AGREE TO DISAGREE

Trevor Noah on how his childhood squabbles with his mother inspired his delightful new book

- JANE VORSTER

ASA kid he found it really hard to follow the rules. Every time Trevor Noah was told to do something, he resisted he didn't see the point of tidying his room or tying his shoelaces or doing anything his mother tried to get him to do.

"She'd throw out a rule, I'd find a loophole and jump through it," he writes in his new book, Into the Uncut Grass.

Looking back, the South African comedian feels sorry for what he put his mom, Patricia (60), through but it taught him a valuable lesson.

"Conflict and disagreement, I learnt, are necessary parts of life but what matters isn't whether we disagree but rather how we handle that disagreement," he adds.

This is the idea that lies at the heart of the Emmy award-winning talkshow host's latest book.

It's the story of a young boy's journey into the world with his teddy bear, Walter, and how through imagination and a willingness to see things from others' points of view he achieves a sense of connection with the creatures that cross his path.

Although it's a picture book, it's not only for children, he says.

"Rather, it is a book for kids to share with parents and for parents to share with kids," Trevor (40) explains.

We caught up with the funnyman, who is based in America where he does comedy and hosts a weekly podcast on Spotify, What Now? With Trevor Noah, to quiz him about his book.

Of all the things you could have done right now, why this book?

I've always been drawn to storytelling, and after Born a Crime [his 2016 memoir], I wanted to explore a different kind of story -one that speaks to children and their imaginations but also resonates with adults.