Born a Crime. By Trevor Noah 🎧 Listen to Free Audiobook Online
Download the audiobook: Born a Crime. By Trevor Noah from AudioBooks.ink on this website.
Audiobook: 
Host of The Daily Show, Noah gained an international audience at the 2012 Edinburgh Fringe Festival with his furiously energetic and hilarious one-man show, The Racist. https://audiobooks.ink/product..../born-a-crime-storie Now he looks back over the experiences that have fueled his career, charting his coming-of-age in South Africa. Born to a white, Swiss-German father and a black Xhosa mother, Noah was, under apartheid, illegal; after apartheid, as the country came to grips with its past and the chaos of its future, he developed a keen eye for the absurdities of politics, race, and nationalism. If survival is the theme of his book, his mother, the consummate survivor, is its heart, and Noah’s depictions of her fierce Christianity, her savvy hustling, and her determination are as moving as they are funny.Noah is in conversation with New Jersey Senator Cory Booker. “Noah’s childhood anecdotes are shared with the same sharp wit and intelligence that define his comedy, all while shedding light on a dark and brutal chapter in South Africa’s history – one that must never be forgotten.” – Esquire
Recipient of the Thurber Prize for American Humor and an NAACP Image Award • Recognized as one of the year’s top books by The New York Times, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Esquire, Newsday, and Booklist
Trevor Noah’s extraordinary journey from apartheid-era South Africa to hosting The Daily Show began with a clandestine act: his own birth. Born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother during a period when such a union could result in five years behind bars, Trevor’s existence was a quiet rebellion. His mother, determined to protect him from a government that could seize him at any moment, kept him largely hidden during his earliest years, implementing extreme and often absurd measures to shield him. Only after the end of South Africa’s oppressive white regime did Trevor and his mother venture into the world openly, embracing the freedom and opportunities won through decades of struggle.
Born a Crime chronicles the misadventures of a mischievous boy who matures into a restless young man, navigating a society that deemed him impossible to exist. It also tells the story of his deep bond with his fearless, rebellious, and devoutly religious mother – his partner in life’s battles, a woman resolute in her mission to protect her son from a cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that threatened to destroy her as well.
The collection of stories here ranges from hilarious to heartbreaking. Whether recounting how they survived on caterpillars during tough times, escaping a kidnapping attempt by being thrown from a moving vehicle, or simply trying to navigate the perils of teenage romance, Trevor sheds light on his world with sharp humor and brutal honesty. His tales come together to form a poignant and uproariously funny portrait of a boy forging his path through a fractured world in turbulent times – armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unwavering love.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • More than one million copies sold! A “brilliant” (Lupita Nyong’o, Time), “poignant” (Entertainment Weekly), “soul-nourishing” (USA Today) memoir about coming of age during the twilight of apartheid
✅ This global bestseller is in our store's Top 100! Experience it in MP3 format for ultimate freedom - listen on any device, at any time. Want to take your library everywhere? Get our dedicated app (separate from Audible/Amazon) to seamlessly purchase and play MP3 audiobooks right from your phone.
✅ Transform your downtime into adventure. Purchase and download top-rated audiobooks in seconds, and dive into a story whether you're relaxing at home or miles from home. Your next listen is always with you.
✅ Your escape, simplified. Choose from thousands of titles, download directly to your phone or tablet, and enjoy seamless listening anywhere life takes you. No subscriptions, just great stories on your terms.
✅ Build your portable library. Buy your favorite audiobooks, download them with one click, and enjoy unlimited listening on your own device. Perfect for long journeys, workouts, or cozy evenings in.
https://amzn.to/4bkUH9u ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Where do I even start? This book is such a powerful tribute to Noah’s mom. It doesn’t really talk about how he got into comedy, though — there’s just a tiny mention that he was touring in England at one point, but no details on his start or process. Instead, it focuses on his life and adventures growing up and his relationship with his mom. I really connected with how he talks about his mom taking him to church, and he does it with such delightful humor. 😊
He begins with: “My childhood involved church, or some form of church, at least four nights a week.” Later, he mentions: “Jubilant church was mixed church. Analytical church was white church. And passionate, cathartic church, that was black church.”
It’s clear right away that his mom was very devout. She was a strong woman who had her wild days when she was younger, but later she turned to God for something deeper and more meaningful in her life. There’s a feistiness to her that you just can’t help but respect. Noah describes apartheid as “apart hate,” and talks about how different tribes like Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Vende, Tsonga, and others were used to turn people against each other. The diversity of backgrounds and languages is really interesting to learn about.
On YouTube, you can even see Noah’s grandmother telling him, “You was born a crime,” which is the title of this book. In South Africa, it was illegal for people of different races to have children together. Noah describes how this law caused so many problems and made life super complicated and awkward for him as a mixed-race kid.
What really struck me were his profound insights, like: “I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language.”
And in the chapter “The Cheese Boys,” he makes a comment that really made me think: “The hood made me realize that crime succeeds because crime does the one thing the government doesn’t do: crime cares. Crime is grassroots. Crime looks for the young kids who need support and a lifting hand. Crime offers internship programs and summer jobs and opportunities for advancement. Crime gets involved in the community. Crime doesn’t discriminate.”
His mom and the rest of his family endured physical abuse from her husband Abel. She would tell Noah, “Pray for Abel, because he doesn’t hate us. He hates himself.” Noah later reflects on how growing up in an abusive home makes you question how you can love someone you hate, or hate someone you love.
I won’t go into all the details, but there are so many fun and interesting stories about Noah’s childhood and what happened to his mom and him — you just need to read it. I do think it’s heartbreaking that South Africa faces not only racial issues but misogyny as well. It seems like those problems go hand in hand. Sadly, it feels like America is experiencing a rise in both racism and misogyny too. I’m not sure if South Africa still struggles with the same level of these issues, but I imagine they still do.
I highly recommend this audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to it, and it’s honestly one of the best I’ve heard in a while. It truly moved me and gave me a lot to think about. 😊
Here's a paraphrased version of your text in American English, with two of my own sentences, emojis, and a friendly tone from a woman's perspective:
---
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Where do I even start? This book is such a powerful tribute to Noah’s mom. It doesn’t really talk about how he got into comedy, though — there’s just a tiny mention that he was touring in England at one point, but no details on his start or process. Instead, it focuses on his life and adventures growing up and his relationship with his mom. I really connected with how he talks about his mom taking him to church, and he does it with such delightful humor. 😊
He begins with: “My childhood involved church, or some form of church, at least four nights a week.” Later, he mentions: “Jubilant church was mixed church. Analytical church was white church. And passionate, cathartic church, that was black church.”
It’s clear right away that his mom was very devout. She was a strong woman who had her wild days when she was younger, but later she turned to God for something deeper and more meaningful in her life. There’s a feistiness to her that you just can’t help but respect. Noah describes apartheid as “apart hate,” and talks about how different tribes like Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Tswana, Vende, Tsonga, and others were used to turn people against each other. The diversity of backgrounds and languages is really interesting to learn about.
On YouTube, you can even see Noah’s grandmother telling him, “You was born a crime,” which is the title of this book. In South Africa, it was illegal for people of different races to have children together. Noah describes how this law caused so many problems and made life super complicated and awkward for him as a mixed-race kid.
What really struck me were his profound insights, like: “I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language.”
And in the chapter “The Cheese Boys,” he makes a comment that really made me think: “The hood made me realize that crime succeeds because crime does the one thing the government doesn’t do: crime cares. Crime is grassroots. Crime looks for the young kids who need support and a lifting hand. Crime offers internship programs and summer jobs and opportunities for advancement. Crime gets involved in the community. Crime doesn’t discriminate.”
His mom and the rest of his family endured physical abuse from her husband Abel. She would tell Noah, “Pray for Abel, because he doesn’t hate us. He hates himself.” Noah later reflects on how growing up in an abusive home makes you question how you can love someone you hate, or hate someone you love.
I won’t go into all the details, but there are so many fun and interesting stories about Noah’s childhood and what happened to his mom and him — you just need to read it. I do think it’s heartbreaking that South Africa faces not only racial issues but misogyny as well. It seems like those problems go hand in hand. Sadly, it feels like America is experiencing a rise in both racism and misogyny too. I’m not sure if South Africa still struggles with the same level of these issues, but I imagine they still do.
I highly recommend this audiobook. I really enjoyed listening to it, and it’s honestly one of the best I’ve heard in a while. It truly moved me and gave me a lot to think about. 😊