Born a Crime: A Humorous Tale of the Trevor Noah's Life

After reading Born A Crime by Trevor Noah, I finally understood why Bill Gates chose this book as one of his five favorite books in 2017. Trevor Noah’s birth, background, experience, ability, and his story are too exciting and interesting. He has more ups and downs and more dramatic elements than other people. Trevor uses humorous language describe to us at that time the religious beliefs, racial discrimination, low status of women, and domestic violence. Trevor’s Born A Crime allows readers to experience the absurdity of racial issues in his daily life. I am not going to focus Trevor’s life in this book. I will focus on my favorite character Trevor’s mother, Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah, is a great woman above the time.

It is said that Born A Crime is an autobiography of Trevor. It is better to say that is actually his story with his mother. The New York Times book review says this book is actually a love letter to his mother. Trevor’s mother who broke through the limits of poverty, released her soul, and chose to have a child by herself and raise the child independently according to her own wishes. Trevor writes “So many black people had internalized the logic of apartheid and made it their own. Why teach a black child white things? Why do all this? Why show him the world when he’s never going to leave the ghetto?”(74) However, Trevor’s mother says “even if he never leaves the ghetto, he will know that the ghetto is not the world. If that is all I accomplish, I’ve done enough.”(74) Ture to her nature, Trevor’s mother is indeed a rebel, does not succumb to the shackles of the outside world, one has her own religious beliefs. Trevor describe she will give everything for the one she loves even it is Able.

Trevor’s mother’s life logic and ideal life. His mother’s education on him is completely positive. Before Trevor was nine, his mother did not get married again. Their life was happy until Trevor’s mother decided to get married. Able is a good person, but he is not suitable for marriage. “I enjoyed being with Able the same way I enjoyed playing with a tiger cub the first time I went to a tiger sanctuary: I liked it, I had fun with it, but I never thought about bringing it home.” (249) Trevor describes Able is not a “real good person”. Able is machismo, and he attracts to independent women. After getting marry, Trevor and his mother’s nightmares begin. First of all, Able does not let them to visit Trevor’s father anymore. Because they can’t visit Trevor’s father, Trevor’s father left. However, when Trevor is an adult, Trevor’s mother encourages Trevor to seek out his estranged father. Trevor tracks down Robert and begins to rebuild a relationship with him. Child-parent psychotherapy is the most help at-risk children from Dr Harris Burk’s “Reversal of Misfortune” Although Trevor is not toxic stress, there is nothing makes a child happier than rebuild a relationship with father. This event shows Trevor’s mother is intelligent and witty. She can understand the son’s ideas before giving correct guidance.

Abel’s relationship with Trevor’s mother includes physical abuse, financial abuse, controlling behavior, and alcoholism. In most other areas of her life, Trevor’s mother’s intelligence, confidence, and ability to stand up for herself have served her well. It has allowed her to build a family with Trevor, set up a successful career, and raise an intelligent and confident son. Yet within her marriage, these qualities work against her. Abel feels emasculated by her refusal to be an obedient and traditional wife, especially after she embarrasses him in front of his extended family. She tries to support his talents and ambitions, but he does not want to see his wife recognized for being intelligent and competent. While Trevor has benefited from his mother's talents and ambition, Abel refuses to let Trevor’s mother be a full partner to him.

Despite obviously being frustrated with Abel and aware of his flaws, Trevor’s mother resists leaving him for a long time. The reasons for this are complex. South African society tends to shrug off domestic violence or even condone a man's right to 'discipline' his wife. Although Trevor’s mother immediately goes to the police the first time Abel hits her, they are not interested in helping her. This incident foreshadows how, later on, Abel will not receive jail time even after shooting her in the head. This incident confirms that Trevor’s mother is on her own when it comes to coping with her abusive relationship. Her mother's reaction is also unsupportive: Trevor’s grandmother points out that her own husband hit her and remarks that this is just what life is like for women. This reaction shows how intergenerational trauma can be passed down, mirroring how the suffering of apartheid can also be normalized and accepted.

Trevor’s mother instinct that Abel will lash out if she leaves him proves correct. She finally moves out and forms a new relationship but Abel tries to kill her, blaming her for ruining his life. While Trevor has always loved his mother, the prospect of losing her clarifies just how much she means to him. He feels angry and helpless that he couldn't protect her, but he does what he can by paying her medical bills. Trevor shows courageous honesty in admitting that he hesitates over the prospect of signing up for a lifetime of debt, but his love for his mother wins out. Trevor’s mother’s luck—or, as she sees it, her faith—means that a very serious incident results in only minor injuries. Ending the memoir with a joking exchange between mother and son shows that no matter what dark incidents happen to them, they are each other partners in resilience and hope.

Bill Gate’s book review concludes that he, like other Trevor fans, is grateful to Trevor’s mother for having a free-thinking son. What I would like to say is that I am very grateful to Trevor for writing this book, for letting us know that great mother and the history of South Africa.

Works Cited

1. Noah, Trevor. Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Spiegel & Grau, 2016.
2. Harris, Nadine Burke. “Reversal of Misfortune.” EBSCO Host, Psychology Today, http://ezproxy.fhda.edu:2054/ehost/detail/detail?vid=15&sid=fc6f97d8-19cd-4e18-b790-b9aac740f1fd@pdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ==#AN=129125843&db=a9h.