It's Trevor Noah : Born a Crime

I was taken back by the literary telling elements Trevor Noah used in his book. It made reading the story seem more of a leisurely read than expected. I thought this book would be a profound book for young readers as it addresses the themes of race, oppression, coming of age, the power of language, etc..

The structure of this young adult novel challenges the plot structure of Western. It has a nonlinear structure represents that storytelling culture of his African roots. Noah was able to intertwine institutional and personal racism experiences. This story unravels the history of how the South African government “Apartheid” came to be. This is an eye opening text that portrays oppression and separation amongst Africa’s own tribes.

I was able to walk in the shoes of a mixed male from South Africa that knew 5 languages. Trevor Noah used the 5 languages to help him best adapt to his environment. Noah expresses the power language, even over race.

This text draws many parallels to the division currently occurring in the world. Trevor uses humor, humbling experiences, and wise lessons learned from the matriarchs of his family to embody the bridge between races, class, and Western Civilization to South African cultures.

This book offered an interesting perspective for what it was like growing up in South Africa during the Apartheid. I greatly appreciated Trevor’s perspective on how this impacted his childhood, family life, financial situation and friendships. I would highly recommend this book!