BOOK CLUB BEAT
with Sherry Hemingway
Born A Crime…an autobiography
Author Trevor Noah
T
revor Noah’s autobiography,
“Born a Crime,” is a superb read,
even for people who have no
clue who he is. This New York Times
#1 best seller is a compelling tale of
shock, awe and wit about a mixed-race
boy coming of age, both during and in
the chaotic period after Apartheid in
South Africa.
For anyone who is not acquainted
with Trevor Noah, he’s the young South
African comedian who leapt to fame
in 2012 with an appearance on Jay
Leno’s Tonight show, and then in 2015
replaced host Jon Stewart on “The Daily
Show,” Comedy Central’s talk/news/sat-
ire program. None of that is covered in
this book.
Trevor’s early life is told in anecdotal
stories interwoven with an astute
analysis of Apartheid’s means of
preserving power for a white ruling
class in a black land. Trevor was born
to a fiercely independent black woman
of the Xhosa tribe and a white Swiss/
German expat. Trevor’s very existence
as a “colored” child was a punishable
crime. The family’s relationships were
so secret that for mother and son to go
out in public, Trevor had to walk with
a colored neighbor while his mother
lagged behind as a friend or would-be
servant. (Only Trevor Noah could make
this hilarious.) Interactions with his
white father, who lived nearby, were only
behind closed doors. To do otherwise
courted immediate police arrest.
While the details of living under
Apartheid are shocking, the real story
of Trevor is that of a savvy survivor who
learned to utilize humor and pirated
CDs to navigate various racial groups,
none of whom completely accepted
him. His personal rock was his iron-
willed mother, who refused the custom
of bowing to men. While other women
curtsied, Trevor’s mother would go down
and cower, staying long enough to make
everyone very uncomfortable. He loved
it. She persevered in getting Trevor a
quality education in white schools,
where they would accept a few token
black kids on scholarship, but where
Trevor had to forge his own brand of
acceptance.
This is one of those books that one
might not find without a book club,
and it is also one that gives book clubs
a great deal to think and talk about.
Even if you’ve never heard of Trevor
Noah, try giving this book a shot.
SHERRY HEMINGWAY spent her child-
hood after lights out with a book and flashlight
under the covers.
With degrees
from Kent State
University and
Harvard University,
her lifelong career
was in journalism
and public rela-
tions. Her hobbies
are travel in (very)
remote countries,
volunteering, and
two book clubs.
Meet the Morgan Hill Library’s “After Dinner Book Group”
Members include (front row, l to r) Angela Coscarelli, Beverly Vessa, Marie Lamb, and (back
row) Karen Leavitt, Kathryn Deboo, Librarian Jeff Grubb, Mary Ringo and Kathi Roster.
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
A book club that is open to the public
and loans book selections for free
can be found meeting monthly as the
Morgan Hill Library’s “After Dinner Book
Club Group.” Historically, this club was
known as “Books with Dessert” until the
county health department took excep-
tion to home baked goods in a public
space. Discussions are held at 7:30
p.m. on the last Tuesday of the month
at the Morgan Hill Library. Their recent
classic read was “Catcher in the Rye.”
Up ahead, in September, the book
is “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh
Nguyen, and October is “Salvage the
Bones” by Jesmyn Ward.
gmhtoday.com
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