Born A Crime Essay Topics

Eva Heller

Phillips

English 4

21 February 2023

Born a Crime Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime reveals the true life of what it’s like to live in South Africa as a child that goes against all laws of society: being mixed. Coming from a black mother and a white father was always a struggle for him. He never really got to know his dad and was constantly separated from him, he was bullied, and he never truly fit into any other racial/social group. Noah had many influential factors in his life whether that be a moment such as getting thrown out of a moving car, the influence of being a mixed child, or even his pet dog Fufi who played an important role in his life. Even with all these influential factors in Noah’s life, the one factor that emerges

She kept on pushing Noah to be the best version of himself, no matter what was getting in his way, and urging him to give up. On page 70, Noah writes, “She’d say things to me like, “It’s you and me against the world.” I understood even from an early age that we weren’t just mother and son. We were a team.” Growing up under his particular circumstances of being mixed in apartheid, most children would have a rough time; feeling like they never really belong anywhere, but his mother made him feel supported and like he was a part of one growing unit from an early age. Patricia didn’t always have an easy life either, but her obstacles have allowed her to understand how Trevor is feeling at times and empathize with him. Near the end of the book when Trevor is threatening to leave his mother’s life for staying with Abel, Patricia responds with respect and tries to console him by saying, “Honey, I know what you’re going through…At one point, I had to disown my family to go off and live my own life, too. I understand why you need to do the same,” (Noah 271). She could have gotten angry with Noah, but instead, she explained that she understood how she felt and just wanted the best for Noah. Patricia’s soothing and supporting parenting styles are really what allowed Trevor Noah to become the best version of