Born a Crime is the first book written by Trevor Noah, who is better known as a comedian and actor. The comedic memoir was first published in November 2016. It received mostly favorable critical reviews, and it also became a New York Times best-seller. The book was listed on Best Books of the Year write-ups in sources such as Newsday, Esquire, NPR, and Booklist. Trevor Noah recorded the audiobook version of his memoir, which was Audible’s highest-rated audiobook of 2016 and has remained one of the top-selling titles on Audible since its release. Noah's memoir was also nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, one for Outstanding Literary Work by a Debut Author and another for Outstanding Literary Work in the Biography/Auto-Biography category.
As of 2019, Paramount Players was set to produce the film adaptation of the book, set to star Lupita Nyong'o as Patricia, Noah's mother. Liesl Tommy, a South African director, is slated to direct the film adaptation.
