“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
Born a Crime is an autobiographical book written by comedian and television host Trevor Noah. The author offers a unique and humorous yet poignant perspective on his experiences growing up in apartheid-era South Africa and the challenges he faced as a mixed-race child.
One of the central themes of the book is Noah's mixed-race identity. Trevor was born to a black mother and a white father, a union that was illegal under apartheid laws. This meant that Trevor's very existence was a criminal act, hence the title "Born a Crime."
Trevor shares stories about his family, including his tough but loving mother, his rebellious streak, his experiences with racism and cultural misunderstandings, and his journey into the world of comedy. Noah combines humor with insightful commentary on race, identity and other social issues going on at that time. Trevor Noah has impeccable storytelling skills. His ability to find humor in challenging situations and to tackle serious issues with a light touch makes for a unique and engaging narrative. Even though a lot of humour was used, Trevor was able to tell his story in a way that made me feel all the emotions. I laughed, I felt sad, and I felt angry.
Noah doesn't shy away from discussing the harsh realities of apartheid, but he manages to do so in a way that is approachable and insightful. I loved how he interlaced his personal anecdotes into the broader socio-political context of South Africa, which was a unique and engaging insight into this horrific period in the country's history.
Trevor's relationship with his mother is a truly heartwarming aspect of the book. Her strength, resilience, and unconditional love for her son shine through the pages. I loved reading about their relationship and the obvious love Trevor has for his mother.
This is a great read for anyone interested in personal narratives that tackle important social issues with wit and wisdom. It is everything in one-sad, thoughtful, funny and very quotable. I will leave some of my favourite quotes down below.
I read this as part of my Reading The World challenge for South Africa.
QUOTES FROM BORN A CRIME BY TREVOR NOAH
“People love to say, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” What they don’t say is, “And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.” That’s the part of the analogy that’s missing.”
“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited.”
“The first thing I learned about having money was that it gives you choices. People don’t want to be rich. They want to be able to choose. The richer you are, the more choices you have. That is the freedom of money.”
“Learn from your past and be better because of your past,” she would say, “but don’t cry about your past. Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it. Don’t be bitter.”
“I was blessed with another trait I inherited from my mother, her ability to forget the pain in life. I remember the thing that caused the trauma, but I don't hold onto the trauma. I never let the memory of something painful prevent me from trying something new. If you think too much about the ass kicking your mom gave you or the ass kicking that life gave you, you’ll stop pushing the boundaries and breaking the rules. It’s better to take it, spend some time crying, then wake up the next day and move on. You’ll have a few bruises and they’ll remind you of what happened and that’s ok. But after a while, the bruises fade and they fade for a reason. Because now, it’s time to get up to some shit again.”
“You want to live in a world where someone is good or bad. Where you either hate them or love them. But that's not how people are.”
“I don’t regret anything I’ve ever done in life, any choice that I’ve made. But I’m consumed with regret for the things I didn’t do, the choices I didn’t make, the things I didn’t say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. “What if…” “If only…” “I wonder what would have…” You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.”
“Relationships are built in the silences. You spend time with people, you observe them and interact with them, and you come to know them—and that is what apartheid stole from us: time.”
“Comfort can be dangerous. Comfort provides a floor but also a ceiling.”
“Whilst my mother couldn't give me access to the world, she at least made sure to let me know it existed.
A kid cannot dream of being an astronaut if he does not know about space.”
“Love is a creative act. When you love someone you create a new world for them. My mother did that for me, and with the progress I made and the things I learned, I came back and created a new world and a new understanding for her.”
"It's easy to be judgmental about crime when you live in a world wealthy enough to be removed from it. But the hood taught me that everyone has different notions of right and wrong, different definitions of what constitutes crime, and what level of crime they're willing to participate in."
“So many black families spend all of their time trying to fix the problems of the past. That is the curse of being black and poor, and it is a curse that follows you from generation to generation. My mother calls it ‘the black tax.’ Because the generations who came before you have been pillaged, rather than being free to use your skills and education to move forward, you lose everything just trying to bring everyone behind you back up to zero.”
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