Thoughts on Trevor Noah's: Born a Crime
“Through the foreign, the familiar, and the funny, Born a Crime is a piercing reminder that every mad life ---- even yours ---- could end up a masterpiece.” ---- Jason Reynolds, New York Times bestselling author.
As I sat in the office amongst the the Founders of Books N Bros, Sidney Keys III and Winnie Caldwell, I opened Born a Crime to Part 1.
“Aparteid” was the first word on the page. I brought up the word in the room and it quickly sparked a discussion on the different ways we’ve heard this word and its meaning. Personally, I love engaging in conversation. I hadn’t gotten past the first word and we’re already sharing stories on our relationship to words.
THIS is what I’ve missed!
“What do you mean by missed?”, some might ask.
If we’re being honest, my love for reading diminished as I grew older. I hadn’t read a book that I really connected with and sparked my interest in a while. I remember being that kid that got excitement from the book fair pamphlets we would get every year. I would run home and go over it with my parents, desperately trying to convince them to give me enough money to get all the books I wanted the next day. (Those born before 2000 (at the latest) know what I’m talking about!) I used to be so excited to get new books, read them, and let my imagination wander! But, as I got older, and went through school, the criteria I was given to read for homework assignments were overwhelming and not satisfying.
I continued to read the book and related to Trevor Noah instantly! His feelings as a child, his relationship to his mother, how much he adores her, and growing up in the church. The start alone drew me in. I was ready to be immersed in text, create dialogue afterwards, and that’s exactly what I did. Thank you Trevor Noah for creating a work of art so relatable. It's all of the things Jason Reynolds stated, “Foreign, familiar, and funny.”
Being an intern at Books N Bros sparked my love for reading again. Being around individuals as inspiring as Sidney Keys III, seeing him lead a group of young boys to literacy and allowing them to be apart of the conversation, makes me extremely grateful and overjoyed to be apart of a group of people who are excited to advocate for literacy and continue to show the world that reading can be informative, conversational, and fun!
Nyara W. photographed by Lauren Jewelle