The books I read can sometimes be a little lobsided. A lot of economics, business, and finance. But that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy other genres as well. I absolutely do and Born A Crime by Trevor Noah is a perfect example of a wonderful book, that is unusual for my bookshelf.
Spear of the Nation
Apartheid describes period of racial segregation in South Africa. It officially started in 1948, but segregation laws that discriminated nonwhite South African were in place way before that. The Land Act was passed in 1913, three years after South Africa gained its independence, and essentially limited the ability of nonwhites to acquire and own land. In 1950 marriage between whites and people from other races were made illegal.
Apartheid ended in 1994 with the election of the coalition government with a nonwhite majority.
Trevor Noah was born in 1984.
I am The Master of My Fate
It is hard to describe how reading Born A Crime was.
What I still remember well is when I read it. It was the very first book I read after moving out and studying in Maastricht. I was late finding a place to live and was forced to stay across the Belgian border – a 20-minute bike ride to my faculty.
What I also remember is that Noah’s book was extremely calming. There was just something to it. It was a very smooth, yet exciting read. Not too intellectual, yet not too dull. A perfect combination!
Born A Crime is about Trevor Noah’s childhood and how he grew up in South Africa as a son of an (basically) illegal relationship – hence the title. His mom is South African, his dad is Swiss-German. And that was during apartheid. Imagine that…
I am The Captain of My Soul
But Noah is brilliantly able to share the stories of his childhood. He is funny, smart and also wise.
Through every chapter you get to understand how growing up in such unbelievable circumstances was. And every chapter is followed by just a couple of pages on which Noah shares anecdotes, South African history, and life lessons. These little chapter are pure gold.
I only marked one single page in this entire book. There is not a single note in it either. Not even one word. It is just that one page. And that page is about regret. I’d like to share a little excerpt from it.
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.
Trevor Noah in Born A Crime
That one page made me realize that I regretted something myself. At least I did, and this chapter might have been one reason why I acted on that regret.
There are many more powerful and emotional stories in this book. They are heartwarming and sad. Frighting and funny. And they all contribute to the beauty of this book.
It is an absolute masterpiece!
Enjoy!
Further Thoughts
There are three things I would like to further recommend to you. First, is the movie Invictus starring Mat Damon and Morgan Freeman (as Nelson Mandela). Invictus tells the story of how Nelson Mandela used the South African rugby team to bring his nation back together. It is without a doubt one of the best movies I have ever seen, and it still gives me goosebumps. There is also a book that tells this story called “Playing the enemy”. Stay tuned for it!
There is a scene in Invictus where Morgen Freeman recites Nelson Mandela favorite poem called “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley. I only like three poems. “Invictus” is one of them and it too gives me goosebumps every time I read it.
And finally, I’d just like to share this funny video of Trevor Noah doing some accents. He is not only a brilliant writer, but also a tremendously funny host of The Daily Show.
