My take on it.

I am reading the book and I am thinking – Is it seriously possible to have so many incidents in your life? Isn’t my life pretty staid comparatively 😌 ? An unbelievable story. But what intrigues me most is the product of all those debacles – One of the most famous comedians. I have been a fan of Trevor Noah for some time now. His humor seems a unique mix of childlike and adult-like takes. His analysis and repartee, quite intelligent, are so evident in the book. Many comedians are known to have a painful background, most famously Charlie Chaplin. But what I like about Trevor’s story is that, nowhere, it seems painful. Every incident is narrated as if it is everyday occurrence. And isn’t that the beauty? Our life depends on the lenses we are wearing, a seemingly distraught event can be considered a lifetime tragedy or just fluke madness.

For this Mother and Son duo – the times of apartheid, poverty are all enterprising options to win over. The dream was never to be world-famous. It was always about finding the best out of any situation. Life depended on how every day is a survival but this survival need not be with tears, it can be fun too.

We can say a few people are destined to rise above the crowd. But seriously, someone who has such a knack for rising above every obstacle, won’t he rise in life?

Trevor Noah is a great storyteller, and the story is gripping from the start. In fact, there was only one chapter where my excitement fizzled out. The part with the cheeseboys lives – may be too much information for me to grasp there. But otherwise, it was an interesting flow of incidents presented in a quirky way. Not a laughing riot, but humor is interwoven everywhere.

The piety of Patricia Noah is really inspiring and especially when we read the last chapter on how rewarding faith has been to her. In fact, it is not just one incident, the whole book, the mother and son’s whole life is a dedication to faith. For me, the protagonist of the story is Patricia Noah. A mother who against all odds lived life on her own terms while inspiring her kids at the same time. I hope more and more people who learn to come out of adversity should share their experiences and inspire us.