Born a crime : Book Review

‘Born a crime’ by Trevor Noah is a page turning memoir about the early life and times of one of the world’s fastest rising comedians. By turns sad, funny, scary and at most times just jaw droppingly fantastical, the book offers a glimpse into life in black South Africa, into apartheid and into the incredibly lonely childhood that Noah has had - as a mixed racial child in a country where racial mixing was prohibited. Noah has lived his whole life being the outsider, a position that no doubt gives him a unique outsiders perspective on almost everything, but one that makes him obviously emotionally very lonely. The book is also a tribute to the almost unbelievably strong woman that his mother is - a woman who saw her only purpose to be opening Trevor’s mind to limitless possibility, at a time when such dreams were not just within the realm of possibility. ‘Born a crime’ is clearly just the first of many books Trevor will pen and I can’t wait to read them all, just as I am hooked to his stand-up acts. A must read.