The book I read is “Trevor Noah–Born a Crime”, written by Trevor Noah himself. It is about Trevor Noah’s experience in South Africa’s society after the apartheid, and how he grew up in it. This book is written in the form of literary Non fiction–conveying information in a storytelling and descriptive way, where there are aesthetics in addition to the traditional efferents in a Non-fiction text.
There are three main themes in the passage: How his identity as a mix-race person shaped how he grew up, how his mother has inspired and educated him into the person he is today, and how his resilience led him to learn something from any challenges and disappointments.
First, as a mixed race person (Xhosan and Swizz-German), Trevor Noah was limited on what resources he can get and who he can socialize with under the Apartheid. Different races were segregated from each other that time, each treated differently with each other.At school, he was himself a separate category of a biracial person who did not fit in the white kids nor the black kids. Outside of school, he did not belong to the Black neighborhood, the White neighborhood, or even the “colored” (Mixed-race) neighborhood in Eden Park. Although his humor and appropriate use of which language to speak didn’t make him isolated, he never fully belonged with any community.
Second, Trevor Noah’s mother possesses many virtues that inspired him. Despited his mother suffering from an unstable family in her childhood and bearing the weight of the Apartheid, she put her sufferings behind and was optimistic about the future. His mother was really frugal, oftentimes timing the traffic light to save petroleum. His mother was also really adventurous, living a life full of excitements. These traits all inspired Trevor Noah to be optimistic, frugal, and adventurous. Yet, how his mother raised him had more impact. His mother taught him many things in the real-life world (such as relationships). Even the traits aforementioned are a product of this. His mother also spanked him not because of anger, but to stop him from doing inappropriate things. Overall, Trevor Noah’s mother inspired and educated him into the person he is today.
Third, Trevor Noah often learned something whenever things did not go as he hoped. When he was excluded or didn’t feel a sense of belonging because of his race, he learned the importance of language and communication; When a girl he love moved away before he conveyed his affection, he learned to always do what he wanted and leave no regret; When he had a stepfather who was mean and abusive, he learned the importance of a good and stable family. All these life lessons comes from challenging experiences. Yet, instead of being discouraged from these challenged, he learned something, making it an important theme in “Trevor Noah”.
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