This week, I got to read my kid's school-assigned non-fiction book, It's Trevor Noah: Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Adapted for Young Readers). It has stuck with me for days.

his father chose him

first, when Trevor was born out of wedlock, as a crime, with a woman who was not and could not be his life partner, his father said he wanted to be a part of this child's life
second, after he had to leave because of situations, he continued to keep a scrapbook of every Trevor Noah appearance in the press, as billing for a show, etc. which he got to share with him as an adult after many years of separation. On reading this anecdote, I couldn't stop crying for 10 minutes [^1]

an absolute dirt poor upbringing

early life in a township, sharing a one-room shack with his mother, his grandmother, and his great grandmother
in Jo'burg, having at one time to eat caterpillars (mopane worms, or wild spinach plus some spiny, crunchy protein)
choosing in a mixed high school t...