Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (One World Essentials)

Born a Crime — the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir by Trevor Noah — is a powerful, funny, and deeply moving coming-of-age story set in the final years of apartheid and the dawn of a new South Africa.

Born to a white Swiss father and a Black Xhosa mother—an illegal union under apartheid—Trevor’s very existence was a crime. Hidden indoors for much of his childhood, he and his fiercely determined mother navigated a world defined by oppression, absurdity, and change.

With sharp humor and unflinching honesty, Trevor recounts his journey from a mischievous boy to a young man searching for identity and belonging, while celebrating the strength, faith, and love of the mother who refused to let him be broken by circumstance.

At once hilarious and heart-wrenching, Born a Crime reveals how humor, resilience, and love can defy even the harshest realities.