Born a Crime
by Trevor Noah
★ Top 10 book of 2016 · #6 on Best Books of 2016
Trevor Noah recounts growing up in a world where his very existence was never meant to happen, guided by his fearless, devout mother. His funny, dramatic and honest stories trace a boy surviving poverty, danger and a damaged society.
Best for: Readers who like witty, heartfelt memoirs about family, resilience and growing up
Born a Crime is #6 on BookWard's Best Books of 2016, out of 68 2016 books that cleared our data bar.
What Born a Crime is about
Trevor Noah was born in South Africa at a time when apartheid made his parents' relationship illegal. His very existence was against the law, and he grew up as a mischievous boy in a world that had no place for him. These stories follow him from childhood into restless young adulthood, and they are just as much about his mother: fearless, rebellious and deeply religious, and determined to rescue her son from poverty, violence and abuse, even at great risk to herself.
The tales range from eating caterpillars when money ran out to surviving an attempted kidnapping to the awkward business of high school dating. Noah tells them with wit and unflinching honesty, finding humor in hardship without brushing past the pain. Readers who enjoy funny, candid memoirs, or who want to understand life under apartheid, will find much to like.
Born a Crime on the Best Books of 2016
Born a Crime came out in 2016. Of the 68 books first published in 2016 that met BookWard's data bar, it ranks #6 on our Best Books of 2016 list.
Why it made the list: 957 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (65 ratings); 56 are reading it right now. The list ranks each year’s books on how many readers have picked them up, how highly readers rate them, and how many are reading them right now.
It earns Reader favorite.
Nearby on the 2016 list
- Never Split the Difference Chris Voss, #4
- The Hidden Oracle Rick Riordan, #5
- Ikigai Héctor García, #7
- Punk 57 Penelope Douglas, #8
See all Best Books of 2016 Best books by year
More years: Best Books of 2015 Best Books of 2017.
The numbers behind it
- Readers: 808 want to read it, 56 are reading it now and 93 have read it, according to Open Library.
- Ratings: 4.6 out of 5 from 65 Open Library ratings.
| Signal | This book (0 to 100) | Weight |
|---|---|---|
| Reach | 79 | 55% |
| Reader love | 99 | 25% |
| Being read right now | 84 | 20% |
Questions about Born a Crime
When was Born a Crime published?
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah was first published in 2016.
Was Born a Crime one of the best books of 2016?
Born a Crime is #6 on BookWard's Best Books of 2016, out of 68 2016 books that cleared our data bar. 957 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (65 ratings); 56 are reading it right now.
Why is Born a Crime on the Best Books of 2016 list?
957 readers have shelved it on Open Library; readers rate it 4.6 out of 5 (65 ratings); 56 are reading it right now.
More of the best books of 2016
- It Ends with Us Colleen Hoover, #1
- Dog Man Dav Pilkey, #2
- The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck Mark Manson, #3
- Never Split the Difference Chris Voss, #4
- The Hidden Oracle Rick Riordan, #5
- Ikigai Héctor García, #7
See the full Best Books of 2016, the Top 100, or new books on Rising.
How we know
This page uses public data: Open Library reader counts and ratings, and Wikipedia page views for recent years. The description is paraphrased from real source text. Rankings reflect reading interest, not quality or sales, and can be affected by data gaps. Lists update monthly.
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