#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times • Newsday • Esquire • NPR • Booklist
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk...
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The compelling, inspiring, and comically sublime story of one man’s coming-of-age, set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
Michiko Kakutani, New York Times • Newsday • Esquire • NPR • Booklist
Trevor Noah’s unlikely path from apartheid South Africa to the desk of The Daily Show began with a criminal act: his birth. Trevor was born to a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison. Living proof of his parents’ indiscretion, Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the earliest years of his life, bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could, at any moment, steal him away. Finally liberated by the end of South Africa’s tyrannical white rule, Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure, living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle.
Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life.
The stories collected here are by turns hilarious, dramatic, and deeply affecting. Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times, being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping, or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school, Trevor illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and unflinching honesty. His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a boy making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time, armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother’s unconventional, unconditional love.
Praise for Born a Crime
“[A] compelling new memoir . . . By turns alarming, sad and funny, [Trevor Noah’s] book provides a harrowing look, through the prism of Mr. Noah’s family, at life in South Africa under apartheid. . . . Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to the author’s remarkable mother.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“[An] unforgettable memoir.”—Parade
“What makes Born a Crime such a soul-nourishing pleasure, even with all its darker edges and perilous turns, is reading Noah recount in brisk, warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism. . . . What also helped was having a mother like Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah. . . . Consider Born a Crime another such gift to her—and an enormous gift to the rest of us.”—USA Today
“[Noah] thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother. . . . Their fierce bond makes this story soar.”—People
“[Noah’s] electrifying memoir sparkles with funny stories . . . and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class.”—Booklist (starred review)
“A gritty memoir . . . studded with insight and provocative social criticism . . . with flashes of brilliant storytelling and acute observations.”—Kirkus Reviews
Review
“[A] compelling new memoir . . . By turns alarming, sad and funny, [Trevor Noah’s] book provides a harrowing look, through the prism of Mr. Noah’s family, at life in South Africa under apartheid. . . . In the end, Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to the author’s remarkable mother.”—Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times
“[An] unforgettable memoir.”—Parade
“You’d be hard-pressed to find a comic’s origin story better than the one Trevor Noah serves up in Born a Crime. . . . [He] developed his aptitude for witty truth telling [and]…every hardscrabble memory of helping his mother scrape together money for food, gas, school fees, and rent, or barely surviving the temper of his stepfather, Abel, reveals the anxious wellsprings of the comedian’s ambition and success. If there is harvest in spite of blight, the saying goes, one does not credit the blight-but Noah does manage to wring brilliant comedy from it.”—O: The Oprah Magazine
“What makes Born a Crime such a soul-nourishing pleasure, even with all its darker edges and perilous turns, is reading Noah recount in brisk, warmly conversational prose how he learned to negotiate his way through the bullying and ostracism. . . . What also helped was having a mother like Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah. . . . Consider Born a Crime another such gift to her—and an enormous gift to the rest of us.”—USA Today
“[Noah] thrives with the help of his astonishingly fearless mother. . . . Their fierce bond makes this story soar.”—People
“This isn't your average comic-writes-a-memoir: It’s a unique look at a man who is a product of his culture—and a nuanced look at a part of the world whose people have known dark times easily pushed aside.”—Refinery29
“Noah’s memoir is extraordinary . . . essential reading on every level. It’s hard to imagine anyone else doing a finer job of it.”—The Seattle Times
“Powerful prose . . . told through stories and vignettes that are sharply observed, deftly conveyed and consistently candid. Growing organically from them is an affecting investigation of identity, ethnicity, language, masculinity, nationality and, most of all, humanity—all issues that the election of Donald Trump in the United States shows are foremost in minds and hearts everywhere. . . . What the reader gleans are the insights that made Noah the thoughtful, observant, empathic man who wrote Born a Crime. . . . Here is a level-headed man, forged by remarkable and shocking life incidents, who is quietly determined and who knows where home and the heart lie. Would this unique story have been published had it been about someone not a celebrity of the planet? Possibly not, and to the detriment of potential readers, because this is a warm and very human story of the type that we will need to survive the Trump presidency’s imminent freezing of humane values.”—Mail & Guardian (South Africa)
“[Noah’s] story of surviving—and thriving—is mind-blowing.”—Cosmopolitan
“A gifted storyteller, able to deftly lace his poignant tales with amusing irony.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Noah has a real tale to tell, and he tells it well. . . . Among the many virtues of Born a Crime is a frank and telling portrait of life in South Africa during the 1980s and ’90s. . . . Born a Crime offers Americans a second introduction to Trevor Noah, and he makes a real impression.”—Newsday
“An affecting memoir, Born a Crime [is] a love letter to his mother.”—The Washington Post
“Witty and revealing . . . Noah’s story is the story of modern South Africa; though he enjoyed some privileges of the region’s slow Westernization, his formative years were shaped by poverty, injustice, and violence. Noah is quick with a disarming joke, and he skillfully integrates the parallel narratives via interstitial asides between chapters. . . . Perhaps the most harrowing tales are those of his abusive stepfather, which form the book’s final act (and which Noah cleverly foreshadows throughout earlier chapters), but equally prominent are the laugh-out-loud yarns about going to the prom, and the differences between ‘White Church’ and ‘Black Church.’”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[A] substantial collection of staggering personal essays . . . Incisive, funny, and vivid, these true tales are anchored to his portrait of his courageous, rebellious, and religious mother who defied racially restrictive laws to secure an education and a career for herself—and to have a child with a white Swiss/German even though sex between whites and blacks was illegal. . . . [Trevor Noah’s] electrifying memoir sparkles with funny stories . . . and his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class.”—Booklist (starred review)
“A gritty memoir . . . studded with insight and provocative social criticism . . . with flashes of brilliant storytelling and acute observations.”—Kirkus Reviews
Trevor Noah is a South African comedian, television and radio host and actor. He currently hosts The Daily Show, a late-night television talk show on Comedy Central.
The first thing I learned about having money was that it gives you choices. People don’t want to be rich. They want to be able to choose. The richer you are, the more choices you have. That is the freedom of money.
We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. “What if…” “If only…” “I wonder what would have…” You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days.
Relationships are built in the silences. You spend time with people, you observe them and interact with them, and you come to know them—and that is what apartheid stole from us: time. You can’t make up for that with an interview, ... (查看原文)
I don't regret anything I've ever done in life, any choice that I've made. But I'm consumed with regret for the things I didn't do, the choices I didn't make, the things I didn't say. We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to. "What if ..." "If only..." "I wonder what would have ..." You will never, never know, and it will haunt you for the rest of your days. (查看原文)
崔娃和他妈妈之间的相处是这本书里最好,最好看的地方,也是崔娃长成今天这么可爱的原因.me and my mom had a very Tom and Jerry relationship...崔娃从妈妈那里学到的最棒的一点:don't fight the system. Mock the system. and Love is a creative ACT. (读到最后,眼泪一滴一滴往下流,怎么...崔娃和他妈妈之间的相处是这本书里最好,最好看的地方,也是崔娃长成今天这么可爱的原因.me and my mom had a very Tom and Jerry relationship...崔娃从妈妈那里学到的最棒的一点:don't fight the system. Mock the system. and Love is a creative ACT. (读到最后,眼泪一滴一滴往下流,怎么回事(展开)
他真的很会写,像脱口秀一样好看。一直带着问题视角读的,想明白一个第三世界的人怎么作为一代移民在美国混得那么成功。因为生活在隔离背景下加上妈妈的叛逆,他天然有think out of the box的思维;因为在南非也是少数中的少数,他早早学会资源置换和在人群中生活的智慧;也正因为某种生存智慧和妈妈的教育,他把英语当做第一语言并且还学会其他多种语言,所以他在脱口秀中的语言模仿那么惟妙惟肖;因为办了两...他真的很会写,像脱口秀一样好看。一直带着问题视角读的,想明白一个第三世界的人怎么作为一代移民在美国混得那么成功。因为生活在隔离背景下加上妈妈的叛逆,他天然有think out of the box的思维;因为在南非也是少数中的少数,他早早学会资源置换和在人群中生活的智慧;也正因为某种生存智慧和妈妈的教育,他把英语当做第一语言并且还学会其他多种语言,所以他在脱口秀中的语言模仿那么惟妙惟肖;因为办了两年party,热场能力一流。所有的天赋都有迹可循,不过也还是无法模仿。唯一可以学的是他妈妈,即使没有钱也可以给小孩很好的精神世界,这是最重要的。(展开)
Trevor小时候和妈妈祖母生活在一起学习了Xhosa语和其它几种部落语言。有一次在差点因为自己较浅的肤色被抢劫时,开口说了对方的语言, 然后 “The looked shocked for a moment, and then they started laughing. 'Oh, sorry. Dude. We thought you were something else. We we...
(展开)
31 有用 兔安叽 2017-03-24 09:27:20
可能需要写个长书评了。震撼程度一两句话说不清楚,只看他在TDS笑眯眯的样子,完全想不到背后有这样的故事。
25 有用 Summer笔记 2019-09-14 15:33:53
崔娃和他妈妈之间的相处是这本书里最好,最好看的地方,也是崔娃长成今天这么可爱的原因.me and my mom had a very Tom and Jerry relationship...崔娃从妈妈那里学到的最棒的一点:don't fight the system. Mock the system. and Love is a creative ACT. (读到最后,眼泪一滴一滴往下流,怎么... 崔娃和他妈妈之间的相处是这本书里最好,最好看的地方,也是崔娃长成今天这么可爱的原因.me and my mom had a very Tom and Jerry relationship...崔娃从妈妈那里学到的最棒的一点:don't fight the system. Mock the system. and Love is a creative ACT. (读到最后,眼泪一滴一滴往下流,怎么回事 (展开)
76 有用 张朴实 2019-09-23 15:57:07
他真的很会写,像脱口秀一样好看。一直带着问题视角读的,想明白一个第三世界的人怎么作为一代移民在美国混得那么成功。因为生活在隔离背景下加上妈妈的叛逆,他天然有think out of the box的思维;因为在南非也是少数中的少数,他早早学会资源置换和在人群中生活的智慧;也正因为某种生存智慧和妈妈的教育,他把英语当做第一语言并且还学会其他多种语言,所以他在脱口秀中的语言模仿那么惟妙惟肖;因为办了两... 他真的很会写,像脱口秀一样好看。一直带着问题视角读的,想明白一个第三世界的人怎么作为一代移民在美国混得那么成功。因为生活在隔离背景下加上妈妈的叛逆,他天然有think out of the box的思维;因为在南非也是少数中的少数,他早早学会资源置换和在人群中生活的智慧;也正因为某种生存智慧和妈妈的教育,他把英语当做第一语言并且还学会其他多种语言,所以他在脱口秀中的语言模仿那么惟妙惟肖;因为办了两年party,热场能力一流。所有的天赋都有迹可循,不过也还是无法模仿。唯一可以学的是他妈妈,即使没有钱也可以给小孩很好的精神世界,这是最重要的。 (展开)
267 有用 LarrySugarman 2017-03-02 13:00:18
一部伟大的妈传。
18 有用 朗姆酒冰淇淋 2020-05-03 19:26:54
所有把这书当育儿书的公众号大概都没看完五章。 Trevor和Patricia差不多经历了人间可以想象到的所有trauma. 家庭暴力,种族歧视,种族隔离,校园暴力,性别歧视,盗窃,抢劫,女性压榨。程度全部都是现象级的。随时随地的。 是的,妈妈很伟大。但这不是伟大不伟大的问题,但我们本不该需要这么伟大的一个妈妈啊!不是该痛斥那些造成她必须这么伟大才能养个孩子的罪人们吗?!?! 其次,所有他经历的这些... 所有把这书当育儿书的公众号大概都没看完五章。 Trevor和Patricia差不多经历了人间可以想象到的所有trauma. 家庭暴力,种族歧视,种族隔离,校园暴力,性别歧视,盗窃,抢劫,女性压榨。程度全部都是现象级的。随时随地的。 是的,妈妈很伟大。但这不是伟大不伟大的问题,但我们本不该需要这么伟大的一个妈妈啊!不是该痛斥那些造成她必须这么伟大才能养个孩子的罪人们吗?!?! 其次,所有他经历的这些和他的勇敢并不是必然关系,有同样经历的人可能有十几万个,而只有他一个人最后活成了这样,其他都没有。而且不是他们的错。 公众号还拿语言能力说事儿我简直。在trevor的成长过程里,使用对方语言和口音不是亲子班,是免于抢劫杀人,是监狱前救命稻草。他的语言能力是他的生活质量甚至命。学得来? (展开)