Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood

“Read” (audiobook) this for a book club I recently joined with some friends and I was surprised at how much I ended up enjoying it. I like Trevor Noah but never felt inclined to learn more about him or his life. I loved his narration of the book and thought it added a lot to the overall enjoyment, so I would highly recommend listening to it as an audiobook if possible.

The book itself revolves around Trevor's youth growing up in apartheid South Africa with his African mother and the trials they faced during that era. He talks about growing up as mixed race (his father was a Swedish expat) during a time where it was illegal to be mixed and the challenges it presented to him and his family. His experience resonated with me since there were a lot of similarities in my own life growing up as an outsider in suburban Georgia being the only Indian person among a community of whites and blacks.

It's a fairly short read and worth picking up if you're looking for something that is on the lighter side but still highly informative about apartheid. I did not know much about the subject apart from apartheid existed, Nelson Mandela happened, and then it didn't. Trevor does not pull punches about the realities he faced so you really feel for his position, but he also manages to help you understand his experience through his humor so you're not feeling guilty or sorry for him throughout the book.