Trevor NoahDelacorte Press It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers)

Gives us a glimpse of Africa and it also made me realise it's similar to India..... Thank you Trevor for a well written book

This book was recommended to me through a Facebook AP Lit & Lang Group. I highly recommend it as a good read and also will use excerpts for my classes.It’s all about perspective (and I don’t mean for this to sound “preachy”). As we think about 2020 and how “horrible” it’s been, we need to put some things in perspective.The next time I’m tempted to whinge about my house not being exactly what I wanted, I need to remind myself that I HAVE a house, many people in the world would consider it downright palatial, and I have the means to make it whatever I want.The next time I feel self-pity because I won’t see my daughter this Christmas and may not get together with any of my family, I need to remind myself that they are healthy and safe, living in their own “palaces” and this state is only temporary – for us – the privileged ones.The next time I’m tempted to criticize my mother’s parenting (which, honestly, rarely happens) or think I’m a “good mom”, I need to remind myself that neither of us ever had to push our children out of a moving car and tell them to run for their lives – because they were, literally, running for their lives.The next time I get frustrated with my “stupid toilet” that doesn’t flush properly, I need to be thankful that I have, not one – but two, toilets that flush. I have running water – hot AND cold water and when I turn on the tap, it will come out and I can drink it – straight from the tap. (I have been privileged to live in some countries where you can’t drink water from the tap.)The next time I’m sitting in a restaurant and tempted to complain that my meal isn’t prepared quite right or is “disappointing” or is “a rip-off” at that price, I need to remember:1. I can go into that restaurant or virtually any restaurant in the world and just by a genetic accident, I may even receive special privileges just because of my skin color.2. I can afford to be “ripped-off”.3. I eat too much and too well and I don’t have to rely on what others consider “dog-bones” and suck the marrow out of them in order to get nutrition or even make a muddy paste to eat in order to feel “full.”The next time I read the proverb, “Give a man a fish, and he’ll eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he’ll eat for a lifetime.” I’ll remember that, “What they don’t say is, ‘And it would be nice if you gave him a fishing rod.’” Because it takes more than will and knowledge – it take some resources to succeed.If I am ever tempted to preen myself on being “color-blind”, I need to remind myself that I’m not and that “true color blindness” is not, necessarily, a good thing.The next time I think about “those people”, whoever “they” are, I need to remind myself that I don’t have their perspective. Not only have I never “walked a mile in their shoes” I never even tried them on long enough to walk around the store.Perspective. It’s a good thing. For a great perspective, read this book – which somehow takes some horrific realities and makes them interesting, thought-provoking, and even funny in the way only Trevor Noah can.

engaging to the reader

Perfect for age 8+, especially in the age of BLM

Great read