Trevor Noah is constantly reminded that, as his schoolmate Theesan says, he is an “anomaly.” As he moves through childhood and adolescence, Noah struggles with balancing his concept of self-identity with the world’s perception of him. This tension causes him to emphasize certain aspects of his identity to survive in the world around him. While this is a necessary survival strategy for Noah as he grows up in apartheid-era South Africa, it also results in frustration, since he cannot simply be who he knows he is.

Noah says, “As a kid, I didn’t know what race was. My mother never referred to my dad as white or me as mixed” (52). Noah’s understanding of his identity was uncomplicated by the perceptions of the people and social systems around him. As he grows, he realizes why he cannot be seen with his dad or mom in public and why he can’t go outside in Soweto. Geographic access during apartheid is dictated by racial identity. His dad is white, his mother is a Black Xhosa woman, and Soweto is a Black township.