Trevor Noah’s Born a Crime

1. I do not make a point to watch stand-up comedians, but I have seen some of Trevor Noah’s work and I enjoyed it. Humor is a very powerful way to connect to people, it can allow you to develop a relationship and understanding with another person in a matter of seconds. Humor also helps us process and avoid complex topics we currently lack.

2. The “genius of apartheid” was deceiving the group of people who comprised the “overwhelming” majority to hate one another so they could be easily controlled. The main difference Trevor Noah points out is that the Zulu are relentlessly focused on combat; they fought colonial powers with “spears and shields.” The Xhosa also tried to fight the colonizers physically but were more focused on the intellectual side of the conflict. After apartheid fell, South Africa began a civil war. Noah’s birth represented a mixing of two groups who were starkly divided and despised one another. By being born, he forced the Zulu and Xhosa to attempt to mesh.

3. Trevor Noah went to three types of church as a child and would attend some form of worship at least four days a week. His mother was a very devout Christian, so much so that Noah didn’t learn about pop culture growing up, instead, he turned to the bible for entertainment. When Noah’s family car broke down one day, his mother decided that they would bus (minibus) to church that day. At the end of the night, when they were heading home, Trevor Noah and his mother were picked up by a Zulu man driving a minibus. The driver quickly began complaining about Xhosa women and how they were all unfaithful and dirty. When Trevor’s mom tried to argue, the man became aggressive and started to speed. With their lives in danger, Noah’s mother decided that the only way to safety was out of the moving car. So she tossed a sleeping Noah out of the car and jumped with his baby brother in his arms. Noah recalled being angry with his mother, but he now realizes that she saved his life that night. Trevor Noah and his mother clearly love one another, but they are also not afraid to bicker, and his mother does not hesitate to discipline him. Their relationship seems closer than the relationships that are typically portrayed in media between mothers and their sons.

4. I’m not the biggest fan of tacos, but I would describe them as a fresh, delicious filling surrounded by a soft, buttery tortilla or a crunchy shell. I’m looking forward to seeing how Noah relates his childhood to his successful career in comedy and what age he will be at the end of the book. I can relate to feeling dragged to events as a child. While I did not have to go to church four days a week, I was dragged to many of my brother’s hockey games. I can recall looking for any excuse not to go, like Trevor Noah when his family's car broke down.