Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

I love Trevor Noah. Truly, a good human being. I love hearing him talk about growing up in a time that included the end of apartheid and the beginnings of the new South Africa. Of what it was like to have a white father and a black mother at a time when that was not accepted.
As I listened to this book, which is totally worth it just to hear him speak in all of the languages he knows, I just kept thinking about what an amazing life he has led. Coming from a place where caterpillars were considered an ingredient, albeit not very often, to reach the level at which he performs daily is inspiring. I really appreciate the way that he can take a situation that is completely unacceptable and poke fun of it in a way that makes one think about it but laugh at the same time. He is really not afraid to say what he is thinking, and that has mostly served him well. Though at times, doing so has earned him a display of affection from his incredible mother in the form of a hiding. He candidly discusses behaviors that landed him in trouble and how he and his mother dealt with those situations. Always with a laugh and some positive spin on it to make it a learning experience, not just the mindless and heartless act of a troublemaker.
I will be talking this book up at the schools in my district!

Just for fun, here is a link from between scenes at the Daily Show which shows Trevor discussing feminism in South Africa. It's a good example of what it is like to listen to his book. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roddMS3X5Vo