Trevor Noah SaysInto the Uncut GrassBrought Up Memories of His Mother: She Was a ‘Rule Enforcer’ (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Trevor Noahis a pro at entertaining adults with his sharp humor, but with his most recent project, the formerDaily Showhost got to test his wit on a younger crowd.

His new children’s book,Into the Uncut Grass, out now from Penguin Random House, is a charming tale of a boy who leaves the safety of his home for the unpredictable outdoors, with his teddy bear in tow. As they venture deeper into the unknown, encountering friendly and hostile things — a gnome, snails, a troublesome pile of fall-colored leaves — the duo wonder whether to keep going or return to the comfort and familiarity of home.

For more on Trevor Noah, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribehere.

WhileInto the Uncut Grasswasn’t necessarily based on his childhood experiences, writing it did help process the “very root of conflict" for Noah, he tells PEOPLE for a story in this week’s print issue. Growing up, he navigated a push-and-pull dynamic with his mom Patricia Noah. They disagreed over little things — and when he didn’t feel like arguing, he made a run for it, earning him the nickname “Springbok” from his late grandmotherFrances “Gogo” Noahafter the speedy African antelope.

“I’ll even joke with my mom when we still speak now,” Noah, 40, tells PEOPLE. “I think about how, to me, she was just like a rabid policeman. My mom was just a rule enforcer who was actively trying to spoil the fun life that I was trying to live and was trying to get in the way of my objectives and my goals.”

“I think of moments where my mom really couldn’t understand why I needed to play [Super]Mario Brothersfor a few more hours, because I was trying to save a princess [but] she wanted me to do something benign — and in my opinion, meaningless — which was cutting the grass or mowing the lawn,” he muses, about his time growing up.

“I was just like, ‘This makes no sense. This is such a pressing issue. A princess has been kidnapped and you care about grass that’s gone too long.’ It was just stories like that, that I was fondly looking back on.”

While mother and son didn’t always see eye-to-eye when during Noah’s childhood, Patricia went on to become — and remains today — one of the most important people in his life. In addition to discussing his mom in his stand-up material, Noah also dedicated his bestselling autobiographyBorn a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhoodto his mom, calling her his “first fan” and praising her for “making me a man.”

Patricia Noah with young Trevor Noah.Courtesy Trevor Noah

Courtesy Trevor Noah

“Oftentimes, people only make peace with their parents when they’re gone, or they live with the haunting idea of who they were or who they could have been. I’m really lucky, I think, through good therapy and through my family going through some tough times, I was lucky enough and I amcontinuouslylucky enough to appreciate my mother as a human being,” he adds.

Getting to know and spend time with his mother not just as his caregiver but as fully-realized person with “needs, wants, dreams, aspirations, failures and achievements” has been an extremely gratifying experience for Noah.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

“I think those are wonderful moments to have with a parent that not everyone gets to, and I would encourage everyone to try and move towards that,” he says.

“It’s almost like forgiving your parents for all the things they did, you despite their best intentions, because everyone will have that in some way, shape or form. And then also learning [about] them as a human being and getting to know them as a person, sort of freeing them from the confines or the constraints of only being your parents," the author adds. “I think there’s something beautiful that exists on the other side of that relationship, and I am lucky I’m in that phase with my mom now … It really is a wonderful l journey that I don’t take for granted, and I’m loving every moment of.”

Into the Uncut Grassis available now, wherever books are sold.

source: people.com