FEATURE
The compelling , inspiring , and comically sublime story of a young man ' s coming of age , set during the twilight of apartheid and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed .
Trevor Noah is one of the comedy world ’ s brightest new voices , a light-footed but sharp-minded observer of the absurdities of politics , race , and identity , sharing jokes and insights drawn from the wealth of experience acquired in his relatively young life . As host of The Daily Show with Trevor Noah , he provides viewers in America and around the globe with their nightly dose of biting satire , but here Noah turns his focus inward , giving readers a deeply personal , heartfelt , and humorous look at the world that shaped him .
Noah was born a crime , the son of a white Swiss father and a black Xhosa mother , at a time when such a union was punishable by five years in prison . Living proof of his parents ’ indiscretion , Trevor was kept mostly indoors for the first years of his life , bound by the extreme and often absurd measures his mother took to hide him from a government that could , at any moment , take him away . Finally liberated by the end of South Africa ’ s white rule , Trevor and his mother set forth on a grand adventure , living openly and freely and embracing the opportunities won by a centuries-long struggle . A collection of eighteen personal essays , BORN A CRIME tells the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist . This book is equally the story of that young man ’ s fearless , rebellious , and fervently religious mother — a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty , violence , and abuse that ultimately threatens her own life . Whether subsisting on caterpillars for dinner during hard times , being thrown from a moving car during an attempted kidnapping , or just trying to survive the life-and-death pitfalls of dating in high school , Noah illuminates his curious world with an incisive wit and an unflinching honesty . His stories weave together to form a moving and searingly funny portrait of a lovable delinquent making his way through a damaged world in a dangerous time , armed only with a keen sense of humor and a mother ’ s unconventional , unconditional love .
AUTHOR TOUR : Chicago Chicago Humanities Festival – 11 / 12
Miami Miami Book Fair International – 11 / 13
New York 92nd St Y – 11 / 15 Barnes & Noble Union Square – 11 / 17
Philadelphia Free Library of Philadelphia – 11 / 18
Washington , D . C . Sixth and I Synagogue – 11 / 19
San Francisco San Fran City Arts and Lectures – 11 / 21
Los Angeles LA Times Ideas Exchange – 11 / 22
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