Characters
Who were Trevor's parents?
Patricia and Robert
What does living in poverty teach Trevor?
Not to take things for granted and appreciate what his mother was able to provide for him.
What happened with one of the girls Trevor liked?
Babiki - prom date, only spoke Pedi
Maylene - crush who took his Valentine gifts , but left him
Zaheera - crush he never told he liked, then she moved
What race is Trevor considered to be in South Africa?
Trevor is colored.
What were Trevor's brothers names?
Andrew and Isaac.
Who was Hitler and why was he significant?
Hitler was Trevor's friend who was famous for his dancing.
What does Trevor learn from spending time in Alex township?
He learns that "everyone has different notions of right and wrong" and there are different level of "crime."
Why didn't Trevor get in trouble over shoplifting the chocolates?
Because the cameras and people only saw "black and white" and because Teddy protected him.
Why was Trevor considered to be "Born a Crime"?
Under the Immorality Act, people of different races were prohibited from mixing in any way. Trevor is proof of a crime by his parents.
Why wouldn't Trevor's grandmother hit him?
She was afraid of the colors his bruises would turn his light skin, like a white child's.
Who was Abel and why was he significant?
Abel was Trevor's stepfather who abused his family.
What did Patricia mean when she said "The world doesn't love you."?
She meant that the world is unforgiving.
How did Trevor earn money during his teen years?
He sold pirated CDs and DJ-ed.
What was Apartheid?
A policy or system of segregation or discrimination on grounds of race in South Africa.
Why did Patricia pretend to not be Trevor's mother at the grocery store?
Who was Teddy and why was he significant?
Teddy was Trevor's friend and partner in crime, who got arrested for stealing chocolates.
Why did Trevor feel like he never fully fit in?
While Trevor was considered colored under apartheid, he considered himself as mixed and he identified as black.
Why did Abel shoot Patricia?
Abel felt Patricia and her children had taken everything away from him.
What consequences would his parents face if they were caughht?
His white father would get a warning (or jail for 5 years) while his black mother would go to jail for 4 years.
How was Trevor a "chameleon" when growing up?
Trevor spoke eight languages, used humor to blend in, and ran fast to do students lunchtime favors.
Who were the Cheese Boys?
They were considered "rich" because they could afford to put cheese on bread.
What lesson does Trevor learn with Fufi OR Babiki?
With Fufi, (1) he learned he never knew she was deaf, and (2) he didn't own the things he loved.
With Babiki, (1) he learned he never tried to get to know her and (2) he only liked her for her beauty.
Why did Trevor go to jail?
He borrowed a car from Abel's garage, but the car's license plates didn't match the registration, so the police believed it had been stolen.
What did apartheid teach coloured people?
It told them to hate other coloured people and themselves for being associated with black heritage.
What is the main cause of division between the Xhosa and the Zulu?
The white colonists made them hate each other more than before by giving each tribe different levels of rights in Apartheid. The Xhosa were considered to be intellectuals who learned to work with the colonists and the Zulu were considered to be warriors who fought the colonists.