![]() Many aspects of Patricia’s life at that time were illegal. She knew that if she stayed in Soweto, she’d never make it anywhere, no matter how hard she tried, because she’d always be stuck trying to bring everyone in her family out of poverty. Her move to Johannesburg a year later was to escape what she called the “black tax,” or the destiny of poor blacks who have to make up for the past degradation of their families. When her aunt became sick, Patricia went back to Soweto and enrolled in the secretarial school that would change her life. To Patricia, it was the best meal of her life because she’d earned it and didn’t have to rely on anyone else. She learned to read and write, and when she was old enough, she went to work in a factory close by. The only saving grace in Transkei was the still-operational missionary school, where Patricia was able to learn English. Sometimes, she ate dirt just to feel something in her stomach. When they didn’t, she would steal food from the animals: whatever scraps she could scrounge. When they did have food, she had to fight the others for it. There was barely enough food for all the children to eat. Patricia was only taken in to help work the fields. Money was scarce, so most families subsisted through low-level farming. The land was overrun and the soil infertile. In Transkei, so little land had been allocated by the government, the residents were crammed in. They were also children whose parents didn’t want them around or couldn’t afford them. She wouldn’t reunite with any of them for 12 years.Īt her aunt’s house, she lived with 14 cousins in a hut, all from different parents. Her mother complied, but instead of taking her in, her father sent her to live with his sister in Transkei, the Xhosa homeland. When Patricia was nine, she requested to live with her father. Her mother didn’t think Patricia acted like a girl should act.Īs neither the eldest daughter nor a son who would carry on the family name, she wasn’t significant in her family structure. She was a troublemaker as a child, already stubborn, and rebellious. Trevor Noah’s mom, Patricia, like Noah, never felt a true sense of belonging growing up. Learn how Patricia Noah’s early life turned her into the woman she became, and how her relationship with Trevor developed over the years. Trevor Noah’s mom taught him to be assertive, creative, and independent. She chose to give birth to Noah as an act of protest during apartheid and raised Noah primarily on her own. Who is Trevor Noah’s mom? In what ways did push the boundaries of apartheid and post-apartheid era South Africa? And how did she shape the comedian into the success he is today? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries of books you should be reading. ![]() ![]() This article is an excerpt from the Shortform summary of "Born a Crime" by Trevor Noah. ![]()
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