Born a crime by Trevor Noah

Its an autobiography not to be missed. Its a tale of a mischievous young boy growing up in an African country during apartheid era, with a perfect blend of socio-political discussion.

I had learned about Trevor Noah as a stand-up comedian and some of his acts were different - subtle and exploring nuisances of multi-cultural world. So when someone recommended me his autobiography, I was a little intrigued but hesitant. The title did confuse me and I had to google about the book. The reviews all over the internet convinced me that I had to pick up this book and I am glad that I did. When we learn about the historical events like apartheid, we loathe the fact that human beings were treated this way. But its difficult to actually understand what life could have been under that regime. This book gives you an insight into the lives of those who suffered the most and had to endure the pain for generations.

What stood out to me the most was the fact that as much as I adored the Young Trevor Noah through all his adventurous childhood events, I was mesmerized by his mom, Patricia Noah, for she has been a true manifestation of courage, self-belief and confidence.

This 304 pages book will keep you glued to the story line that is broken into short stories - each with a topic that matures with age of the protagonist. And, I would recommend to go for the audiobook specially because its narrated by Trevor Noah himself.

Favorite quotes from the book

“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.”

“Language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.”

“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."

“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.”

Goodreads rating for the book

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/29780253-born-a-crime?ac=1&from_search=true&qid=U59ERignu1&rank=1

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