Born A Crime
Stories from a South African Childhood
Format:Hardback
Publisher:John Murray Press
Publishing:19th Nov '26
£25.00
This title is due to be published on 19th November, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
The #1 Bestseller and Award-winning Modern Classic -- with an exclusive new afterword.
Trevor Noah was BORN A CRIME - not because he could answer back in five languages; not because his mother threw him out of the window of a moving car; not because he shoplifted; not because he accidentally burnt down someone's house with a magnifying glass; not even because he took Hitler to a barmitzvah - but because this was South Africa and his mother was black and his father was white...
The compelling, inspiring, (often comic) coming-of-age story of Trevor Noah, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed. One of the world's leading comedians and host of The Daily Show for over 7 years, Trevor Noah was the son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother, at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents' indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, take him away.
A collection of eighteen personal stories, Born a Crime tells the story of a mischievous young boy growing into a restless young man as he struggles to find his place in a world where he was never supposed to exist. Born a Crime is equally the story of that young man's fearless, rebellious and fervently religious mother - a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life. Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a personal portrait of an unlikely childhood in a dangerous time, as moving and unforgettable as the very best memoirs and as funny as his own hilarious stand-up. Born a Crime is a must read.
Essential reading... Engaging, fast-paced and vivid, leavened with insight and wit . . . Born a Crime does more to expose apartheid - its legacy, its pettiness, its small-minded stupidity and its damage - than any other recent history book or academic text * GUARDIAN *
Powerful and unique * THE TIMES *
A brilliant memoir, bonding and hilarious... Fantastic * LUPITA NYONG’O, TIME, Books of the Year *
Witty and brilliant...You'd be hard-pressed to find a better origin story * O — THE OPRAH MAGAZINE *
Trevor Noah's childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa's history that must never be forgotten * ESQUIRE *
Compelling . . . By turns alarming, sad, and funny, Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to Trevor Noah's remarkable mother * NEW YORK TIMES *
A soul-nourishing pleasure...an enormous gift * USA TODAY *
A book to read now * WALL STREET JOURNAL *
A memoir with heft... Astonishingly fearless... this story soars * PEOPLE *
Mind-blowing * COSMOPOLITAN *
Trevor Noah has a real story to tell -- and tells it well... A little scary, but trust me -- it's funny * NEWSDAY *
An affecting memoir. . . and a love letter to his mother * WASHINGTON POST *
Extraordinary . . . essential reading on every level. It's hard to imagine a finer job * SEATTLE TIMES *
Noah proves a gifted storyteller, deftly lacing his poignant tales with amusing irony * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *
Incisive, funny, and vivid, Trevor Noah's electrifying memoir sparkles with staggering true tales . . . and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class * BOOKLIST *
A gritty memoir . . . studded with insight and provocative social criticism . . . and brilliant storytelling and acute observations * KIRKUS *
Humble, candid and funny * ELLE (South Africa) *
Thoughtful, observant and empathetic...warm and human * MAIL & GUARDIAN (South Africa) *
Treats what could be a dark topic with humour and light * Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER *
ISBN: 9781399842723
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
304 pages