Title: Born a Crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Narrated by: Trevor Noah
Publisher: Audible
Studios
Length:
Approximately 8 hours and 44 minutes
Source: Purchased
from Audible.com. Thank-you!
As the title states, Trevor Noah was born a crime. His black Xhosa mother and white Swiss father
were not allowed to marry or be together in apartheid South Africa.
"On February 20, 1984, my mother checked into
Hillbrow Hospital for a scheduled C-section delivery. Estranged from her
family, pregnant by a man she could not be seen with in public, she was alone.
The doctors took her up to the delivery room, cut open her belly, and reached
in and pulled out a half-white, half-black child who violated any number of
laws, statutes, and regulations—I was born a crime."
Noah details his growing up in South Africa with vignettes
about his family and friends. It was a
touching and humorous look at life, and a great coming of age memoir. I really loved that Trevor Noah narrated the
audiobook himself. It made it a very
personable experience.
This audiobook gave me a much deeper understanding of Apartheid
in South Africa and how it impacted the various people. Trevor Noah had to learn how to adapt to different
situations based on his color.
We started this on a trip quite awhile ago and finally
finished this up in January. My
teenage sons enjoyed it as well. Trevor
Noah does swear and have adult type humor as a warning – but if you’ve listened
to him on the Daily Show, it’s the same as you would be used to. The most horrifying part was listening to the
abuse that he and his mother faced from his stepfather, and about his mother’s
shooting.
Overall, this is a memoir you won’t forget. It is tragedy and comedy all rolled up into
one epic story.
I’ve heard about the story first time I read a review. Thanks
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