Characters
This person is Trevor Noah's mother and one of the most important influences in his life.
Who is Patricia Noah?
This political system legally separated people according to race in South Africa.
What is Apartheid?
Trevor repeatedly shows how this ability helped him connect with different groups of people.
What is language?
Trevor spent much of his childhood attending these religious gatherings.
What are church services?
The title Born a Crime refers to this fact about Trevor's birth.
What is that his birth was illegal under apartheid?
This man was Trevor's Swiss-German father.
Who is Robert?
This law prohibited relationships and marriages between people of different racial groups.
What is the Prohibition of Mixed Marriages Act?
This theme is reflected in Trevor's struggle to find where he belongs.
What is identity/belonging?
As a child, Trevor was thrown from this moving vehicle.
What is a minibus/taxi?
This township near Johannesburg plays an important role in Trevor's childhood.
What is Soweto?
This stepfather became increasingly abusive throughout the memoir.
Who is Abel?
Under apartheid, Trevor was often classified as belonging to this racial category.
What is "Coloured"?
Patricia Noah represents this idea through her determination and independence.
What is resilience?
Trevor became known at school for organizing and selling these copied music collections.
What are CDs/music compilations?
Trevor's pet was sold by a neighbour, leading to one of the memoir's funniest childhood stories.
What is Fufi (the dog)?
Trevor describes this family member as a strict but deeply religious woman.
Who is his grandmother (Frances Noah)?
This apartheid policy assigned South Africans to racial categories such as Black, White, Coloured, and Indian.
What is racial classification?
The memoir frequently explores how this social construct shaped people's lives.
What is race?
Patricia survived this violent crime committed by Abel.
What is a shooting?
Trevor's attempt to impress a girl at a dance ended awkwardly because of this misunderstanding.
What is the Valentine's Day/dance misunderstanding?
This friend helped Trevor build his small CD and DJ business.
Who is Teddy?
This contradiction is central to Trevor's identity: he belonged fully to neither of these worlds.
What are the Black and White worlds/communities of South Africa?
Despite difficult circumstances, Trevor often uses this literary device to tell his story.
What is humor?
Trevor's mother hid him indoors for much of his early childhood because being seen in public with him could reveal this fact.
What is that his birth was illegal under apartheid?
Although apartheid officially ended, the memoir shows that this problem continued to affect many South Africans.
What is inequality?