Trevor Noah was born during apartheid in South Africa, a system designed to enforce racial segregation. As a mixed-race child, he was literally “born a crime” because interracial relationships were illegal at the time. Noah’s personal experiences help readers understand the deep societal divisions and absurdities of apartheid. 	“I was born a crime. For me to exist, my mother had to break the law.”

Apartheid & Its Complexities

Trevor’s mother, Patricia, is a central figure in his life. A strong-willed, independent woman, she raised Trevor with a blend of strict discipline and rebellious defiance against apartheid’s oppressive rules. Her strength and love shaped Trevor into the person he became. 	“She taught me to think for myself and to challenge authority.”

Trevor’s Relationship with His Mother

6.	Chameleon Survival: He adapted to different racial and cultural settings.	7.	Life in Poverty: Poverty taught him creativity and resourcefulness.	8.	Crime and Survival: Petty crime was a means of surviving a harsh environment.	9.	Resilience: Self-reliance and determination drove his success.	10.	Triumph Over Adversity: Trevor turned hardship into a global success story.

Living in a crime-ridden neighborhood, Trevor shares stories of petty theft and hustling to make ends meet. His insights into the social factors driving crime provide a nuanced understanding of how poverty leads to desperation. 	“Crime is a lot like poverty. It’s just another way people survive.”

Crime & Survival

Trevor frequently found himself straddling different cultural worlds. Being able to adapt to different racial and cultural environments helped him avoid conflict and thrive in a society full of divisions. 	“I had to become a chameleon. To survive, you had to learn to blend in.”

Navigating Racial & Cultural Boundaries

1.	Apartheid and its Complexities	2.	The Power of Language	3.	Identity and Belonging	4.	The Role of Humor in Hardship	5.	Trevor’s Relationship with His Mother	6.	Navigating Racial and Cultural Boundaries	7.	The Impact of Poverty	8.	Crime and Survival	9.	Resilience and Self-Reliance	10.	Overcoming Adversity

Topics Explained

Language played a key role in Trevor’s survival. By mastering different languages, he could navigate the various racial groups and avoid many dangers. It gave him the power to move freely between cultures. 	“Language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.”

The Power of Language

The older you get, the more you start to realize that you can't win an argument in a relationship. You can't win a fight with your woman. Because if you lose, you lose. And if you win, you lose.

Trevor’s mixed-race identity made him feel like he didn’t fully belong to any racial group. He constantly wrestled with his sense of identity, trying to find where he fit in a world structured by racial categories. 	“I was the anomaly wherever I went.”

Identity & Belonging

Despite the harsh realities of apartheid and poverty, humor became Trevor’s tool for survival. He used comedy to defuse tension and navigate the difficulties of his upbringing. 	“Comedy is a great tool. We’re laughing because we’ve all experienced the same pain.”

The Role of Humor in Hardship

Growing up in poverty had a lasting impact on Trevor’s worldview. He recounts living in extreme financial hardship, but with a sense of resourcefulness and humor that enabled him to make the most of his circumstances. 	“Being poor taught me how to be creative and find joy in the little things.”

The Impact of Poverty

Despite facing overwhelming odds, Trevor’s story is one of resilience. From the challenges of apartheid to growing up without many resources, he learned to be self-reliant and persevered through determination and wit. 	“I learned at an early age that no one was going to take care of me, so I had to learn to take care of myself.”

Resilience & Self-Reliance

The book is ultimately a testament to overcoming adversity. Trevor rose above his circumstances, using his unique perspective and talents to forge a path out of poverty and oppression, becoming a global comedian and public figure. 	“My path was never easy, but every step was worth it.”

Overcoming Adversity

1.	Born Under Apartheid: His mixed-race birth was illegal in apartheid South Africa.	2.	Language as a Key: Speaking multiple languages allowed him to bridge cultures.	3.	Identity Struggles: Trevor never felt fully accepted by any race.	4.	Humor as a Weapon: He used comedy to survive hardship.	5.	Strong Mother Figure: His mother’s resilience shaped his outlook on life.

A gripping tale of survival, identity, and humor in apartheid-era South Africa.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! A “brilliant” (Lupita Nyong’o, Time), “poignant” (Entertainment Weekly), “soul-nourishing” (USA Today) memoir about coming of age during the twilight of apartheid   “Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten.”—Esquire   Winner of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and an NAACP Image Award • Named one of the best books of the year by The New York Time, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Esquire, Newsday, and 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.

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Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, television and radio host and actor. He currently hosts The Daily Show, a late-night television talk show on Comedy Central.

TREVOR NOAH

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