“I soon learned that the quickest way to bridge the race gap was through language.”
Where do I even begin to explain how incredible this autobiography was?!
Trevor Noah brought this story to life, but ultimately, it was his mother that was the main character, the MVP, of this book.
Trevor Noah is narrating his account on being raised in Apartheid South Africa. (I look at that word and cannot fathom the audacity of it. It existed.) The issues growing up as a mixed-race child and a mother who defied all societal standard and called bullshit before anyone even dared do it.
Colonialism. Poverty. Race. Living under a police state. Privilege.
Whilst reading, I was aware these kind of ludicrous laws existed, but it still managed to shock me all over again.
This was a world where interracial marriage/relationships was banned.
Where Trevor could not be seen with either his mother or father.
Where white people were put on such a pedestal, his grandmother refused to discipline him, because she ‘didn’t want to kill a white person’ as he was ‘white-passing.’
Where animosity was purposely sowed between people so the whites could be looked at for help. Yet, the blacks could never dream of getting to that social status and would be denied at every turn even though the ‘American Dream’ was dangled in front of them.
Though his world was completely different from our own, Trevor Noah still managed to make it relatable. His relationship with his mother was a delight to read. His desperation to fit in called to others. His first kiss. Trying to take the most beautiful girl to prom. Everything going disastrously wrong and beautifully twining that with wisdom and lessons that he learned along the way.
I just became enamoured with his mother though. The strength she possessed was almost not human. I‘m pretty sure it’s not human. Her faith played a massive part in solidifying her personality and how she viewed the world and it was incredible to see her overcome troubles that would make others crumble with humour, love and Jesus.
Trevor Noah is honestly a gem. We have his mother to thank for that. I highly recommend the audiobook for this. I didn’t even touch the book once and it gave me hope in trying other audiobooks. It was completely engaging story, intimate, heartbreaking and provided you a front-seat view into Apartheid and what it did to the lives of others.
I cannot wait for the movie adaptation!