Noah Was Born A Crime

“...I was born a crime.” These are the words Trevor Noah uses to describe his birth, a candid truth as Noah was born a mixed child during South Africa’s Apartheid. Under Apartheid law, the mixing of races was the ultimate crime as it defied the very principles which Apartheid stood for. In his memoir, Born a Crime, Noah tells the story of his life, a young boy caught between white and black, in a time when that was simply not done. Noah's perception that his childhood was normal, hindered his ability to recognize the significance of his racial identity so much so he comes to embrace his race as a choice. Noah’s most formative years were spent, largely, living with a headstrong and defiant mother and an accepting, diverse primary school. He spent those
Spending time in Soweto, Noah was referred to as ‘the white child’ by family and community members alike. Due to this, Noah was awarded certain honors and privileges. His grandmother wouldn’t beat him, even though he was the most naughty, he was told his prayers mean more to God and neighbours refused to sit him outside at funerals, even though he was not family. On page fifty three, Noah says, “...I didn’t think of the special treatment as having to do with color. I thought of it as having to do with Trevor.” There was no racial awareness in that attitude, just a child’s naive belief the world revolves around them. Furthermore, this attitude Noah had, which allowed him to find himself special, was a triumph over his so called identity. Apartheid systematically sought to teach everyone that if they weren’t white, they were worth less, they did not matter. Being mixed in South Africa, Noah could have naturally adopted that mindset, but instead he found confidence something near impossible had he fully understood what it meant to be