Trevor Noah, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. New York: Spigel & Grau. 2016.  

In a social situation characterized by apartheid, poverty, and violence, Born a Crime shows how one individual who didn’t fit easily into any group instead established a transcendent and universal identity for himself. It depicts the coming-of-age of a youth who, by learning to understand diverse cultures and languages, gained the ability to see humanity and the world from a variety of perspectives. Through its surprisingly honest anecdotes, it persuasively conveys the author’s philosophy that discrimination and hatred of other people and other cultures are actually based in ignorance and prejudice. The book is dedicated to Noah’s mother, who did not yield to the rules of an illogical society but challenged them to build a decent life for herself and her son.In addition to categories like “Most sold” and “Most read”, Amazon’s book charts include an “Unputdownable” ranking. Born a Crime, the autobiography of Trevor Noah, a stand-up comedian who has also become well known in Korea, was certainly unputdownable for me. Noah was born the child of a black mother and white father in the extremely racist environment of 1980s South Africa, and the title of his book refers to the fact that this itself—the creation of a biracial child—was illegal at that time. 

Despite its serious and sometimes-tragic subject matter, Born a Crime is full of lighthearted stories about a pious, loving mother and her mischievous son. Readers from around the world will find much to sympathize with—and much to laugh about. It is also written in simple English, so non-native speakers may not need to wait for a translation of the book into their own language. And if you really want to laugh, go straight to Chapter 15, which is titled, “Go Hitler!”

Ki-Sun Hong, Chair of Diversity Council