---
product_id: 63045758
title: "Born a Crime"
price: "Rp5833499"
currency: IDR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.id/products/63045758-born-a-crime
store_origin: ID
region: Indonesia
---

# Born a Crime

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#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Michiko Kakutani, New York Times • Newsday • Esquire • NPR • Booklist Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to 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 earliest 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, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle. Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life. The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love. Praise for Born a Crime “[A] compelling new memoir . . . By turns alarming, sad and funny, [Trevor Noah’s] book provides a harrowing look, through the prism of Mr. Noah’s family, at life in South Africa under apartheid. . . . Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to the author’s remarkable mother.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times “[An] unforgettable memoir.” — Parade “What makes Born a Crime such a soul-nourishing pleasure, even with all its darker edges and perilous turns, is reading Noah recount in brisk, warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism. . . . What also helped was having a mother like Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah. . . . Consider Born a Crime another such gift to her—and an enormous gift to the rest of us.” —USA Today “[Noah] thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother. . . . Their fierce bond makes this story soar.” —People

Review: Glorious - This book is absolutely glorious. I’m so in love right now, I can barely function. This memoir is unquestionable one of the most engaging books I’ve ever read, filled with such greatly vivid and riveting anecdotes, made more profound and unforgettable by the fact that they’re true. I don’t watch The Daily Show, other than a few occasional clips on social media, and I never followed this guy before, so I decided to read this book solely because of the title. I love it. Born a Crime—it just feels meaningful. And, it is meaningful. I’m walking away from this experience knowing now that I love Trevor Noah. I love his writing and I love his wit. He is a fantastic storyteller who told of his childhood, one that was layered heavily with sadness, but for the majority of the time while reading his journey, I felt joyous. This memoir is a compilation of notable anecdotes, mixed in with short passages of African history for context against the very special circumstances of Trevor’s birth and childhood. Let me tell you, his childhood is better than any fiction and there are too many humorous and affecting moments to count. Some of my favorites include, the time when a criminal, young Trevor, who was being held prisoner in his Grandmother’s house (for his own good), crawled through a hole under a fence to get to freedom. Then, there’s the time when his first dog, Fufi, taught him his first lesson in love and betrayal. Or, the time when, after growing up on the kind of creative diet that only the very poor are weaned on, Trevor was left completely unimpressed with high cuisine meals such as bone marrow, which are no different or better than the dog bones he ate at home. For more funny and interesting stories, read this book! Born a Crime begins before his birth, when his impetuous and wise mother convinced her kind, white neighbor to give her a baby, during a time when there were strictly enforced laws that prohibited intercourse between Natives and Europeans. The stories he describe span from that time to the end of Apartheid, and further to a time when blacks and coloreds were free to live the life they could wrangle from the system. Trevor’s—I’m calling him Trevor because I feel like I know him now. His thoughts on race and power are spot on and made more impressive because of his ability to use humor to show the illogical and ridiculous nature of the whole enterprise. Trevor is very smart, and a very adept communicator. There isn’t a single part of this memoir that doesn’t pierce you, wound you with truths, yet it soothes you with humor. I laughed because it was impossible not to. I laughed so hard that I cried, and then I cried because I had to cry. Trevor grew up on a divided country, and the numerous poignant moments show clearly a boy caught between the many cultures of South Africa, which he navigated by becoming a chameleon, fitting in everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He adapted to each new situation as many entertainers do, by being whoever the people want them to be. That’s not to say that Trevor is disingenuous in any way; no, he’s observant, and his musings on life and relationships make it apparent that he has a damn good understanding of the human condition. What is most lovely about his coming-of-age story is how Trevor speaks about his mother. His mom features largely in his story, and his love and respect for her is obvious, not only in his words, but in the actions he describes. Their bond is a tangible thing, and the most moving pockets of this book are the ones filled with his mom. Honestly, this memoir is so brilliantly insightful that there are many many pages I marked, so many gems and memories I’ve saved to revisit again and again. I don’t read a lot of biographies, preferring fiction to real life, but I’m insanely delighted that I strayed from my norm and read Born a Crime. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, sincerely, because it is truly glorious. Audiobook notes: Just perfect. Trevor Noah pulls you in with his animated voice and more than brings this story to life.
Review: A tribute to Noah’s Mother, and when God is your health insurance - Where to begin? This book is a very powerful tribute to Noah’s Mother. As far as how he became a comedian, it is not described in this book. There is one little blurb mentioning he was starting to tour some in England, but not a word about how he got started in comedy, or anything about the process. It’s more about his life and adventures when he was young, and his relationship with his Mother. He draws readers very quickly into the book by talking about his Mother taking him to church, and yes, he does it with delightful humor. He starts with: “My childhood involved church, or some form of church, at least four nights a week.” Later, he says: “Jubilant church was mixed church. Analytical church was white church. And passionate, cathartic church, that was black church. It doesn’t take long to find out his Mother is very devout. She was a very strong lady who had her wild days when she was younger, but later she wanted something deeper and more profound in her life, so she turned to God. There’s a feistiness to her that you can’t help but respect. Noah describes Apartheid as Apart hate, and how different tribes were used to turn against each other. The fact that there are so many backgrounds and languages is very interesting. Tribes such as Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Vende, Tsonga, etc. On you-tube, you can watch Noah’s Grandmother saying to Noah, “you was born a crime,” the title of this book. In South Africa, it was against the law for people of different races to have children together. Noah describes all the problems this caused in his life, and the difficulty and awkwardness of being colored. He has some pretty profound and interesting comments in his book, such as: “I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language.” This comment in “The Cheese Boys” chapter really gave me pause for his insight: “The hood made me realize that crime succeeds because crime does the one thing the government doesn’t do: crime cares. Crime is grassroots. Crime looks for the young kids who need support and a lifting hand. Crime offers internship programs and summer jobs and opportunities for advancement. Crime gets involved in the community. Crime doesn’t discriminate.” Noah’s Mother, and the rest of the family suffered physical abuse from her husband Abel. She said to Noah: “Pray for Abel,” she’d say. “Because he doesn’t hate us. He hates himself.” Noah later mentions “Growing up in a home of abuse, you struggle with the notion that you can love a person you hate, or hate a person you love.” I will not expound on the rest of the story. There is a lot of fun and interesting stories that Trevor talks about growing up, and the outcome for his Mother and Noah, you just need to read. I did find it disturbing that not only does South Africa have a racial problem, but misogyny as well. It seems to go hand in hand. Currently America seems to be having an uptick of racism and misogyny as well. I do not know if South Africa still has as many problems, but I am guessing they still do. It’s a great book to read. Most people will enjoy his book. This book is rated 5 star with over 7,000 reviews. Pretty impressive!

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #2,740,423 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #1 in Performing Arts (Books) #2 in Comedy (Books) #3 in Television Performer Biographies |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 112,955 Reviews |

## Images

![Born a Crime - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71PTgBH2A5L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Glorious
*by J***. on January 19, 2017*

This book is absolutely glorious. I’m so in love right now, I can barely function. This memoir is unquestionable one of the most engaging books I’ve ever read, filled with such greatly vivid and riveting anecdotes, made more profound and unforgettable by the fact that they’re true. I don’t watch The Daily Show, other than a few occasional clips on social media, and I never followed this guy before, so I decided to read this book solely because of the title. I love it. Born a Crime—it just feels meaningful. And, it is meaningful. I’m walking away from this experience knowing now that I love Trevor Noah. I love his writing and I love his wit. He is a fantastic storyteller who told of his childhood, one that was layered heavily with sadness, but for the majority of the time while reading his journey, I felt joyous. This memoir is a compilation of notable anecdotes, mixed in with short passages of African history for context against the very special circumstances of Trevor’s birth and childhood. Let me tell you, his childhood is better than any fiction and there are too many humorous and affecting moments to count. Some of my favorites include, the time when a criminal, young Trevor, who was being held prisoner in his Grandmother’s house (for his own good), crawled through a hole under a fence to get to freedom. Then, there’s the time when his first dog, Fufi, taught him his first lesson in love and betrayal. Or, the time when, after growing up on the kind of creative diet that only the very poor are weaned on, Trevor was left completely unimpressed with high cuisine meals such as bone marrow, which are no different or better than the dog bones he ate at home. For more funny and interesting stories, read this book! Born a Crime begins before his birth, when his impetuous and wise mother convinced her kind, white neighbor to give her a baby, during a time when there were strictly enforced laws that prohibited intercourse between Natives and Europeans. The stories he describe span from that time to the end of Apartheid, and further to a time when blacks and coloreds were free to live the life they could wrangle from the system. Trevor’s—I’m calling him Trevor because I feel like I know him now. His thoughts on race and power are spot on and made more impressive because of his ability to use humor to show the illogical and ridiculous nature of the whole enterprise. Trevor is very smart, and a very adept communicator. There isn’t a single part of this memoir that doesn’t pierce you, wound you with truths, yet it soothes you with humor. I laughed because it was impossible not to. I laughed so hard that I cried, and then I cried because I had to cry. Trevor grew up on a divided country, and the numerous poignant moments show clearly a boy caught between the many cultures of South Africa, which he navigated by becoming a chameleon, fitting in everywhere and nowhere at the same time. He adapted to each new situation as many entertainers do, by being whoever the people want them to be. That’s not to say that Trevor is disingenuous in any way; no, he’s observant, and his musings on life and relationships make it apparent that he has a damn good understanding of the human condition. What is most lovely about his coming-of-age story is how Trevor speaks about his mother. His mom features largely in his story, and his love and respect for her is obvious, not only in his words, but in the actions he describes. Their bond is a tangible thing, and the most moving pockets of this book are the ones filled with his mom. Honestly, this memoir is so brilliantly insightful that there are many many pages I marked, so many gems and memories I’ve saved to revisit again and again. I don’t read a lot of biographies, preferring fiction to real life, but I’m insanely delighted that I strayed from my norm and read Born a Crime. I recommend this book to anyone and everyone, sincerely, because it is truly glorious. Audiobook notes: Just perfect. Trevor Noah pulls you in with his animated voice and more than brings this story to life.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A tribute to Noah’s Mother, and when God is your health insurance
*by S***R on August 15, 2019*

Where to begin? This book is a very powerful tribute to Noah’s Mother. As far as how he became a comedian, it is not described in this book. There is one little blurb mentioning he was starting to tour some in England, but not a word about how he got started in comedy, or anything about the process. It’s more about his life and adventures when he was young, and his relationship with his Mother. He draws readers very quickly into the book by talking about his Mother taking him to church, and yes, he does it with delightful humor. He starts with: “My childhood involved church, or some form of church, at least four nights a week.” Later, he says: “Jubilant church was mixed church. Analytical church was white church. And passionate, cathartic church, that was black church. It doesn’t take long to find out his Mother is very devout. She was a very strong lady who had her wild days when she was younger, but later she wanted something deeper and more profound in her life, so she turned to God. There’s a feistiness to her that you can’t help but respect. Noah describes Apartheid as Apart hate, and how different tribes were used to turn against each other. The fact that there are so many backgrounds and languages is very interesting. Tribes such as Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Vende, Tsonga, etc. On you-tube, you can watch Noah’s Grandmother saying to Noah, “you was born a crime,” the title of this book. In South Africa, it was against the law for people of different races to have children together. Noah describes all the problems this caused in his life, and the difficulty and awkwardness of being colored. He has some pretty profound and interesting comments in his book, such as: “I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language.” This comment in “The Cheese Boys” chapter really gave me pause for his insight: “The hood made me realize that crime succeeds because crime does the one thing the government doesn’t do: crime cares. Crime is grassroots. Crime looks for the young kids who need support and a lifting hand. Crime offers internship programs and summer jobs and opportunities for advancement. Crime gets involved in the community. Crime doesn’t discriminate.” Noah’s Mother, and the rest of the family suffered physical abuse from her husband Abel. She said to Noah: “Pray for Abel,” she’d say. “Because he doesn’t hate us. He hates himself.” Noah later mentions “Growing up in a home of abuse, you struggle with the notion that you can love a person you hate, or hate a person you love.” I will not expound on the rest of the story. There is a lot of fun and interesting stories that Trevor talks about growing up, and the outcome for his Mother and Noah, you just need to read. I did find it disturbing that not only does South Africa have a racial problem, but misogyny as well. It seems to go hand in hand. Currently America seems to be having an uptick of racism and misogyny as well. I do not know if South Africa still has as many problems, but I am guessing they still do. It’s a great book to read. Most people will enjoy his book. This book is rated 5 star with over 7,000 reviews. Pretty impressive!

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ exelant
*by A***A on January 28, 2026*

I love the way Trevor Noah writes and for a school reader it was exhalent and educational while being fun and humorous at the same time.

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