstance and not a lack of love. ‘Don’t ever forget: He chose you.’”)
— Go Hitler!: Honestly this was just really funny. I mean he talked about the different ways some historical facts affect us, but mostly the account of what happened was a mix of morbid and hilarious.
— The Cheese Boys: I love this because it made me think and re-evaluate the way I understand people and their circumstances. It is a chapter filled with so many layers and nuances.
Finally, I just really love the book’s dedication:
“For my mother. My first fan.
Thank you for making me a man.”