Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Who exactly is Trevor Noah?

When I picked this book up, I had no idea who Trevor Noah was. I know nothing of his previous work or, more precisely, I do not know what he is famous for.

I saw Max at WellDoneBooks praise this book and since I am constantly trying to get into audiobooks (and constantly failing), I decided to pick it up. And I really enjoyed it.

Trevor Noah is such an easy going narrator. Many people have said this, and I could not agree more, when you listen to him narrate this book, it feels like you’re sitting down with a friend for a chat. He has such a strong voice and it echoes through the whole novel. I loved him as a narrator and I wholeheartedly recommend you pick this audiobook up.

In this book, Noah tells the story of his South African childhood, and he is so good at it. I found out so many things about South Africa which I never knew.
Trevor Noah’s mother is black, and his father is white, and at the time that he was born this was forbidden. By law. So he explores a lot of stuff about race and apartheid, but it all blends so seamlessly into his story, because it is his story.

One other thing I loved is the way Noah writes about his mother. I loved how he presented her in this book. And not just that. I did not just like the way he talked about her. I loved her. I want to meet this woman. She seems brilliant.

Another great thing about this – I still don’t know what Trevor Noah is famous for. He never touches on that. And this did two things. It left room for him to write more stuff, which is awesome. But it also made a point that what he had to say was important, because it just was, and not because he is famous. It wasn’t preachy or frivolous and this book is definitely my favorite “celebrity” memoir to this date.

So definitely pick this up and when you do, get the audiobook. You won’t regret it.

Final verdict: 4 stars