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This is the discussion thread for the Winter 2022 Group Read Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood in the category Non Fiction - A Comedian's memoir/biography. Please post your comments here. This thread is not restricted to those choosing this book for task 20.10, feel free to join in the discussion. Warning- spoilers ahead!

The requirement for task 20.10: You must participate in the book's discussion thread below with at least one post about the contents of the book or your reaction to the book after you have read the book.

I've loved Trevor Noah as a comedian since he first came onto the scene. I really enjoyed his memoir because he's had such a fascinating, yet tragic life and the fact he still came out of it with such an amazing sense of humor is so shocking to me. This book really opened my eyes to the realities of violence in South Africa both pre and post apartheid (not a region I knew much about).

Trevor Noah's also a really amazing writer and I was completely captivated by all his stories. I heard he was going to write another book a while ago, but haven't heard much about it since then. If he does, I'm definitely going to pick it up!

I'd like to recommend audio as the way to go to get the most from this book. Trevor Noah narrates it himself and he is a genius with languages and accents.

This was a five-star read for me when I read it earlier in the year. I read it in one sitting - not something I normally do with biographies. Well written, with a slice of humour, but at the same time, it paints a very dark picture of Johannesburg, even after the fall of apartheid.

Apartheid has always been a topic I'd heard about in different contexts, but never truly knew what it was. This book showed me how much I still have to learn, while giving me interesting information from someone who has lived through it (and the time that came after it). Noah, also, managed to hook me through his great sense of humor and easy writing flow. I would definitely read any more books he writes (and now I'm going to see what I can find on apartheid).

Alexxy wrote: "Apartheid has always been a topic I'd heard about in different contexts, but never truly knew what it was. This book showed me how much I still have to learn, while giving me interesting informatio..."

If you want to learn more about South Africa and apartheid, check out Long Walk to Freedom. It's a long book, but I found it well worth reading.

Sandy wrote: "Alexxy wrote: "Apartheid has always been a topic I'd heard about in different contexts, but never truly knew what it was. This book showed me how much I still have to learn, while giving me interes..."

Thanks for the suggestion. Added and hoping I'll get around to reading it soon :)

I'm not sure how well this holds up because it was written decades ago, but The Covenant by James A. Michener gave me a sense of how the crazy system of apartheid even came to be.

I love the letters between Trevor and his mother! LOL
This is an excellent biography and captures his humor as he brings light to apartheid and how racism impact family and social systems.

I thought this was a very good book, and gave a clear description of apartheid and how it effected individuals as well as society as a whole. I didn't think it was as clear about which parts happened after apartheid was abolished.
I know the subtitle is "Stories from a South African Childhood" but I would have liked to have had a little more about how he managed to leave South Africa and become a celebrity in Britain and the U.S.

I think he was planning to write a 2nd book about the later parts of his life, maybe it will still happen.

I found this book very interesting. I had an exchange student friend in high school who was from South Africa. She was white and in this instance privileged as opposed to how Trevor grew up. I always find it interesting to read about different cultures. Trevor is not someone I knew before I read this; my television viewing is very minimal (because I have all these books to read :)

Angela IL
Born a Crime has been on my TBR for quite some time and I am glad that I finally picked it up. As some on here have mentioned, he gave me some insight into apartheid in South Africa and how it affected him as a child and young adult. I also enjoyed reading about his relationship with his mother and the closing story, My Mother's Life, was difficult to read but also representative of domestic violence and abuse. Excellent book!!

megscl
5 stars!
Noah had a fascinating childhood, and his very funny stories carry powerful insights into racism and poverty. I am also mixed race and about the same age as Noah, but geography is destiny and his childhood was very different. The audio was great if you can get it.

Readerboard name - Rebecca NJ

I had Born a Crime on my TBR for a long time and I was glad I finally took the time to read it. Echoing most of the comments above, I found his insight on the apartheid to be interesting. I was really impressed with his love and respect for his mother. I was really glad to learn more about how Trevor became Trevor. My biggest regret was not listening to this on audio.

I admit I ended up reading this book because I couldn't get into Shrines of Gaiety and I had already planned to read a nominated book from the Mystery category for task 15.10. I normally don't read a lot of nonfiction.

I work in a library and, even though I didn't really know who Trevor Noah was, I have thought the book looked interesting since I saw it come through my library. My dad likes to talk about his time in Africa (Gambia) during the Peace Corps and I had a vague idea of what the differences in South Africa would entail.

I appreciated that the style of writing did not make it feel like a chore to read even though apartheid is a difficult topic. I remember hearing when Mandela was freed and how the world celebrated the fall of apartheid, but not really grasping what that meant at the time.

I was struck by a comment in the 'Hitler' chapter about The West thinking that the Holocaust was the worst atrocity in the world because we have so much documentation about it. To him in Africa, Hitler was just a powerful man. Trevor Noah says after :"But when you read through the history of atrocities against Africans, there are no numbers, only guesses. It's harder to be horrified by a guess." What does that mean for my love of reading books dealing with the World War II era?

PAULA S
4 stars
I didn't know anything about Trevor Noah before reading this book and picked it up more as a story about South Africa than about him. I found it fascinating, and very sad. His childhood was so filled with violence, both domestic and from living in a divided country where the laws didn't protect people like him.
He is a good story teller and I can see why he is a successful comedian, which makes the book an easy read even though the subject matter is quite heavy. There is always a funny story to lighten the mood.
Recommended.

I read this book when it first came out and was happy to reread it for the challenge. I was surprised how much I retained from the initial read, but at the same time there was plenty that felt new. I've also seen him on stage since the first read, which just added to the enjoyment of the reread.

Noah is a fantastic storyteller, and he has a unique way of infusing humor into something horrific. I believe that is why I remembered more of this book than others read around the same time. He is also great at keeping things in perspective and using his life experience to help Americans see that while we can do better, things could also be worse.

When people ask me "who are the 5 people you'd love to have dinner with," Noah almost always makes my list. I'm sure he still has plenty of stories to tell, and I can't wait to hear them.

Kathy KS

I found Trevor Noah's biography concerning his childhood and youth in South Africa to be an enlightening read; not only about Noah's life, but about that life in context of South Africa and the changes (or not) occurring there during his early life. His unique status in the society (not really white, not really black, not even welcome as colored) provides an interesting backdrop. What some might read as a depressing, sad story of poverty, bigotry, and domestic abuse actually becomes a story about love and seeing the good parts of life. The fact that this man is now successful and known for humor shows that his spirit was never broken and his mother's love (sometimes tough love), her religious beliefs, and her striving to improve the lives of her family have served as a real role-model for her children.

Filled with many anecdotes from his school days and his young adulthood, this book actually caught my attention most when he was relating the realities of life in South Africa, especially after apartheid ended. His comments on how crime provides for the poor in ways governments don't really provided food for thought, even when thinking about the U.S.

I listened to the the first part of the book and finished reading the rest as an ebook. Because Noah actually narrates his story on the audiobook, I feel that was especially a good way to learn his story. Recommended, even to those that don't have a clue who Trevor Noah is, for the historical and sociological insights. He's a story teller...