Born a Crime

By: Trevor Noah
Location: NF 920 NOA
Genre: South African story 

This book made me want to go back, it made me understand more, it made my blood curdle and my heart sing. It made me laugh- and most of all it bought total delight to my Xhosa daughter in Africa- you are a hero to her Trevor- thank you for giving them hope, laughter and honesty!

The church bits- hilarious!!!!!

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.

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 eighteen personal essays 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."