Born A Crime by Trevor Noah - ISBN: 9781399842723
Hardcover
Born a crime: a forbidden childhood in apartheid South Africa.
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Born A Crime

Stories from a South African Childhood

RRP$45.00

$38.24

  • Hardcover

    320 pages

  • Release Date

    17 November 2026

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Summary

#1 Bestseller and Award-winning Modern Classic – with an exclusive new afterword.

Trevor Noah was BORN A CRIME - not because he could answer back in five languages; not because his mother threw him out of the window of a moving car; not because he shoplifted; not because he accidentally burnt down someone’s house with a magnifying glass; not even because he took Hitler to a barmitzvah - but because this was South Africa and his mother was black and his father was white…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781399842723
ISBN-10:1399842722
Author:Trevor Noah
Publisher:John Murray Press
Imprint:John Murray Publishers Ltd
Format:Hardcover
Number of Pages:320
Release Date:17 November 2026
Dimensions:156mm x 240mm
A-Format
B-Format
C-Format
Born A Crime by Trevor Noah - ISBN: 9781399842723
156 × 240 mm
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

Essential reading… Engaging, fast-paced and vivid, leavened with insight and wit … Born a Crime does more to expose apartheid - its legacy, its pettiness, its small-minded stupidity and its damage - than any other recent history book or academic text * GUARDIAN *
Essential reading… Engaging, fast-paced and vivid, leavened with insight and wit … Born a Crime does more to expose apartheid - its legacy, its pettiness, its small-minded stupidity and its damage - than any other recent history book or academic text * GUARDIAN *
Essential reading… Engaging, fast-paced and vivid, leavened with insight and wit … Born a Crime does more to expose apartheid - its legacy, its pettiness, its small-minded stupidity and its damage - than any other recent history book or academic text * GUARDIAN *
Powerful and unique * THE TIMES *
Powerful and unique * THE TIMES *
Powerful and unique * THE TIMES *
A brilliant memoir, bonding and hilarious… Fantastic * LUPITA NYONG’O, TIME, Books of the Year *
A brilliant memoir, bonding and hilarious… Fantastic * LUPITA NYONG’O, TIME, Books of the Year *
A brilliant memoir, bonding and hilarious… Fantastic * LUPITA NYONG’O, TIME, Books of the Year *
Witty and brilliant…You’d be hard-pressed to find a better origin story * O — THE OPRAH MAGAZINE *
Witty and brilliant…You’d be hard-pressed to find a better origin story * O — THE OPRAH MAGAZINE *
Witty and brilliant…You’d be hard-pressed to find a better origin story * O — THE OPRAH MAGAZINE *
Trevor Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten * ESQUIRE *
Trevor Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten * ESQUIRE *
Trevor Noah’s childhood stories are told with all the hilarity and intellect that characterizes his comedy, while illuminating a dark and brutal period in South Africa’s history that must never be forgotten * ESQUIRE *
Compelling … By turns alarming, sad, and funny, Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to Trevor Noah’s remarkable mother * NEW YORK TIMES *
Compelling … By turns alarming, sad, and funny, Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to Trevor Noah’s remarkable mother * NEW YORK TIMES *
Compelling … By turns alarming, sad, and funny, Born a Crime is not just an unnerving account of growing up in South Africa under apartheid, but a love letter to Trevor Noah’s remarkable mother * NEW YORK TIMES *
A soul-nourishing pleasure… an enormous gift * USA TODAY *
A soul-nourishing pleasure… an enormous gift * USA TODAY *
A soul-nourishing pleasure… an enormous gift * USA TODAY *
A book to read now * WALL STREET JOURNAL *
A book to read now * WALL STREET JOURNAL *
A book to read now * WALL STREET JOURNAL *
A memoir with heft... Astonishingly fearless… this story soars * PEOPLE *
A memoir with heft... Astonishingly fearless… this story soars * PEOPLE *
A memoir with heft... Astonishingly fearless… this story soars * PEOPLE *
Mind-blowing * COSMOPOLITAN *
Mind-blowing * COSMOPOLITAN *
Mind-blowing * COSMOPOLITAN *
Trevor Noah has a real story to tell – and tells it well… A little scary, but trust me – it’s funny * NEWSDAY *
Trevor Noah has a real story to tell – and tells it well… A little scary, but trust me – it’s funny * NEWSDAY *
Trevor Noah has a real story to tell – and tells it well… A little scary, but trust me – it’s funny * NEWSDAY *
An affecting memoir… and a love letter to his mother * WASHINGTON POST *
An affecting memoir… and a love letter to his mother * WASHINGTON POST *
An affecting memoir… and a love letter to his mother * WASHINGTON POST *
Extraordinary … essential reading on every level. It’s hard to imagine a finer job * SEATTLE TIMES *
Extraordinary … essential reading on every level. It’s hard to imagine a finer job * SEATTLE TIMES *
Extraordinary … essential reading on every level. It’s hard to imagine a finer job * SEATTLE TIMES *
Noah proves a gifted storyteller, deftly lacing his poignant tales with amusing irony * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *
Noah proves a gifted storyteller, deftly lacing his poignant tales with amusing irony * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *
Noah proves a gifted storyteller, deftly lacing his poignant tales with amusing irony * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY *
Incisive, funny, and vivid, Trevor Noah’s electrifying memoir sparkles with staggering true talesand his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class * BOOKLIST *
Incisive, funny, and vivid, Trevor Noah’s electrifying memoir sparkles with staggering true talesand his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class * BOOKLIST *
Incisive, funny, and vivid, Trevor Noah’s electrifying memoir sparkles with staggering true talesand his candid and compassionate essays deepen our perception of the complexities of race, gender, and class * BOOKLIST *
A gritty memoir … studded with insight and provocative social criticism … and brilliant storytelling and acute observations * KIRKUS *
A gritty memoir … studded with insight and provocative social criticism … and brilliant storytelling and acute observations * KIRKUS *
A gritty memoir … studded with insight and provocative social criticism … and brilliant storytelling and acute observations * KIRKUS *
Humble, candid and funny * ELLE (South Africa) *
Humble, candid and funny * ELLE (South Africa) *
Humble, candid and funny * ELLE (South Africa) *
Thoughtful, observant and empathetic...warm and human * MAIL & GUARDIAN (South Africa) *
Thoughtful, observant and empathetic...warm and human * MAIL & GUARDIAN (South Africa) *
Thoughtful, observant and empathetic...warm and human * MAIL & GUARDIAN (South Africa) *
Treats what could be a dark topic with humour and light * Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER *
Treats what could be a dark topic with humour and light * Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER *
Treats what could be a dark topic with humour and light * Oyinkan Braithwaite, author of MY SISTER THE SERIAL KILLER *

About The Author

Trevor Noah

Trevor Noah is a globally beloved comedian best known as being the host of the Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning The Daily Show on Comedy Central for seven years.

Trevor served as the Grammy Awards host for three consecutive years, and his stand-up special “Trevor Noah: Son of Patricia” received a Grammy nomination for best comedy album in 2020. He has written, produced, and starred in 12 comedy specials, including 2022’s Emmy-nominated “I Wish You Would,” and has sold out stand-up comedy shows, including his current “Off The Record” World Tour.

Trevor is the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. The book received the Thurber Prize for American Humor and two NAACP Image Awards. He launched the Trevor Noah Foundation in 2018 to improve equitable access to quality education for underserved youth in South Africa.

Trevor’s future projects include hosting Amazon Prime Video’s first South African original series called LOL: Last One Laughing, serving as executive producer for the long-running British comedy series Mock the Week, and hosting an original Spotify weekly podcast.

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