Review originally posted on journeyintotheshelves.wordpress.com & journeyintotheshelves.tumblr.com 
 **I received an eARC of this book courtesy of Random House and NetGalley. This has had no bearing on this review. 
 Generally, I'm not a big fan of memoirs. It's not that I don't like them, but I'm not as drawn to them as I am to novels. I made an exception for Trevor Noah's new memoir, Born a Crime, and I'm so glad that I did. 
 From beginning to end, I was entranced by this book and his story. I learned so much about him (as one would expect) and South African culture and history. In easy to read bite sized pieces, Noah weaves the history of his home with his own history and provides introspective comments that analyzed and critiqued what he was taught and what he experienced. 
 Noah has always been good at taking small events and making broad commentaries about society, as you can see on The Daily Show. Born a Crime is full of these commentaries and give a deeper look into the world we live in regarding everything from apartheid and race to economics. Because even though the events that he discusses only happened to him or his friends and family, he manages to bring society as a whole into the discussion that connects himself to the entire world. While reading the novel, I could hear his voice in the words. The humor is astounding (I still think about the poop story every once and a while whenever I need to smile), and so true to his character. 
 The aspect I loved the most about this book is the prevalent storyline about his relationship with his mother. There were moments where I laughed, moments were I cried, and moments were I went "Yup, my mother did the exact same thing." The admiration, love, and respect that he has for his mother is clearly evident, honest, and truly heartwarming to read. I loved every minute of it. 
 Before reading his book, I admired and respected Trevor Noah from his work as a comedian and the host of The Daily Show. Now, I admire him even more. Everyone should read this book. 
 _____ 
 Conversation I just had with myself: "Should I give this five stars? ... Yes. It made me cry twice. Yes." 
 Full review to come.