Trevor Noah's Born a Crime: Chapters Two & Three

 Chapter Two

"The doctors took her up to the delivery room, cut open her belly, and reach in and pulled out a half-white, half-black child who violated any number of laws, statues, and regulations-I was born a crime" (Noah 26).

Reflection: This passage stood out to me because this is where we learn by Trevor Noah was born a crime. Readers like myself made assumptions to why we thought he was a crime before this passage was stated, but here we learn the truth. Thinking back to the hypothesis I made earlier on, this is exactly what I guessed. I had a feeling that his parents were an interracial couple, and at the time or where they lived this was not something legal or allowed by society. This is a huge part of the story as we learn about the novels title.  

"Because I am not Swiss, she said, as stubborn as ever. This is my country. Why should I leave?" (Noah 31).

Reflection: This passage brought me a lot of anger. We learned a lot about Trevor in chapter two, along with just in that sentence written above. Not only did Trevor live in constant danger, his family was also in jeopardy too. Trevor did not know this at first, but this was entirely avoidable. They had the ability to leave. However, his mom was selfish and stubborn and kept her family in this position just because she did not want to leave her country. She stripped Trevor's childhood away from him, and I think that he holds that against her. Not only did she bring him into the world, into danger, but she kept him in that position. They could have all moved and lived a safer and better life. Due to his mother's decision, Trevor is left with many traumas and stories from his life growing up. Many of them not being good. Though, on the bright side, all of these stories and experiences allowed him to write this book. 

Chapter Three 

"Apartheid kept me away from my father because he was white, but for almost all the kids I knew on my grandmother's block in Soweto, apartheid had taken away their fathers as well, just for different reasons" (Noah 38). 

Reflection: This almost makes me feel better for Trevor, that he was not the only one in the neighborhood who did not have a huge father presence in his life growing up. It would have made me more sad if he was surrounded by families with both a mother and father, who did not have to hide their relationship. However, the fact that other kids did not see their dad much, makes me feel like Trevor did not feel as left out as he could have been. This passage also makes me upset because of his mother's decision, in making sure they stay in her home country. Maybe if they would have moved, Trevor could have grown up with his father in his life. I wonder how his dad felt about staying in the country, if he wanted to leave so he could live a more normal life, or if he did not care. It feels like he did not really want to be a father so I could see him not really caring. This is another example of how Trevors mother was selfish, she also gave him a father that did not want to have a child in the first place. It was only so she could have a kid. Why could she not have chosen a black male, so at least the kid could have lived a real childhood?

"My mother gasped. We've been bewitched! It's a demon!" (Noah 45). 

Reflection: This scene was very funny to read. It goes to show how fast some people jump to conclusions even when it is just your own child doing something stupid. I do wonder how his mother and family would have reacted if they found out that he used the bathroom inside their house on a piece of newspaper. I feel like his mother would have gotten really upset and punished him, because she is strict. I do not blame him for not speaking up, as it was a very weird an embarrassing choice he made. At this point in the story, I wonder how long it took for him to admit to his decision. Did his family find out after he wrote the book? Or did he confess sometime before? Maybe none of his family members are still living so they never found out. I am curious to see what we find out. Going back to the humor of the story,  I think it is super funny that the mother starting burning her own sons shit in their driveway. Then to top that, the entire neighborhood came and watched, sang, and prayed. Little did they all know.

• In chapter two we learn the story of how Trevor Noah’s mother Patricia met his father. How does Patricia move through a world governed by institutional racism? Describe Trevor Noah’s early upbringing.

Patricia is a very confident woman who does not follow the laws. She goes where she shouldn't be, stays out later, and often dresses up in costume so people are less likely to come up to her. She is also living illegally with a male, but has enough money to pay for rent so she does not have to have sexual relations with this man. The second that Trevor was brought into the world, he was despised and hidden. According to the law, he was not legally allowed to be born. If he was seen with either of his parents, he was risking the police coming to put them in jail or getting weird looks from other citizens in the area. Because of the threats, he was often hidden in his home, or playing in the private backyard. The less people saw him the better. 

• Like many young males in South Africa, Trevor Noah grows up in a household surrounded by women. Describe what you learn about “Soweto,” his life there, and what struck you as notable about this chapter.

We learn a lot about Soweto during this chapter. My main takeaways are that this community is very large, around 1 million people I think he said. Also, this is not in any way a wealthy or even middle class demographic. Everyone has little to no money, groceries are bought one at a time because that's as much anyone can afford. Same with homes, you start with one room, then as you get more money you can add on. There seems to be pretty strict law enforcement here as well. What stood out the most to me during this chapter was the toilet situation and Trevor using the bathroom inside the house, then Patricia thinking it was a demons doing.