Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
Noah's stories of growing up in apartheid South Africa as the child of a black mother and white father, whose existence was itself illegal: poverty, hustling, church, language as camouflage, and above all his fierce, funny, devout mother, who survives being shot in the head. It is hilarious and serious at once, and the portrait of resilience is unforced.
Read it if…
you want a memoir that is both laugh-aloud funny and genuinely about survival.
Skip it if…
you want a straightforward narrative; it is episodic.
Three things you will actually use
- Language is belonging; learn others'.
- Humor is a survival skill.
- A fierce parent can be the whole difference.
Do this first
Read the chapter about language and notice how you adapt to belong.
Our verdict
Funny, moving, superb.
Compare with other Resilience books
The Coddling of the American Mind
Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt · Resilience
Provocative and important.
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