Born a Crime von Trevor Noah

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but the priest always brought them to the ground. Trevor found this very amusing. However, as he and his family lived in Eden Park, a suburb outside Johannesburg, he always had to walk a long way to church, which he did not like. Some Sundays they would go to evening services, after which he would be so tired that he would just go to bed. When he was thrown out of the car, there was also such a service. While his 9-month-old brother was getting dressed, he took a bath. As his mother only had an old second-hand car which she had bought cheaply, it often wouldn't start. Trevor hated this car as it had been responsible for many things in his life, including the death of his mother, as she had married a mechanic who had tortured her and then put a bullet in the back of her head. The car wouldn't start this time either, Trevor hoped they could stay at home as the way was much too tedious otherwise, but his mother wanted to take a minibus. However, Trevor didn't want that, so he argued with his mother about what God wants and what the devil is doing to prevent this. When his mother said a word that had several meanings, he knew that the discussion was over. At that time Trevor still went to a Catholic school and was the sports day champion every year, his mother always won the mother trophy because she always chased him and wanted to kick his ass. It was like a Tom and Jerry game. As the son got older and could run away from his mother she always called a thief so Trevor could be caught by other people. In addition, there were always protests and violence in the streets, as it was decided that the blacks would be allowed to rule but it was not clear who, a struggle for power broke out. He and his mother used to watch all this in the news, yet his mother was not afraid. The day he was thrown out of the car, his mother and little brother took a minibus, because the blacks could not sit in the public transport, but these minibuses were run by criminals and if someone stole the bus route from the other, he was often killed. After they were on the minibus, they were stopped by another group a short time later and the driver was beaten up. Trevor's mum saved the man's life by saying he was just trying to help her and they got on the bus with the others. After talking to Trevor's mum, the bus driver noticed what political party she belonged to. He did not like this and wanted to kill her. To prevent this, the mother told Trevor that they were about to jump out of the car. Trevor did not even notice this because he was almost asleep. When the car started to slow down, the mum pushed Trevor out of the car and jumped in after him. Immediately she ran and she and he took off running, the mother with the small child under her arm. The drivers of the bus were startled and chased them for a while but could not keep up with their speed and left them alone. Then the mother called the police and they waited for the police to drive them home. Trevor didn't understand why they jumped out of the bus and hurt themselves, even though his mother had probably saved his life. Chapter 2: Born in a crime In this chapter Trevor tells how he grew up. At the time he was born it was forbidden for black and white people to have a child or a relationship, he grew up under apartheid. While other children were the proof of their parents' love, he was the proof of the crime they committed. His father was Swiss / German, but could never really build a relationship with his son because he was not allowed to be seen with him outside, only inside he sometimes played with him. In addition, there were districts where only white people were allowed to live, or only coloured people, or only black people. Trevor's mum did not obey this and other laws, and was often arrested and had to pay many fines. However, this did not stop her and she lived in a white neighbourhood because a prostitute had put her in touch with her and told her that she lived in a house rented by a white man. She often went to parties in the evening where white and black people partied together, but these parties were sometimes stopped by the police. Trevor's mum met Trevor's dad in the house they lived in, they had a relationship at first but Trevor's mum wanted a child while Trevor's dad didn't want a child, but somehow Trevor's mum managed to convince him to give her his sperm to have a child. At some point Trevor grew so big that his mother could no longer hide the colour of his skin, so a coloured woman would often run around with Trevor and go to the park, his mother running behind them, as being coloured was not forbidden. Then one day when they went to his grandmother's house, it was quite close. Because his grandmother lived in an area for blacks only and a coloured child was very conspicuous there, and it was still forbidden for a black mother to have a coloured child. So in this region everything was much more controlled and the police were heavily armed and there were only two roads in and out. When there was a riot they could blow up everything with bombs. However, they somehow managed to smuggle Trevor into his grandmother's house where he was only allowed to play in the backyard and in the house because his grandmother was afraid of being caught and Trevor would then have to go to a youth home and his mother to prison. But one day Trevor dug a hole under a fence and ran around on the streets, immediately everyone panicked and looked for him, including the police. This was because the grandmother's neighbour was a black man who worked for the whites and betrayed everything that was illegal. However, he was not caught. After Nelson Mandela came to power, Trevor found out that there were many other coloured children who had fled from the police to foreign countries like Switzerland or Germany, which was easier for the children because mixed parents were not forbidden here. Trevor then spoke to his mother, but she only said that she was born here and wanted to live here and that was why she did not flee. Chapter 3: Trevor, pray In this chapter Trevor tells how and where he grew up. He introduces Debie to all the family he knows and lives with. It consists mainly of women. He also tells how people build their houses and how poor everyone was in this area, for example, several people had to share one toilet, there was no running water, and it often took forever to build houses with real walls. It also became clear once again how superstitious and religious the community near him was. They often met and prayed together. Trevor was often the centre of attention because he could speak English and, according to their belief, the English prayers were perceived by God. Trevor also believed that his prayers were special after his grandmother pointed it out to him. The toilets were in a very bad condition, often with flies flying around and only newspaper for toilet paper. Then one day it rained and there was no one in the house except Trevor and his blind great-grandmother. As he had always been afraid of the toilet and the flies, he decided not to go to the toilet but to kaken on a newspaper and to throw it away. However, his great-grandmother heard this and informed everyone that she had heard something suspicious and Trevor went to sleep. When the flat started to smell, his mother was able to identify the cause. They all thought they had been cursed and burned the shit in the yard, and got everyone else from the community to come so they could help them drive out the demon. This time Trevor was also asked to say a prayer, which he did, but he chose his words wisely and said that maybe it wasn't a demon. That night he couldn't sleep too well and prayed to God again. However, it didn't come out that it was him who had heard the shit, because he didn't want to go to the toilet because he was afraid of it and it was all still wet that day. Chapter 4: Chameleon In this chapter Trevor learns about the races for the first time. For example, after he played with his cousins and they got hurt, he was not punished while the others were. Here Trevor realised that he was treated differently. Even in the neighbourhood he was considered very special, he was allowed to do things that were not normal for anyone else, and that was only because everyone saw him as white. Trevor's mother, however, still punished him because she saw him as a disobedient child. Trevor, however, did not perceive all this as different racial treatment, but thought he was treated that way because he was him. His mother learned many languages and Trevor learned to speak them too. These language skills opened doors for them, because no matter who spoke to them, they could answer them in their own language and the others would see them as part of their group. After apartheid ended, all the children could go to school. Thanks to his mother's job, Trevor was able to go to a private Catholic school. Here the classes were very mixed and there was no racial segregation, but some were still bullied. But not because of their origin or race. When Trevor then moved from primary school to secondary school, he was put in a class with all white children. This was because there was an aptitude test that sorted the children into classes from smart to stupid. All the black kids were in the not-so-smart groups. During the break, Trevor recognised the racial segregation again, but here he made himself very popular with the black children with his great language skills and made many new friends. As he did not make friends with the white children, he asked the headmistress to transfer him to the black class. The headmistress did so after a discussion. Here Trevor once again had to decide between white and black. He always saw himself as black because he grew up in a black family. Others first saw him as white because of his skin colour, but then also recognised him as black after he had shown them his language skills. Trevor worsened his outlook on the future just so he could be in the black class. Chapter 5: The second girl This chapter is about Trevor's mother. She had an older sister, the first born, and a brother who bore the family name. This made her quite worthless. At first she was brought up by Trevor's grandmother, but when she was nine years old she wanted to live with her father, which her mother agreed to and let her go. However, he took her to Trevor's aunt. There she lived for a long time in a hut with many cousins. But the aunt had only taken her in to let her work. She often had to go hungry and sometimes ate mud to feel full. Despite the ban at the time, there was a school near the aunt. Trevor's mum attended school so that she could read and write, and she also spoke English. After school she worked as a seamstress in a factory and was paid a plate of food. After some time she wanted to return home to Trevor's grandmother. She did so and learned the profession of a secretary, which was very unusual for a black woman at that time. Since she now earned the most money, she had to provide for the family. She did this until she ran away and returned to the city. There she built up contacts and worked as a secretary. Here she also met Trevor's dad and gave birth to Trevor. When the house she was hiding in became too small, she moved with Trevor to a coloured area, Eden Park. This was because she was considered a prostitute in a black neighbourhood and could not afford the white neighbourhoods. Here she lived with Trevor, she did everything she could to educate Trevor and she did. She gave him many books to read, which were donated to them. Nevertheless, Trevor treated everything very carefully. His mother remained very frugal as they still didn't have much money, but they now had a proper house and Trevor had his own room. They did not buy anything new and took many donations from the church. Trevor's mum tried to show Trevor the whole world and all the opportunities he had, others thought she was crazy to show him because at that time apartheid was still in place and he would never have been able to leave the ghetto. Nevertheless, Trevor's mum wanted to show him that there was more than just the ghetto and that all doors were open to him. His mother also brought him up as if there was no apartheid, even though she didn't know if apartheid would ever end. Chapter 6: Loopholes This chapter shows how ill-bred Trevor was at a young age. When he was born, he was very headstrong at first and always thought only of his own wishes. Trevor's mum had imagined raising a child would be much easier. He always messed up a lot, but because he always ran away or could talk his way out of the situation, his mother decided to write letters telling him what to do in the house and what he had done wrong. He couldn't answer these letters so easily. He would have to write a letter back to her himself. So Trevor learned the language and how to write good letters. But he kept on writing shit. He didn't really want to fuck things up, he just had so much energy as a little kid. Since his mother also noticed this, she sometimes played with him in the park like a dog, so Trevor would get tired. In the Catholic church, too, he was always building rubbish and was punished for it, even with beatings, but he only had to laugh because the rector didn't know how to do such things. Trevor had learned from his mother to question everything, which he did, but often made many mistakes. Because he was always punished by the Catholic church, and they had done so much shit, they wanted to improve his behaviour or they had to kick him out of school, but it didn't come to that, because Trevor had already left the Catholic school before, and went to the state school. This was a good thing, because the school still resembled apartheid and because his mother had changed jobs, they had to pay all the costs themselves. His mother did not punish him for leaving school, but she did not give up on education. however, she was soon in an awkward situation after Trevor burned down a white family's house. From that day on, many in the family were afraid of him and called him a terror, and his mother was so stunned that she couldn't move him. But how did a white family's house burn down in the first place? Trevor's favourite things were knives and fire. After Trevor's mum had a new friend who was allowed to live with a white family who also had a son, they let them play together. One day Trevor brought a magnifying glass and some matches. They played with them at first, but after leaving them unattended in a room to play in the street, they caught fire and the whole house burned down. Fortunately, the family has insurance and Trevor's family did not have to pay anything. However, the white family kicked Trevor's mum's boyfriend out of the house, who then came to their house. He blamed Trevor for destroying his life. Chapter 7: Fufi This story is about pets. However, the family did not have just one pet, but several. First Trevor's mum got two cats from a colleague at work. This was impossible in the black neighbourhoods because of their superstition that cats were associated with witches. Therefore they were often killed. But since Trevor's family lived in a coloured neighbourhood, they thought this superstition was not so strong here. But they were wrong, one day when they came home, their cats had been brutally murdered and their house had African witch written on it. Trevor couldn't get over the loss of these animals very well, because the cats didn't show him much love either. He even forgot their names quite quickly. But soon a new phase of life began with dogs as pets. This was ver common at that time. Every black family had a dog. This served as an alarm system. This time Trevor's mum got 2 dogs from a colleague. Because dogs are given names with meaning, dogs often had the same name, such as Dirty or Spotty, but Trevor's dog was called Fufi and his mother's dog was called Panther. However, Trevo's dog was deaf. They did not know this until his death. So a burglar broke the dog's spine and he had to be beaten to death at the vet. But before that, there was a lot of heartache. Because Trevor's dog could jump over the big wall and was therefore always with another family during the day. Trevor found this out after he stayed in the house during the holidays and his mother went to work. When he then followed Fufi, he noticed how he went to another family, but they also called the dog their dog. Only after Trevor's mum had given the other family some money did they let the dog go. That day Trevor learned a very important lesson about love. While others had this experience late in life, he had already had it and was able to help his friends through the difficult times. Chapter 8: Robert This chapter is about Trevor's father, as the title suggests. After Trevor was born, Robert decided to let him live in his life. After Robert's mum married Abel, contact slowly broke off. So Trevor had to take care of his own life. It was only after he was 24 and had not seen his father for almost 10 years that his mother got him to see his father. This turned out to be more difficult than he thought, but he was finally able to contact his father through the Swiss embassy. He invited him to his home. Robert had prepared Trevor's favourite meal and acted as if they had only seen each other last Saturday. What Trevor didn't know was that Robert had never forgotten him, since Trevor had become famous through his clubs and media appearances, Robert was able to stay informed about Trevor. In fact, he was so proud of Trevor that he put together an album of everything he could find about him. Trevor tried to get to know his father better as he knew almost nothing about him, but his father remained very secretive. Nevertheless, he tried to get closer to Trevor during the time he was with him. But to make up for such a long time you need a lot of time, and Trevor had to learn that first. So he tried to squeeze everything out of Robert immediately, like in an interview. But this did not work because his father was cagey and told him that this was no way to get to know each other. Chapter 9: The mulberry tree Here it becomes clear that even after apartheid, racial segregation did not stop. So Nelson Mandela turned everything people thought upside down. This leads to everyone hating everyone. Whites saw Trevor as too black, blacks saw him as too white and so on. So there were always confrontations with people and Trevor had hardly any friends. Whenever someone spoke to Trevor, he felt he had made a new friend, but he didn't realise that these children were up to no good. The worst incident Trevor encountered was near a mulberry tree, hence the title. So he picked berries from the tree like the other black children. But they saw him as white and started to beat him up, in the end they even threw the mulberries at him. Trevor ran home crying and told his mother everything, but as Trevor was not physically hurt, she played it all down. When Abel came home he asked what had happened. He had never done that before, he had never acted like a father to Trevor. But because Abel was very violent, Trevor's mum didn't want Trevor to tell her what had happened. But Trevor took advantage of the situation and told Abel everything to get revenge. He got revenge after Abel took him to the boys' house and beat up one of them. It was only there that Trevor realised what had actually happened and didn't like it any more. The two returned home, where Trevor's mum and Abel had a big discussion because he let his anger out on a 12 year old. Even the boy's father came to Trevor's house that evening, but as Abel had already had a drink there and his temper was heightened and the other was more of a diplomat, Abel threatened him with death. Chapter 10: A young man's long awkward, occasionally tragic, and frequently humiliating education in affairs of the heart, Part I: Valentine's Day This chapter is about love and how Trevor had his heart broken for the first time. After he transferred to the state school, they celebrated Valentine's Day for the very first time. Trevor didn't know what it was and was told everything. Since he always went home with Maylene, the others suggested her as Valentine's date. Trevor liked this and his friends arranged with Maylene's friends that they should have a Valentine's date. On the way home Trevor asked Maylene if she would like to be his Valentine's date, of course she said yes, kissed him and left. Trevor saved his pocket money especially for her and bought her something nice. When he arrived at school on Valentine's Day and they presented the presents, Maylene came up to him and said she had found someone else and left. While the others had their fun, Trevor was heartbroken and went back to the classroom to wait alone for the lesson to continue. Chapter 11: Outsider This chapter is about Trevor changing schools again to Sandringham High School. There he again had the problem of joining a group. He was something of an outsider at first. But Trevor was known for being able to run fast, and since all the kids at the school bought their food from the kiosk and didn't want to stand in line for long, Trevor set up a business, bringing other kids food from the kiosk for a fee. That way Trevor could earn a lot of money. Until then, he had always been an outsider, but since he started taking orders, he was no longer an outsider, but he no longer belonged to any group. He turned into a chameleon again and moved between several groups. Trevor was very entertaining, he always told jokes to the other groups and made them laugh, in return he always learned something from the group. Trevor was not popular but most people knew him and accepted him as he was. Chapter 12: A young man's long awkward, occasionally tragic, and frequently humiliating education in affairs of the heart, Part II: The crush In this chapter, Trevor's heart is broken once again. He had always grown so much that his mother bought him school uniforms several sizes too big, but Trevor stopped growing right at that point. He also had bad acne and a wild afro. All these did not make him very popular. Since Trevor did not want to lose his reputation as a comedian and errand boy, he did not make a pass at any girls. This was because a lot of boys were into girls and if he approached them there would be a huge drama. However, he found his old friend Johanna's girlfriend Zaheera very pretty and was in love with her. The problem was that he didn't dare ask her to be his girlfriend. He held back and made a plan like in many films. He wanted to be her good friend first and then in 3 years when there is a prom, he wants to be with her. So he even got Zaheera's phone number, which was a big step at that time, and he often talks to her on the phone for hours. The only problem was that Zaheera had a boyfriend with whom they took a break every now and then, until they finally broke up. After the holidays, however, Zaheera suddenly stopped showing up at school, so he went to Johanna to ask what was going on. There he received the information that they had emigrated and that Zaheera had loved Trevor. This time, too, a world collapsed for him because he had not dared to ask her. Chapter 13: Colorblind This chapter is about Trevor and his best friend. Trevor didn't have any friends in Sandringham, where they moved to, because it was a white area and many people were afraid of him. But he met a child of a housekeeper whose name was Teddy. Trevor went to school with him, they were best friends and always messed up a lot. So they started stealing chocolates in a shopping centre in the evening. But one night they got caught and Teddy and Trevor had to run away. Since Trevor saw himself as a secret person in his mind, he knew many escape routes. So he managed to escape through a gap in a fence. However, Teddy was caught. Many believed that Trevor had stolen the chocolates with Teddy, but they had no proof. One day Trevor was called to the headmaster's office at his school to tell a shop policeman who the second culprit was who had stolen the chocolates. At first Trevor thought it was a trick to force him to confess. However, this was not the case. There was a camera in the department stores', but as it only showed black and white, Teddy was a black person and Trevor was made lighter by the camera and looked as if he was white. So the department stores' cops were looking for Teddy's fake friend, but Trevor also knew that Teddy didn't really have any other friends. To this day, Trevor has not been charged or arrested for this theft. Chapter 14: A young man's long awkward, occasionally tragic, and frequently humiliating education in affairs of the heart, Part III: The dance This chapter is once again about Trevor's love life. He has moved with his family to Highlands North, and his father's business is going well. Trevor has also expanded his business from running the kiosk to creating pirated copies. He runs these pirated products through his friends Tom and Bongani. As the prom approaches, Trevor has no date to go with. However, Tom was able to find him a beautiful girl after Trevor had given him a few pirated copies. Trevor was initially afraid that something was wrong as Tom was known to cheat. Trevor also met with the girl several times and everything seemed fine. So all he had to do was buy a good car and something to wear. He made a deal with his Abel that he could have the BMW from him at the prom. In addition, Trevor's mother gave Trevor 2,000 rand. His friend Bongani advised him on his clothes shopping. Nothing was supposed to go wrong, but in the evening he wanted to get Abel's BMW and drive off. But Abel was drunk and didn't want to give it to him. After some delay, he picked up the girl in a Mazda. As the ball was not at the school, Trevor got lost and couldn't find the place. When he finally arrived, however, his girlfriend wouldn't get out of the car. Everyone else in the class was surprised that Trevor brought such a pretty girl, but found it funny that she wouldn't get out of the car. It turned out that his date didn't speak any English but only Pedi. However, Trevor had not noticed this during the whole meeting because Tom translated everything for him and what Trevor understood he translated into English, which was usual for him. Babiki also said goodbye and hello, yes and no in English, so Trevor had no idea that she didn't speak English. After waiting outside all evening, he drove the girl home. She kissed Trevor goodbye and said goodbye. Chapter 15: Go Hitler! This chapter is once again about Trevor and his criminal activities. In the beginning he was just a seller of pirated copies while he continued his kiosk business. He sold the CD until the child who burned the CD didn't come anymore, probably his parents were arrested. However, Trevor got the CD burner. So Trevor began to burn CDs, always expanding his business and investing in new technology. After a while he started to create CDs from the best songs. When his salesman, Bongani, saw him making the CD live, he realised there was a gap in the market. That's how it started that the two of them kept organising live parties. They were booked for different events and got the latest songs, but many people didn't know how to dance to the songs, so Trevor and Bongani hired a dance crew. The best dancer was Hitler, who often stood in the middle while everyone else cheered him on. At that time a Mc Donalds opened near Trevor's house, because the place was American and he liked it so much he ate almost exclusively there. One day Trevor and Bongani were booked for a cultural evening at the King David School. It was a Jewish school and Trevor was to play music for a quarter of an hour. He did this until finally his dance crew came in and this time they all cheered for Hitler. The Jewish school kicked them out immediately, of course, because they associated the name Hitler with something bad. Trevor and Bongani did not understand why they were expelled. This was because in Africa the history of Hitler was not treated very well. So it was that many did not know who Hitler was and what he had done. Since names always had a meaning in Africa and the whites had asked the blacks for help during the war, many Africans understood Hitler as a strong man. As a result, the name Hitler was a common name for strong people. Chapter 16: The cheese boys This chapter is about Trevor's life after school. Abel and his mother kicked him out of the house because he had to stand on his own two feet. Trevor wanted to study computer science, but since that cost a lot of money and he didn't have the money, he wanted to continue his business with pirated copies and DJ gigs. With Bongani, he lived in Alex, there they made the business bigger in the garasche of him. Since apartheid was crumbling and hip hop was becoming trendy, it was now cool to live in a ghetto. Moreover, the people there were divided into two groups. So back then, if you could afford cheese, you belonged to the rich, you were a cheese boy, on the contrary, there were the hoods. Bongani and Trevor wanted to expand their business and meanwhile they were lending. The bootlegs and DJ gigs only served to capitalise the main business. They made money, but it was just enough to buy food for the day. When Trevor wanted to give a DJ gig with Bongani in a neighbourhood, some neighbours called the police, who urged Trevor to switch off the computer immediately, but this was not possible because otherwise the hardware of the computer would have been damaged. So the policeman shot the computer. The computer was still working, but the hardware was so damaged that Trevor had lost the music and all the files. So the business of Trevor and Bongani slowly went down the drain. The only problem was that if you lived in the hood, you couldn't get out, you just kept coming back. After a dance battle against a rich dance crew, Trevor and his friends were arrested and only released after someone paid bail for them. But this was not a normal arrest, it was corruption, the cops just wanted to make money. Trevor now realised that he could actually leave the Hood because he had never lived there, but his friends couldn't because they had always lived in the Hood. Besides, they always thought they were the hood boys who were tough, but after the police arrested them, they knew they were cheese boys too. Hence the title. Chapter 17: The world doesn't love you In this chapter, Trevor was once again arrested by the police and brought before a judge. He saw mobile phones for a very cheap price in an out-of-town shop and wanted to buy them immediately so that he could sell them on for a higher price in the hood. But to get to the shop he had to take one of Abel's cars, the red Mazda. However, it was not registered for the road and did not have a number plate. However, Trevor simply put an old number plate on the car and drove off. Of course the police stopped him, thinking he had stolen the car, so he was put in jail and told to wait for his hearing. In this prison he was again acting like a tough guy and he thought he would rather go to prison than get trouble at home from Abel and his mother. Again, his language skills helped him to make a new friend in prison. He had to wait a week for a hearing with the judge, his cousin put him on bail and organised a good lawyer for him. But when he came into contact with real criminals on the day of the hearing, he got scared and did not want to go to the real prison. This time there was also a racial segregation of black, white and coloured in the courtroom, Trevor decided to sit with the whites as they looked the least dangerous. When he stood in front of the judge, the judge wanted to know his name, but Trevor began to tell him how he was. This led to laughter. In the end Trevor was released on parole, Trevor thought at first it would not be noticed that he was in prison. However, Abel's Mazda was missing and the bail and lawyer were paid by his mother. She did this out of love, even though she had ditched Trevor so many times that it shouldn't have come to this. Chapter 18: My mother's live As the title suggests, this is about the life of Trevor's mum. She met Abel because her car was always breaking down and went to him because he was one of the best mechanics in the area. In church Trevor learned from his mother that she and Abel were getting married, but Trevor didn't want to because he had a bad feeling and Abel's name meant "be afraid". After some time his mother also had a child named Andrew. This was very important for Abel as he is the first born, so he went with his family to his family and presented his son. However, Abel's family was still very traditional and the women submitted to the men. Abel also expected this from Trevor's mum, who, however, mocked this submissiveness. This made Abel look weak in front of the others. So Trevor Mum never wanted to visit the family again. But Abel also tried to contain Trevor's mum at home. However, she did not want to put up with this. However, as her car always had to be repaired, Abel was able to cut off her freedom of movement very quickly, and he did so. Abel was very often drunk and one day he almost burned down the house, so Trevor's mum phoned her mum, but Abel didn't like this and left. Trevor's mum went to the police with Andrew and Trevor, but they wouldn't do anything about it. So she went home to her mother. When Abel tracked her down and apologised, Trevor's grandmother convinced her to go with her. She still did not want to submit to Abel, but she helped him to realise his potential. They also bought Abel's repair company from his old boss, but it was heavily in debt, so the family moved into the company's garage as well. As the business was going very badly, Trevor had to help out and couldn't do any more for school, his mother quit her job as secretary and helped out too, but Abel drank away all the profits, so Trevor's mother got a new job and bought the house in Highlands North. Because the business was going so badly, it was confiscated. Abel then started to run the business in the garden of the house. One day Trevor's mum stopped beating him for discipline, unfortunately Abel started doing it at the time. Trevor was beaten so badly that he was always afraid of Abel. Andrew, however, did not have to be afraid of Abel because he was treated differently. One day Trevor's mum separated the finances from Abel and herself, she got a promotion in the company and earned a lot of money, Abel still drank away his profits, so Trevor's mum had to provide for the whole family. This was the turning point, since then Abel became more and more violent and aggressive, but the police still did nothing against the violence. When Aber bought a gun, Trevor moved out and his mother slept in a separate bedroom. However, when Trevor's mum and Abel reconciled, she had another baby. This one was called Isaac. Trevor's mother was still being beaten up by Abel, but this time Abel's friends, who were policemen, came by and nothing happened. So Trevor got in Abel's way, who then realised his violence and apologised to his mother. However, she had an extra hut built in the garden like the employees of white people and moved in there with Isaac. All this became too much for Trevor, who tried to break away from the family and moved in with Mlungisi to continue living his dream. After a while, Trevor's mum moved away from Abel and got a new boyfriend, but she still paid for Abel's flat. One day Abel decided to kill Trevor's mum's family after church. So he waited outside Trevor's mum's house and when she came he wanted to kill her, but Trevor's mum stood in front of the gun and saved the others. Trevor's mum was shot in the head and in the leg. Trevor was informed and had to decide whether his mother should be treated in the hospital, as he had to pay the costs of the hospital, as his mum no longer had health insurance. In the end, Trevor's mother survived the shooting and was able to leave the hospital after four days, and after six days she was already back at work. TREVORS'S CHARACTER How I feel about Trevor: 1.) I find it very terrible how he grows up, that his mother wants to beat him and also calls him a thief just to catch him. Moreover, no child should be thrown out of a car. However, since he has to live a very strict life, he might also be excluded from school because he doesn't know as much as the others. 2.) I find it quite horrible that you grow up almost like in a war, and most of the memories you have come from inside the house because you are not supposed to be seen outside. In addition, the mother simply drops her son to avoid being caught by the police and pretends that he is not her son. I find that very terrible. Also that another woman then plays Trevor's mother, so to speak, just so that he can go out into the park. 3.) I think it is very bad that Trevor grows up in such poverty and that he is so afraid to go to the toilet that he "goes to the toilet" in the kitchen. I also think it's bad that a child is passed on such a superstition, even though you can actually know that there are no demons. 4.) I think it's very terrible for a child to have to choose between new friends and his future. However, it's great for Trevor to experience the perceptions of both black people and white people. Even if he uses his family's perception in his favour. 5.) Trevor has it really good here, his mother tries to show him the whole world and what he can achieve, even though she didn't know if apartheid would ever end. In addition, Trevor could complain about not getting anything new, but he was better off than other children, he also had one of the most important goods of that time. Knowledge! 6.) I think it is very bad that children are beaten with a belt. It is true that a lot went wrong in his upbringing and Trevor lives without much fear of punishment and is very spoilt, but all that is not his fault. It's his mother's fault, because she raised him to be who he is today and also beat him. 7.) I find it very terrible that Trevor has to witness cats being killed just because of superstition. I also find it very terrible that such a young child had to experience a broken heart. However, it is gratifying that he was able to help his friends through this time later on. 8.) I am very happy for Trevor that he managed to become famous and also to find his father. He was also very lucky that his father had never forgotten him despite the long time and was now very proud of him. 9.) I find it very sad that Trevor has to experience discrimination throughout his childhood, even though apartheid has ended. It is also very terrible that he has to grow up as a small child with a very violent father who even threatens other people with death. 10.) I find it quite sad that Trevor always has so many bad experiences. This time was no exception. His very first girlfriend betrays him and his very first Valentine's Day went very wrong. So his experience with love here was a very sad one because he got his heart broken right away. 11.) I am happy for Trevor that he has found a way to integrate into the new school and that he has set up a business to earn extra money. 12.) I am very sad for Trevor as he has always been very unlucky with love, the first time his girlfriend dumped him, now he didn't dare but when Zaheere left he found out she fancied him and he just didn't dare approach her. 13.) I am very disappointed in Trevor for going off the rails and stealing something already. What I find unfortunate is that no one sees why the two boys stole the chocolates, because they are so poor, so I can understand why they did it. 14.) I feel very sorry for Trevor that he is still not doing so well in love and that he had dressed up especially for the one special evening. 15.) I am happy for Trevor that he has managed to get out of poverty and is now a popular DJ. However, one can be critical of how he achieved this. 16.) I think it's terrible that a boy is denied a future just because he has no money - that's really not fair. 17.) I am so sorry that he always has something good in mind to keep his head above water and then always gets into trouble and often only because of racism. 18.) I think it is very bad that a child has to grow up with such violence and fear. And also has to make very difficult decisions after his mother was shot. What made me react most strongly: 1.) That Trevor grew up in an area where it was so dangerous that it was better to jump out of a moving car to survive. 2.) That there were black people who helped the white people oppress the black people. And that Trevor's mum didn't flee the country when it would have been much better for her and her child. 3.) That everyone in the community still believes in demons and thinks that English prayers are more likely to be heard than theirs. 4.) That even though apartheid has ended there is still some kind of segregation. & that languages open up the world to him all the time. 5.) That Trevor's mum was treated so badly just because she was of little importance to the family, and then still sticks by her family. Also, like Trevor, I find it funny that what is considered poor food in Africa and is only eaten in times of need is recommended as a delicacy by a chef in other rich countries. 6.) Trevor just burned down a house and didn't even feel the slightest bit guilty about it - that's really intense. Also, he and his mother write each other a lot of letters about chores and have their discussions, which is not very common. 7.) I found it very brutal that the cats of the family were killed in such a brutal way just because of their superstitions. I also find it appalling that another family just keeps the family's dog and calls it theirs until some money comes in and then the dog is given right back. 8.) Trevor was finally able to find his father after ten years and get to know him. This is quite unusual and his father had collected everything he could find about Trevor. 9.) That Trevor is still so strongly discriminated against by other children and that Abel threatens other people with death. 10.) Maylene just leaves him on Valentine's Day, even though she was supposed to meet him. 11.) Although apartheid has been over for a long time now, there is still a kind of racial segregation. 12.) Trevor's family is so poor that they couldn't buy Trevor suitable clothes, and he also has such bad acne. 13.) That Trevor wasn't caught, even though there are cameras and they record him as white, and that's because Trevor wasn't recognised thanks to the construct of race. 14.) That Trevor only found out that his date could only speak Pedi, and he didn't notice that all the time they were dating. 15.) That the name Hitler was still used in Africa, and that was only because the people there were not educated enough. 16.) That the police were so corrupt, and that Trevor could do nothing with his future. And that shots were fired every day in Alex. 17.) That Trevor initially wanted to go to prison rather than return to his parents because he was more afraid of them. 18.) That Abel tried to kill the family, although Trevor's mother still helped him after the separation. What I wondered about while reading: 1.) Did he hurt himself badly, and did he also break something after he was pushed out of the car? After his mother was killed, how does he go on living? 2.) That there are these places where only black people live, only white people live, and so on. Also, I am very surprised that there were many snitches who betrayed their own people for the white people. 3.) Don't the others know English? I mean it's obvious that it's not demon shit, are they really still that superstitious? 4.) What happens to Trevor in the future when he has chosen the "dumber" class? will there be consequences for him? Will the rest of the family still punish Trevor or will they continue not to because they perceive him as different? 5.) Why is Trevor's mum still so good with her family even though she treated them so badly back then? 6.) What will happen to Abel? Will he live with Trevor's mum forever? & Is Trevor still punished and brought up properly? 7.) Is superstition still so bad in Africa today and are the cats there still killed so brutally when someone sees them? And how corrupt are the people in African countries? 8.) What happens now with Trevor and his father. How did Trevor become famous? And how could Trevor convince the embassy to send the letter to his father, even though the embassy stands for discretion. 9.) Why do black children now ostracise Trevor after they have already experienced how bad it actually is to be discriminated against? It is partly described how Trevor looks, curls with an Afro, but what else does he look like. 10.) When Trevor's mum is shot, now she is already married to Abel, and what happens next with Trevor and his broken heart. 11.) Did Trevor make a lot of new friends at school or did he belong to a group at one time 12.) Why didn't Zaheera just tell Trevor that she loved him, and why did she just leave without telling Trevor, even though they were pretty good friends at the time? 13.) What exactly happens to Teddy now, and does his mother find out that Trevor stole with him? 14.) Will Trevor ever have to go to jail for his crimes? 15.) Is Trevor gonna get caught for the pirating? And what will happen to his DJ career? 16.) What will Trevor do now that his business has been destroyed? Will he go somewhere else? When and where will he open his club? 17.) He promised himself that he would never do anything criminal like this again, but could he keep his promise? When will his mother be shot? And what does Trevor do for a living now? 18.) What did Abel get as punishment, how famous will Trevor become, and how much money will he earn? Hints at future events: 1.) His mother was shoot, how he then lives with his brother is questionable. 2.) His grandmother's neighbour was a snitch, and there are other coloured children like Trevor. 3.) He has a very large family, they are all devout and he is the only coloured child. 4.) Trevor decides to go to a class with dumber kids only to be in a class with black kids. Instead of learning with the white and smart kids. 5.) Trevor eats in a very rich restaurant, so he must have made it out of the ghetto. 6.) Trevor has a very strong consciousness of his own in which he sees himself as guilty or not guilty. However, he often sees himself on the wrong side. 7.) Trevor later has a lot of money and friends, as he can buy them drinks and help them through difficult times as he has endured these experiences for a long time. 8.) Trevor becomes famous and his mother marries Abel. 9.) Abel buys a gun and tortures his family, killing Trevor's mother. 10.) Trevor has already had his first sad experience with love. And his mother has married Abel. 11.) Through Trevor's jokes he makes others laugh. He becomes a comedian. Trevor has always been unlucky in love, always thinking of the consequences of 12.) his actions. The racial construct helped Trevor to escape, maybe he can take advantage of it again. 14.) Abel drinks more and more and changes his whole person when he has a drink. 15.) Trevor becomes known here and he as a DJ is popular. 16.) Trevor realises that he has to leave the Hood. 17.) Trevor promises never to do anything criminal again. 18.) Trevor becomes famous. 13.) Memorable word, expressions, phrases or quotations: 1.) Sun`qhela; naughty; minibus ; Devil; spanking ; scripture ; 2.) Imagine being thrown out of an airplane. You hit the ground and break all your bones, you go to the hospital and you heal and you move on and finally put the whole thing behind you - and then one day somebody tells you about parachutes. & Where most children are proof of their parents' love, I was the proof of their criminality. 3.) gran; weed; dusks; C-section; 4.) As a kid I understood that people were different colors, but in my head white and black and brown were like types of chocolat.&. I became a chameleon. My color didn't change, but I could change your perception of my color. 5.) rand; fix (n); donate; furtively; stick shift 6.) blaze; magnifying glass; screw up 7.) litter; mutilate sth./sb.; deaf; sob ; 8.) wait on sb.; vendor; lavishly ; custard ; 9.) fathome sb.; promote sb.; click-click language 10.) recess; peck; humiliating ; 11.) jock; outcast; assembly 12.) We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. 13.) accomplice ; VCR ; angle; 14.) transpire; gawk at sb.; 15.) 16.) 17.) aghast; B-boy; strongman ; I chose to live in that world, but I wasn't from that world. If I don't punish you, the world will punish you even worse. The world doesn't love you. 18.) Don't fight the system. Mock the system. What I want to know more about: 1.) What happens after they jump out of the car, do they go to the hospital, are they threatened or followed? 2.) What happened to Trevor? Was Trevor ever arrested for breaking the law? What happens to all the snitches when Nelson Mandela comes to power. 3.) Does it still stand out that Trevor was the one who put the shit in the bin? Are there any other grievances in the community. Are there also black people who are super rich at that time? 4.) What consequences will Trevor's change of class have? And what will happen to his new friends? Will all doors still be open to him? 5.) How did Trevor make it out of the ghetto! And why did Trevor's mum forgive her family even though she was treated so badly as a child? 6.) What happens to Trevor's mum's boyfriend? And what is being done to get Trevor back on track. 7.) How does the strong superstition in Africa come about? And why did the family claim Trevor's family's dog as their own and then give it back for money. How did this family explain it to their son. 8.) What happens next with Trevor and his dad, and what secrets does the father have? 9.) Where does the discrimination go from here, and when will Abel kill Trevor's mum? 10.) What happens next with Trevor and his broken heart. 11.) 12.) How does Trevor become a comedian, and what happens to Trevor at school. What happens now with Trevor and Zaheera, and will he always be so unlucky in love? 13.) What happens now with Teddy? 14.) What will happen to Trevor and Babiki now? And when will Trevor's mum finally be killed? 15.) How much money has he made in total from selling pirated copies and the DJ job? What does his future look like now? 16.) What will happen to Trevor and his friends now? When will Trevor's mum finally be killed? 17.) How is the rest of Trevor's life going? What will he do soon to keep his head above water? What will he do when Abel kills his mother? 18.) What is the rest of Trevor's life like? How exactly does he manage to become famous now? CHARACTER CHART Part I Name Trevors Mum: Patricia Nombuyiselo Noah Physical appearance -is sporty -is black -has had 2 children -African -is Xhosa Personality -She is strictly Christian -has no fear -is not afraid to call her own son a thief so she can kick his ass -has committed many a crime - is very headstrong -does not want to leave her country no matter what it costs Important events -Jumps out of a car with his son Trevor and his brother 9 months old to avoid dying. -is tortured by her husband and gets a bullet in the back of the head from him. -Gets a coloured child which is illegal, which she has to worry about Trevors Dad: Robert Trevors Grandmother: Frances Queen Uncle Veilile -white -old 46 years -Switzerland / German -is Xhosa -African -is old -is coloured -is dark skinned Grandvater: -African Temperance Noah -rebels against oppression, racial segregation -does what it wants -daredevil -very thrifty and frugal -walks -has a big heart takes Trevor stooped and is in anyway and tries to take small care of him -very pretty -has false teeth -strictly Catholic -very anxious, doesn't want to be caught breaking the law -nice impression -also speaks out against segregation -loving -inhibited -charismatic -takes very good care of his son -lives very cleanly -disciplined -secretive -is very secretive -fearful:fears Trevor will be taken away and the crime will be discovered -is very big-hearted, makes it look like Trevor is her child so that it is not forbidden and takes him to the park. -helps Trevor and his mother, thus also opposing segregation. likes to argue in the bar -is often drinking in the bar -dives off and reappears out of nowhere -exuberant -womanizer -is bipolar permanently. -Worked her way up as a "worthless" child until she can live her own life in a house. -Is sometimes stunned by what Trevor does to everyone. -Is Trevor's father but did not get too close to him, he ran away when Trevor called him father in public. -Gave Trevor's mum away to his sister, even though Trevor's mum wanted to live with him at the age of 9. -Created lots of pets with Trevor which leads to lots of drama. -His son comes to visit him after 10 years, after Trevor tried to find him, and they become close. -Trevor digs a hole under the fence and runs away, the police are looking for him because of a snitch, they are very worried and try to find him. -goes to the park with Trevor and plays his mother so he won't be considered illegal. -already wanted to box with Trevor -After he divorced his grandmother he has a new family, Trevor's mum is always afraid they will be poisoned by them as the first family gets the Aunt: Sibongle Cousin: Mhanga Cousin: Bulewa Trevors Mum'snewest friend: Abel Great-granmo -African ther: Koko -blind -eyes are completely white -very old -does not Part II Name -African Thesan Pillay -indian Abel -African Trevors Mum -African move away from the stove as she cannot walk without anybody -black -is strictly religious -is tall 1,80m -slim -very strong, muscular -religious -tries to solve everyone's problems -very muscular -religious -knows everything -religious -nice, friendly -open-minded -at first like an outsider like trevor -very nice let the children play by him Physical appearance Personality -likes to joke -very charming -has a temper -can also be mean -is dangerous, can fight well -violent -is funny about it and makes a mockery of inheritance. -thinks Trevor's shit comes from a demon -is punished for the doctor's spat with Trevor, but Trevor is not punished after Bulewa was injured -is punished for the doctor's spat with Trevor, but Trevor is not punished after Bulewa was injured -heard Trevor doing his business in the kitchen, then spoke to everyone without knowing it was Trevor. -made contact between Trevor and the blacks at school, through Trevor's language skills. -Makes Trevor responsible for his future as he burned down his employers' house Important events -beats up small children and threatens a man with death after hearing what happened to Trevor. -fights with Abel Maylene Lorenzo Johanna Zaheera Teddy Tom Babiki Part III Name Hitler -coloured -black -big -white -looks good -looks beautiful -coloured -looks beautiful -two large teeth protruding in front of his mouth -black -black -has beautiful eyes -golden brown skin -is very beautiful Physical appearance -muscular -has a beautiful everything -nice and friendly -sneaky -is mute - is nice but also evil -friendly -shy -funny -funny -cheeky -terror in his family -deceptive -likes to make jokes -is clever -likes to talk -hyperactive -shy -does not speak much Personality -graceful -loose -always laughing -loves to dance -was at first Trevor's Valentine's Day but then when she asked someone else, she left Trevor standing. -snatched Trevor's first Valentine's date away -is a friend of Trevor's, they have known each other for a long time, they went to different schools together. -was in love with Trevor but never came out then she emigrated -used to steal chocolates with Trevor and got caught, but didn't say Trevor was involved. -sold Trevor his bootlegs and organised him a date for the prom -was Trevor's date to the prom Important events -was the dancer for the live performances of Trevor Bongani Trevors Mum Abel laugh -smooth -smooth skin -big teeth -black -smooth -muscular -black -looks beautiful -black -big -slender -slim -muscular -long arms, big hands -was not very attractive -smart -capitalist -nice -friendly -quickly disappointed -self-confident -charming -funny -helpful -wicked -he is Trevor's right-hand man, sells the bootlegs and organised the first live event. -wanted to keep Trevor out of jail, and paid Trevor his lawyer and bail. -gets shot -shoots at Trevor's mother, and causes a lot of problems for the family.