Trevor Noah’s autobiographical comedy book Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood was released in 2016 and it still remains popular years after.
Speaking about its content, Trevor Noah’s childhood in his native South Africa during the apartheid era is described in the book. In line with the apartheid system of racial categorization, Noah was labeled as a “coloured” since he is the mixed-race offspring of a white Swiss-German father and a black Xhosa mother. Even under apartheid, according to Noah, he experienced social isolation since it was illegal “for him to be born as a mixed-race infant.”
The plot of this book is quite exciting, as you may see. If you want to learn more about it from an academic point of view, you should check the “Born a crime” essay written by other students like you. This essay is basically a detailed analysis of Trevor Noah’s work. It can give you some interesting insights into the issues described in the book. You will not learn something new about racial problems but maybe also about yourself. However, if you haven’t read “Born a Crime” yet, here are the reasons why you should do it as soon as possible.
Great author
Author, comedian, and Daily Show presenter Trevor Noah has had a hugely successful career. Most of the people on television aren’t as funny, smart, or sympathetic as him. Readers will have a better understanding of Trevor’s current work by learning about his childhood through this book. He tells about the ups and downs of his career path as well as the lessons he learned along the road.
Incredible stories
This book contains a variety of stories, all of which are unique in some way. When Trevor tells stories of his grandmother’s dread of witchcraft, a tense prom date, and setting a home on fire, readers may think they’re “strange,” but they were just part of Trevor’s everyday life. People and events that appear “strange” or “odd,” yet each has its own particular beauty, are shown to the reader via these stories.
Relatable characters
Everything about Trevor, from his mother to her lover, is based on the author’s own experiences and observations. Throughout the novel, we see how each character has a unique combination of assets, flaws, and insecurities. This book reveals to you the fundamental duality and contradiction in human nature, which you may not have previously known. Good people do horrible things for a variety of reasons, and this book helps you to better comprehend them.
Profound insights
Many times during his youth and adolescence, Trevor felt isolated. When he was younger, he had difficulty finding a group of friends because of his intelligence, his race, his appearance, his nerdiness, and his lack of social cues. As A result of this, Trevor adapted to his situation, becoming nice with everyone and close with a select few. For the first time in his life, Trevor was able to swing back and forth between different social groups.
In his present job, he uses the advantages he gained by being compelled to fit in with several groups. There are individuals from all over the world within a few miles of campus, making it an ideal spot to meet new friends. Be it in small or large groups, knowing the potential of the people in your immediate vicinity is critical no matter what kind of environment you want to be in.
Engage with your peers, build meaningful bonds, and reveal your wildest aspirations. Be enriched by the people in your life, and allow that love to spill over into your professional endeavors.
Never-say-die attitude
As a child, Trevor was rejected by a crush; later, he was punished for a transgression; later, he witnessed his mother’s marital abuse up close and personal. As difficult as it was at times, he eventually triumphed because of his faith, bravery, and positive outlook.
All college students may learn a lot from Trevor’s example of how he slowly, but efficiently, developed, healed, and improved from his experiences. Even if things may appear difficult right now, this too shall pass. It’s not uncommon for victory to be found on the other side of hardship.
Key lessons you may learn from the book
The book reads more like a collection of memories than a chronological account of events. Noah, on the other hand, demonstrates that amusing content may still have depth through his anecdotal examples. Here is what you can learn from it:
You don’t have to be ashamed of admitting that you’re wrong; in fact, it’s a virtue. It merely demonstrates one’s capacity to adapt and grow. Many of the things he writes about are things he regrets. On the contrary, his self-reflection shows that we can always learn from our mistakes.
Nowadays, it’s quite simple to become sidetracked and neglect self-reflection. It is, nonetheless, a crucial self-improvement technique. Noah’s stories appear to be the result of years of contemplation. These aren’t rants about one’s own self-declared brilliance; rather, they show a person’s growth and development as a person over the course of a lifetime.
Resilience is the ability to bounce back after misfortune. Despite the book’s heavy focus on issues like racism, sexism, abuse, and poverty, one thing that struck me was how firmly the story’s theme pushed toward fostering resilience. The author discussed the lessons he had learnt from his own trials and tribulations. He was a fantastic role model for everyone who has had to suffer since he decided to draw strength when he might have easily victimized himself. It just serves to prove that the strength of a narrative resides not in its content but in the manner in which it is told and the lessons that it teaches.
Final thoughts
Trevor Noah’s “Born a Crime” is a treasure trove of anecdotes and situations that may be applied to everyday life. This is a book that will make you laugh, weep, and rethink the people in your life. This book has enhanced the first-year students at Syracuse University, and now it’s time for the rest of the student body to become involved.
https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-young-woman-studying-while-sitting-at-a-desk-6549641/
https://www.pexels.com/photo/topless-man-reading-book-while-seating-at-beach-922100/