In South Africa, around 1984, “The Daily Show” host, Trevor Noah, was living a secret life due to racial laws in his country.  Noah’s memoir “Born a Crime” includes themes of racism, abuse, serength, faith, and love. I particularly enjoyed Noah’s memoir, since I got to see a new side of the culture in South Africa.

The story opens with the reason Noah is a crime; he was a living crime, since his parents were an interracial couple. At this time in South Africa, it was illegal for a black person to have children with a white person. Noah was forced to be hidden from his community in a basement, unable to leave his home during his early childhood so he wouldn’t be taken away. Noah’s mother was integral in showing him the way through his childhood. She taught him what was right and what was wrong. I thought it was interesting how Noah related back to how these experiences still impact him today. He mentioned that his mother helped him get through these times. Without the help of his mother, Noah believes that he would still be living a life in crime.  

Noah’s realistic writing style makes this book unique, as he used flashbacks throughout the memoir.  Noah’s use of flashbacks makes everything seem so real to the reader, especially when he talked about the hardships he endured.  

This book was a pleasure to read, even though it was a darker non-fiction book.  If you like learning about rights and racism in the past, this book is definitely a good read for you.