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Born a Crime
- Stories from a South African Childhood
- Narrated by: Trevor Noah
- Length: 8 hrs and 44 mins
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Entertainment & Celebrities
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Audible Editor Reviews
Editors Select, November 2016 - Just as fans of The Daily Show weren't quite sure what to expect when he was announced as the show's new host, I started Born a Crime not really knowing what I'd find in Noah's book. Comedy? Political and social commentary? Sure, but not in the way I expected. Instead, I was given so much more. Noah's story is intertwined with the final years and aftermath of apartheid-era South Africa. It's a story that begins with Noah's mother throwing him from a moving car to avoid a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters and follows the comedian's path to self-discovery amid episodes both bittersweet and comical. It's eloquent and touching and funny and made all the better with his reading, especially as he recounts anecdotes involving his mother - the true show stealer - and delivers clever turns of phrase as only a top-notch comic and storyteller can.
Publisher's Summary
Highest-rated new book of 2016 by Audible customers
Winner: Audible's Best of 2016 - Celebrity Memoirs
In this award-winning Audible Studios production, Trevor Noah tells his wild coming-of-age tale during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa. It’s a story that begins with his mother throwing him from a moving van to save him from a potentially fatal dispute with gangsters, then follows the budding comedian’s path to self-discovery through episodes both poignant and comical. Noah’s virtuoso embodiment of all the characters from his childhood, and his ability to perform accents and dialects effortlessly in English, Xhosa, and Zulu, garnered the Audie Award for Best Male Narrator in 2018. Nevertheless, Noah’s devoted and uncompromising mother—as voiced by her son—steals the show.
What the critics say
"Comedian Trevor Noah's stories of growing up in South Africa are vivid, sometimes harrowing, and often laugh-out-loud funny. The bonus of audio is that listeners get to HEAR Noah tell these stories in his South African-accented English, as well as hear him speak snippets of various other South African languages. Noah (who succeeded Jon Stewart as the host of 'The Daily Show') is a natural storyteller - skilled, engaging, and relatable.... Noah's narration offers insights and intimacy." (AudioFile)
"The author’s gift for vocal impersonation elevates the audio version into something even more splendid than an already terrific memoir.” (The Washington Post)
Go Behind the Scenes of Born a Crime
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Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Bobbie
- 2019-04-27
This guy could read me the phone book! *swoon*
I really dig Trevor's accent and his ability to mimic other people's voices and accents. It really made his story come alive for me. I was so intrigued and drawn in, it inspired me to learn more about a part of the world I am quite ignorant about. I listened to this book every chance I got and I'm looking forward to listening to his podcasts. Truly a brilliant storyteller.
10 people found this helpful
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- Amazons Best Customer
- 2017-11-10
Superb
I listened to it twice; back to back. That's a testament. I laughed (aloud, in public), was shocked, saddened at times, and I feel I learned not only about another person, but their culture too. I loved it.
32 people found this helpful
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- Leigh Chmilar
- 2018-05-25
An amazing story!
This book took me only a week to read. it was so thoughtfully written, put in such a perspective that really helps the reader understand how circumstances and situations are so impactful to the outcome of people's lives. the complexity of growing up in apartheid are so much more apparent in reading this. the author was serious, yet funny which keeps the tone light but maintains the impact of the story.
#Audible1
7 people found this helpful
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- Ashley
- 2019-04-30
Honestly...
Trevor Noah's life story is too amazing for words. A truly brilliant piece of work!
5 people found this helpful
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- Ana Rad
- 2018-03-25
Best book I have listened to so far on audible.
Hilarious, heartfelt and raw stories brought to life with wit and accents. It was really a pleasure to listen to. His story is very dynamic and unique yet often very relatable. I would recommend listening to it rather than reading print because of the ways he recreates the dialogues in different accents and languages, this adds so much to the action! A must read (audio) book!!
11 people found this helpful
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- KennyD
- 2019-05-01
What an incredible and inspiring story!
I don't know if I would have enjoyed this book as much if I'd read it rather than listened. Trevor Noah's spirited reading, his mastery of all the African languages and accents, and of course his personal connection to the stories made it entertaining from start to finish.
4 people found this helpful
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- Nadia
- 2019-04-23
this is what they call a must-read... must-listen?
I'm so happy that i picked this book as my first audible experience. To hear his accent and vocal impersonations felt like the age old storytelling tradition...which I enjoyed. I also learned so much about South Africa and its people. We all know about Nelson Mandela, but Trevor gave us another perspective told from a younger generation's voice. I've always thought trevor noah was a classy, good looking dude maybe from a wealthy, educated family. Wow! to learn how tough his life was. Yet he always found the humor in it all. loooooved this from beginning to end
4 people found this helpful
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- Aisha Merchant
- 2018-03-05
Extremely beautiful!
This is an incredible read. It is so vivid and tells lots of funny and heartbreaking experiences of Trevor Noah’s life. I absolutely loved it! There are many profound philosophical ideas in the book and I love his mother to bits after reading this. She is a true hero! Also, it’s performed by him so it makes it even better.
15 people found this helpful
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- Lynn
- 2020-12-23
amazing
I love everything about this book. learning about his story, his history lessons, the love for his family, his insights and discoveries. most of all, learning about his amazing, beautiful, strong mother who raised him. I want to be as strong a woman and as good a mother as she. thank you Trevor.
1 person found this helpful
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- Tracy Milne
- 2020-03-01
Enlightening
It made me laugh, it made me cry, it helped me to understand the crisis in South Africa more. I learnt a great deal listening to this audiobook, not just about about Trevor but south Africa. It caused me to think about Canada and our Aboriginal citizens and what they must have gone through.
1 person found this helpful
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- Liesel Wallace
- 2019-06-11
Nonchalant comments about animal abuse
I’m from South Africa and Trevor’s account of South Africa was spot on but frankly I stopped listening after his unemotional account of animal abuse towards his own cats. Made me feel sick to my stomach... Trevor just lost a fan for life.
168 people found this helpful
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- Vance Creekpaum
- 2019-10-27
Everyone Should Listen to This
Wow! This is by far the best audiobook I’ve ever heard, and one of the best books I’ve ever read. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me think. Trevor brings such a unique world view, and even though his life was so much different than mine, there was still so much I could relate to. I learned so much listening to this, about apartheid, race, poverty, and the power of language.
Excellently performed, obviously. It feels less like a book and more like Trevor is just telling his story. I listened to the outhouse/blind grandma chapter while I was at the gym and I literally had to stop working out for a couple minutes because I was laughing so hard.
This is the gold standard of audiobooks. It’s 100% worth a listen, and a relisten. So good!
20 people found this helpful
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- Ralph de la fuente
- 2019-09-17
AMAZING!
I love stories. I believe stories are what bring people together how we can learn to see the commonalities between us all. I loved This audio book! Trevor Noah takes us through is journey growing up the insights he learned from his family mainly his mother with a comedy twist at every corner and thoughtful wisdom throughout this book I highly recommend! Go ahead treat yourself to this audio book it's worth it guaranteed!
8 people found this helpful
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- Alfred Fredel
- 2018-08-25
An interesting take on life yet a bit disturbing
As someone who is blind, I love audible because the books are narrated to me. I made this selection because I enjoy listening to the rider on his comedy show. He is very entertaining and can tell a good story. For the most part, I find his commentary is generally on point. This book gives you a glimpse into his mind and gives you a little background about the life that he has had while growing up in South Africa. I found the issues regarding domestic violence and his family situation to be quite disturbing, but I understand where his viewpoint is coming from because it was a very terrible situation. There were many things in the book that were quite funny and I enjoyed much of his narrative. I had a little bit of a problem with the story regarding the time where he was a DJ and had a lead dancer Who was given the name of Hitler. His explanation of the situation and the reason why this person was named after one of the most notorious people in history is uncomfortable. Other than these two things, I would recommend this book to others with the caveat that it might be a little much for some.
128 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 2017-02-01
Too much profanity
Too much profanity when it wasn't necessary for the story. Overall very interesting life story.
103 people found this helpful
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- Kierst Rabinowitz
- 2017-03-30
Reviews were a bit misleading
Based on the reviews I read, I expected more. It wasn't a tragic life story, or super funny story.
It's an ok story.
Guess the hype, from the reviews, led me to hope for something more.
145 people found this helpful
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- Thomas L. Piper
- 2018-02-25
Fine but...
Noah is engaging. And his self-depreciating assessment of childhood is familiar to all who have experienced it, regardless of race or country. His observations on race in South Africa and the world over are insightful, but during one anecdote he essentially blames his two pet cats' natural temperament for their own sadistic murder, beheading and skinning at the hands of a superstitious neighbor. In that sense, it seems he may have learned a lot about people's nature, but not much about animals in general.
103 people found this helpful
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- Dianne Lipscomb
- 2019-03-29
Read or not to read
If you have nothing else to do or to read then this book is for you. It was okay but nothing new here to learn.
84 people found this helpful
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- Marilyn Armstrong
- 2016-12-15
Great book and perfect narration
I don't review a lot of books anymore, but this one got to me. There are lots of books written by people -- including me -- who had a hard time growing up. Abusive parents, poverty, oppression. War. There is a lot of awful stuff children endure.
Trevor Noah endured all of it. Name something bad that a kid can experience and it probably happened to him. Born under apartheid, his existence was illegal. His birth was, as the title of his book suggests, a crime.
As the child of a white father and a black mother under South Africa during apartheid, if he had been noticed by the authorities, they would have taken him from his family and put him ... somewhere. So merely surviving until the end of apartheid was no mean feat. Add to that extreme poverty, violence and life under the most oppressive, racist regime you can imagine. Actually, you may not be able to imagine it. I knew it was bad, but South Africa refined oppression into an art form.
One of the other noteworthy things about this book was that I learned great deal about things I thought I already knew. I don't know if Noah intended it as a cautionary tale, but it is. Chilling.
I didn't read the book. I listened to the audiobook because Noah reads it himself. He has a beautiful, melodic voice and a lovely cadence. It was a treat for my ears and my brain.
You might think with all of this terrible stuff -- and some of it is really horrific -- that this would be an angry, possibly embittered man. But he isn't.
He's funny when humor is possible. Even when he's serious, there is grace and wit -- plus a sweetness and generosity of spirit that's rather uplifting. I don't think I've ever said that about a book. It's not a word I use lightly. Trevor Noah is a rare person, able to appreciate the good stuff in his life and not obsess over the considerable amount of injustice he has experienced.
I'm not usually a big fan of celebrity memoirs or autobiographies, but this is exceptional. If you have the patience, listen to it as an audiobook. Otherwise, consider reading it. He's a smart guy, a good writer, and an astute observer of humanity, government, politics, and relationships. Insightful, witty, and entertaining, I highly recommend it.
937 people found this helpful
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- reviewer
- 2017-02-04
Started out very interesting, but declined quickly
Liked the first couple of chapters, but could not finish the book. Dragged on with childhood stories that weren't very captivating.
114 people found this helpful
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- Cheerioh
- 2019-01-21
Histoire super intéressante, super bien lu
Un des meilleurs livres audio que j'ai pu écouter jusque-là. My, my, c'était tellement bien. C'est un livre qui avait fait le buzz mais ô objectif mérité. J'ai tellement appris de choses sur la vie de cet homme en Afrique du Sud. La personnalité incroyable de sa mère, ses bêtises, l'univers tellement particulier de ce pays pour un petit gars ni blanc ni noir. Ça vaut vraiment le détour. Je recommande à 200%. En plus c'est l'auteur qui lit son livre, il imite certains personnages, lit les parties en langue étrangère, vraiment très vivant.
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- Nadia
- 2018-11-20
Brilliant
it's one thing to have great elements for a story it's another to be able to tell it in a way that captivates an audience for a duration of eight hours. Trevor Noah really succeeded in doing this. I highly recommend it.
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- mikus
- 2018-09-21
Exceptional story, exceptional reading!
Not only the story of the book is highly enjoyable, but also very valuable and provides a lot of insight in the reality of living in the South Africa and in the racist communities in general.
On top of that the author himself adds a lot by reading the book in very lively and entertaining way and with a lot of distance to himself, past events and political situation. Reading the original quotes in the local languages is unbeatable.
My only regret is due to the topics mixed chronologically and because of that in some moments it is hard to figure out at first in which period is the current action happening and therefore what was the authors' age/location and the political situation. On the other hand it is not hard to take longer breaks from the book, as its rather a set of smaller stories than a full chain of events with direct consequences.
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- Annelise
- 2018-07-09
lost for words
very good book. Trevor Noah give a comprehensive explination on how apartaid worked in south africa.
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- Client d'Amazon
- 2018-05-01
Incroyable !
A écouter absolument, si vous voulez rire, être surpris, émus, choqué, apprendre mais surtout rire. Le meilleur livre audio que j’ai écouté grâce à l’histoire et la performance de Mr Noah qui est très très talentueux. Il sait imiter tout type de personnages. Il est brillant. J’ai passé un très bon moment. Je le recommande sans aucune hésitation
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- Moeen B.
- 2017-04-04
Just perfect
I just loved it! Trevor Noah rocks! his accent, his imitations, his tones...I felt like I was inside a movie, or living with him. I cried once, I laughed many times and I enjoyed it thoroughly!
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- Celine
- 2021-01-04
<3 Excellent
Trevor Noah is a wonderful storyteller. You will be hooked on the first chapter. I have read the book 2 X and listened to it for the first time over Christmas, read by the author himself, doing all the accents, so much better than in my head. Lots of facts about the history of South Africa and insights about cultures. I loved reading about his upbringing as an 80's child, downloading music, hanging out with his friends, and his mother's life, what an incredible woman. This book is excellent. This book is an awesome gift to give out. Why isn't translated into French and more languages?
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- Anonymous User
- 2020-11-12
Absolutely loved it !!
I highly recommend this book, beautiful story and well written! I love that Trevor Noah is the one reading it as well.
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- Henley Johnson
- 2020-10-21
very entertaining
Very entertaining. Each chapter has a different theme. The stories are well told and they come together at different points. A real glimpse into South Africa and into his unique life. Serious at times, hilarious at others. I highly recommend it and hearing it from him directly made it much better than reading it i believe. Hearing him pronounce the African words makes it much better. I would have been lost if I had read it...
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- Gringo
- 2020-09-25
laughter love and tears
This book is simply wonderful. I learned so much and traveled, I laughened and cried and laughed again.