Born a Crime

Stories from a South African Childhood

By: Trevor Noah

Narrated by: Trevor Noah

Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Highest-rated new book of 2016 by Audible customers

Winner: Audible's Best of 2016 - Celebrity Memoirs

In this award-winning Audible Studios production, Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. It’s a story that begins with his mother throwing him from a moving van to save him from a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters, then follows the budding comedian’s path to self-discovery through episodes both poignant and comical. Noah’s virtuoso embodiment of all the characters from his childhood, and his ability to perform accents and dialects effortlessly in English, Xhosa, and Zulu, garnered the Audie Award for Best Male Narrator in 2018. Nevertheless, Noah’s devoted and uncompromising mother—as voiced by her son—steals the show.

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©2016 Spiegel & Grau (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Great book and perfect narration

I don't review a lot of books anymore, but this one got to me. There are lots of books written by people -- including me -- who had a hard time growing up. Abusive parents, poverty, oppression. War. There is a lot of awful stuff children endure.

Trevor Noah endured all of it. Name something bad that a kid can experience and it probably happened to him. Born under apartheid, his existence was illegal. His birth was, as the title of his book suggests, a crime.

As the child of a white father and a black mother under South Africa during apartheid, if he had been noticed by the authorities, they would have taken him from his family and put him ... somewhere. So merely surviving until the end of apartheid was no mean feat. Add to that extreme poverty, violence and life under the most oppressive, racist regime you can imagine. Actually, you may not be able to imagine it. I knew it was bad, but South Africa refined oppression into an art form.

One of the other noteworthy things about this book was that I learned great deal about things I thought I already knew. I don't know if Noah intended it as a cautionary tale, but it is. Chilling.

I didn't read the book. I listened to the audiobook because Noah reads it himself. He has a beautiful, melodic voice and a lovely cadence. It was a treat for my ears and my brain.

You might think with all of this terrible stuff -- and some of it is really horrific -- that this would be an angry, possibly embittered man. But he isn't.

He's funny when humor is possible. Even when he's serious, there is grace and wit -- plus a sweetness and generosity of spirit that's rather uplifting. I don't think I've ever said that about a book. It's not a word I use lightly. Trevor Noah is a rare person, able to appreciate the good stuff in his life and not obsess over the considerable amount of injustice he has experienced.

I'm not usually a big fan of celebrity memoirs or autobiographies, but this is exceptional. If you have the patience, listen to it as an audiobook. Otherwise, consider reading it. He's a smart guy, a good writer, and an astute observer of humanity, government, politics, and relationships. Insightful, witty, and entertaining, I highly recommend it.

Fragmented

I love the stories that Trevor tells. However, the timeline is so hard to follow. It jumps all over the place, in one story he’s an adult then all the sudden he’s a kid again. Hi life is so interesting, I just wish his editor had made him out the stories in a more cohesive timeline

Wow....

This book was the funniest, most honest, most thought provoking biography I have ever read. Trevor Noah writes beautifully, and since he is narrating you really get exactly what he meant when he wrote the book.

I would sincerely recommend this book to anyone looking for a great story; great lessons from a man who has succeeded despite all the odds.

Trevor Noah, you are an inspiration.

Eye opening and hilarious

couldn't get enough!! Wasn't ready for it to be over. his story telling is descriptive and makes you feel like you are standing right there with him, selling burned Cds

Better in the telling than the writing

Noah is a great story teller and it is wonderful to listen to him bring his family and Soweto to life. But there is is something unresolved in the book that leaves the reader wanting more. It is less about Apartheid than an angry boy who keeps testing the love of the one person who loves him- his Mother.

Amazing.

I can't look at him the same again, so much more to him. Jon Stewart had foresight to choose him for the daily show.

Very sad for funny guy narration guy

Narrative good, story is as horrifying as expected. Very interesting to hear from a local.

Born A Crime

Moving. It made me laugh uncontrollably ,cry and think. i appreciate my life my country and my mother

Best I've listened to .... and I have a mad crush

I loved this book. I learned about a different culture, history, about resilience, etc. I'm so glad I got this as an audio book. hearing Trevor share his story, in his own voice, it couldn't have been any better. My kids and I actually sat in the car, in our garage for 30 minutes one day because we were so caught up in the chapter we had been listening to on our drive home. I highly recommend this book and am now a huge fan. I now DVR the Daily show and have begun looking for more of Trevor's work. I definitely have a mad crush on him now. haha

Interesting

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Well performed interesting stories but some parts are a bit dragging. Love the character of Mother - Patricia - would love to hear her story.