Title: Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime"
Author: Trevor Noah
Genre: Biography
Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" is about Trevor Noah, one of the most popular comedians in the world, how he achieved so much success, and the rules he had to live with after apartheid. The story follows Trevor Noah and his life as a colored (mixed) boy because his mother married a white man. As a young boy, and still today, his mother, Patricia, remains his best friend. She was always there for him, and even though they were poor, his mother still found ways to provide for Trevor and his younger brother, Andrew. The book shows the readers how mischievous Trevor was as a child and how he always did naughty stuff. For example, when Trevor was alone with his great-grandmother Koko, who was blind. He needed to use the bathroom badly, and since they did not have as much money to afford a toilet, they had a wooden shed where they did their business, but the problem was that there were holes on top of the shed, and when it rained, the situation was worse. So he didn't want to do his business in the shed, so he pooped on the floor. His Grandmother could smell it, but she didn't know who did it. Later, when everyone came back, his mother thought it was an evil spirit who left a sign of its presence. Then, she called the whole community to pray so the evil spirit would leave. His Grandmother forced Trevor to pray so the spirit could go because she thought his prayers would always be answered. After all, he was white, and Jesus was white, and he spoke English.
Trevor was a hustler during his childhood in South Africa. He was very brilliant because he always found ways to earn money. For example, when he was fifteen, his friend gave him a CD writer, and he used it to sell pirated songs to get a quick buck. Eventually, his business blew up. Everybody was buying from him, and he got so much money that he used it to get McDonald's because it was his favorite place to eat, with KFC coming in second. This whole book and its stories highlight the importance of family.
I enjoyed reading this book because it was engaging and humorous. I especially appreciated how it was written, with each chapter featuring a new and captivating story that kept me engrossed.
My favorite character was Trevor's Mom, Patricia, because she cared so much for her family, Trevor, Andrew, and Robert, and later on, Abel and Isacc. For example, when the two bus drivers tried to scare Trevor's mom, Andrew, and Trevor by speeding down the road at full speed. Patricia pushed Trevor out of the bus, jumped out, and wrapped herself around Andrew so he wouldn't get injured because he was still small. After they jumped out, Trevor and his mother had scars all over their body, but Andrew didn't have a single scratch on him. This shows how much she loves them. Secondly, Patricia is my favorite character because she is very religious; they go to three churches. The first church was jubilant praise of the Lord. The second offered deep analyses of the scriptures, which his mother loved, and the third church offered passion and catharsis. Trevor said in the book that it was a place where you truly felt the presence of the Holy Spirit inside you.
You should read this book because it beautifully captures the importance of religion and family. Trevor Noah does a great job of telling the story of his life and highlighting all the key moments that made him the man he is today. If you read this book and enjoyed it, you should read:
Becoming by Michele Obama
A Promised Land by Barack Obama
I am Malala By Malala Yousefzai
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