'Born a crime' by Trevor Noah

I did not know who Trevor Noah was when I bought his autobiography. He is one of those people whose face I recognised, but had no clue where I had seen him before. After reading Born a Crime though, I feel like he is a friend of mine, I want to follow all his projects to support him and get to know him better.

I think that this book is brilliant and really shows Noah’s talent. He is not only a comedian and a great host; this book really showed his great ability as a writer.

Noah’s childhood wasn’t easy, it was actually full of obstacles to overcome. The human way he tells us his story makes us feel part of it, desiring to keep reading more and more. When reading this book, you’ll find yourself both laughing out loud and crying with disgust for how low the human race can get.

Born a crime really made me think and question the world. It made me think how a policeman is always a man first, for all his qualities and flaws. It made me think of abusive relationships, of how they trap you and even of how ignorance can bite you. But not only that.

Being Portuguese, I was always taught that Portugal conquered Africa, that we brought gold, silver and slaves. As if it is the most normal thing in the world, to invade, kill, rape, put everyone in ships and treat them like merchandise. I was led to believe that we conquered the world and that it was something to be proud of. I questioned it at the time but naïve as I was, I just thought that as it happened a long time ago, I didn’t have to worry about it. It was in the past, behind all of us. This book made me question that again. White people stole black people’s culture, faith, language and their homes a long time ago and this is still reflected in today’s society. Only a couple of decades ago they were treated like animals in a land that was theirs to begin with.

In my opinion, this book exposes apartheid really well and I would encourage every white teenager to read it in order to learn about this time in history that affected so many people.

Throughout his autobiography, we can also see how Noah’s knowledge of languages helped him and how it opened doors for him. That is something that also made me think at a deeper level, how language and therefore, communication, can unify us.

I would say that this book is Noah’s tribute to his mother. Noah’s mom is a woman of faith and stubbornness, who didn’t come to terms with apartheid rules. She fought for her independence, for her children’s future, allowing them ‘white people’s’ experiences and knowledge. Noah is the result of all her efforts and we can see that he recognises that and is grateful for it.

Born a crime taught me a lot and gave me ‘another set of eyes’ to look at the world. It is powerful, funny and sad. It truly is brilliant and I couldn’t recommend it more. I can’t wait for more of Trevor Noah.