Trevor Noah’s autobiographical novel Born a Crime is now being taught in schools.
Noah recently sat down with the Los Angeles Times to speak about his latest accomplishment. As a student who was always in trouble, Noah feels a sense of pride that his book is officially a set-work book in Newark.
Born a Crime serves as a window into what life was like in South Africa under apartheid. The book is anecdotal and is from Noah’s perspective. Born to a Swiss-German father and a Xhosa mother, his very existence violated laws, statutes, and regulations.
Noah stated:
“I don’t think the book is a product of myself, but rather me telling a story comprised of many stories,” he said, “Part of it is South Africa’s story, part of it is my family’s story, my mother’s story, the lessons she taught me. Then, obviously, my interpretation of the world I was raised in.”
Noah then continued,
“It’s most beautiful to me because of why they’re using the book. I do think the lessons we learned in apartheid South Africa are stories that apply to the world. You do see vestiges of that in America today. It’s an easy story to understand because South Africa’s racism was so blatant and so unavoidable.”
He believes that the book can act as a catalyst to start a dialogue on certain topics. So much of what society understands is information given from governments. Noah’s stories allow readers to better understand the significance of both the apartheid era and post-segregation South Africa in a more meaningful way.
Something that Noah has learned from his upbringing and his time at the Daily Show is that respect is the most necessary thing to be given to a person. Even with those who hold opposing viewpoints, Noah always has a conversation that is considerate and courteous.
“I don’t have to agree with you; I don’t have to think that you are right. But I will do my utmost to treat you as the human being I hope you would treat me as.”
You can buy Trevor Noah’s book here.
Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons
