Born a Crime

 

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Comedian and talk show host Trevor Noah tells of his life growing up under apartheid in South Africa. In some ways it’s a grim story (how could it not be?), but even through the most sad and horrific parts, Noah doesn’t fall into despair. His father was a Swiss citizen who could never be seen with Noah in public; his mother was a tough but loving woman who rebelled against her family’s expectations. Life took a turn for the worse when his mother married a man who had a violent temper. Lacking the money to go to university, Noah sold bootleg CDs and ran various scams with a couple of friends to make money. He also recounts his problems with finding a girlfriend, or even having any friends at all. He was not black, nor white, or what the government called “colored.”

It's a riveting story, and I read it straight through in one sitting. Apartheid is no longer the law in South Africa, but many of the other problems—tribal clashes, poverty, violence—still remain.