Emily's Book Blog: Born A Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Noah Trevor: ALL the yes! Highly recommend!

Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Release Date: November 15, 2016

Read from: 1/10/19-1/19/19

Format: Print (Borrowed)

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Rating: 4.46 stars

I started this book on the way to Florida last week and it drew me in real quick. It traveled with me all the way down to Lower Metacumbe Key from CT, after being given to me in NJ. The well traveled little thing. I will definitely be passing it on to others to read. I so highly recommend this.

This book was so good. I put off reading it way too long. I've literally had it in my house for months, borrowed from someone, and library books were just taking precedence. I don't know anything about Trevor Noah beyond what I know from reading this book. But wow, was his life insane.

He grew up in South Africa with a single mom, before apartheid was ended. Poor, but not as poor as others. But because of his white father and black mother, he was not considered black or white, but colored, and that made it much harder for him to fit in. He navigated the racist, violent ways of his country in his early childhood, and in his later childhood, was also navigating violence at home with his step father. He eventually leaves home to start living his own life, hustling on the streets with his friends. Becoming successful in that, but still poor. Trevor is smart though. He pulls himself out of that and becomes a successful comedian. That may change his life, but not the lives of his family. He has two younger brothers now, from his mother and abusive step father. And as the beatings become more violent, and more frequent, they all need to fear for their lives.

The book ended with the most exciting story of them all, so it definitely left me with some strong feelings in the end. What kept me from giving it more stars was that it wasn't necessarily in chronological order so that was confusing some times. I would get a little lost, especially when Trevor would back track to a time he'd already discussed, but be talking about something entirely different that was going on at that time. About different people and different places.

Many of the stories are horrifying. Some are sad. Others are funny. But they all resonate the determination and perseverance of Trevor's strong as all hell mother, and intelligence and strength of Trevor himself.

Trevor isn't that much older than me. A lot of his life was unfolding while I was living a relatively peaceful and sheltered life in America. These are definitely stories Americans need to know.