1. Trevor Noah begins Born a Crime with an anecdote about being thrown from a moving car. Why do you think he chose to begin the book with this anecdote?
2. Patricia Noah's faith is an important theme of the book. Her faith was strong and unwavering, even in the face of great adversity. Trevor Noah has more doubts. Where are you in terms of your faith/religion?3. Trevor Noah speaks multiple languages. How does his knowledge of language affect his view of people and culture? How does it help him move between worlds? Are you satisfied with the American approach to teaching and using multiple languages? If not, what would you change?
4. The stories and reflections in this book are rooted in South Africa. What are the ideas/lessons/questions we can take away from the book, when we think about issues of race and racism in the United States?
5. This book deals with topics that aren’t funny: apartheid, racism, poverty, and domestic abuse. And yet, parts of this book are really funny. How do you think Noah is able to maintain such a good sense of humor about these circumstances? How do you, personally, maintain a sense of humor when our lives can be both hard and sad?