South African Comedian, Trevor Noah was awarded the Youth Literature Award for 2020 at the SA Literary Awards (SALA) online webinar for autobiography titled Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood. Earlier this year, the Daily Show host was also awarded both the Book of the Year Prize, as well as the Children’s Prize at the 2020 South African Book Awards.
Interspersed with wit, Noah-esque humour, comes a story of triumph and one man’s coming-of-age in volatile, apartheid South Africa. He opened up about his childhood and his experience growing up in South Africa during the apartheid era. He describes the book as “my blood, sweat and tears. It was my family’s story and my country’s story”.
Upon its release in 2016, Born A Crime, instantly became a bestseller and was even named one of the best books of 2016 by The New York Times. The memoir has been adapted into an edition for young readers and is currently being adapted by Paramount Pictures into a feature film, starring Kenyan-Mexican actress Lupita Nyong’o, who will be portraying Noah’s mother.
Noah donated his SALA prize money to the Trevor Noah Foundation, which focuses on supporting the disadvantaged youth and providing educational opportunities and funding for them to become strong South African leaders of the future.
