Usually autobiographies aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, especially since non-fiction doesn’t always have the same engagement that fiction might have, but I think Trevor Noah’s ‘Born a Crime’ is a league in itself. I say this not just because of the content but because of how he’s weaved the whole thing together. The writing isn’t extremely professional or of a high level, but rather more honest and relatable. It’s his entire life playing out before your eyes where every emotion and thought is expressed so genuinely, it leaves you in awe of how he’s built his life, despite everything he’s endured.
Imagine a life where your birth, your very existence, which you have no control over, is a crime. Trevor Noah, a mixed race African American, describes his experience of being born during the apartheid and every experience since then that has shaped the man he has now become. The book explores his bond with his mother, his mischievous nature, his encounters with racism and discrimination the confusion he felt about his first crush; everything one would expect from a book that explores the coming of age of an individual, but with constant element of dry but quality humour. The witty jokes and sarcastic one-liners are what set this apart from any other auto-biography I’ve read. The most refreshing aspect of this book was the feminist narrative Noah uses. His entire life he is influenced by the women in his life, especially his mother, and he talks about all of them with such raw admiration and respect. The part that made me smile the most was the part where he talks about how he learnt his fierceness from his mother and how everything he is now is all thanks to her.
This book is one of the most real ones I’ve ever read and I absolutely loved how humbling but hilarious it is. It’s one of those books where you can’t help but laugh and cry at the same time and it made me appreciate the life I’ve been given so much more. From being someone who’s existence was considered a crime to one that’s now an extremely influential and inspiring in the eyes of millions around the world, Trevor Noah uses his book to inspire his readers to learn from their experiences rather than focus on the pain, if they want to build their lives into something they can be proud of.
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