I recently finished listening to Trevor Noah's audible memoir: Born A Crime. Wow, it's everything. Fascinating, heart-breaking, heart-warming, mind blowing... and the list goes on.
Noah was born in South Africa at a time when his existence was illegal - the child of an interracial couple. A lot of issues are covered here -- racism/ the atrocities of apartheid, poverty, domestic abuse, violence... ok, it may sound serious and depressing, but no, there's no bitterness or self-pity; on the contrary, it's sprinkled with lots of humor. Noah's writing is honest, bittersweet, witty, warm, inspiring, and of course absolutely funny!!! A truly brilliant storyteller. The stories are often times so outrageous and hilarious that made me laugh out loud, like OUT LOUD! It's such an enjoyable and also educational read/listen. (I highly recommend the audio book! Read by Noah himself!)
We also watched his stand up special "Son of Patricia" together as a family. Trevor cleverly weaved different tales of his travel and newcomer experiences and accent endeavour. He totally, totally killed it! We were literally rolling on the floor. An expert storyteller, he's of course wickedly funny but also intelligent and very thoughtful. I also really appreciate the sweetness in his delivery -- even when the subject matter is unsettling. There's nothing better than a comedian who makes you laugh and leaves you thinking. Toward the end, we learned where the title of the show came from: his mother's name is Patricia. He explained how his mother taught him many lessons, like how to deal with racism, how anger shouldn't be the only response to hate. Kudos to Patricia! She did a FINE job raising him. Apparently, "Born a Crime" is getting its own movie adaptation, and the lovely Lupita Nyong will play Trevor's mom Patricia. I can't wait!
