I don’t remember when I first heard about Trevor Noah, but probably when he started hosting Late Night TV. I haven’t watched much of him, but a big deal was made of him in the news, and I think some of his shorts came up on YouTube when I was watching episodes of John Oliver, who is funny and educational, if a little crass at times. I enjoyed the few spots of Trevor Noah that I watched when I came across them. Then, the Chaplain got his audiobook, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood.

It took me a while to get around to listening to it. It has some language, so I couldn’t listen when the kids were around. But once I got started, I found ways to keep listening.

What a great story. Noah is a fantastic storyteller, and an amazing narrator. He seamlessly switches between accents and languages to become a one-man show re-enacting the story of his growing up years. His perspective is fascinating, the cultural narrative is fascinating, and the story itself was interesting and unpredictable. He provides historical information about apartheid in South Africa and even offers some perspective on race in America. He goes back and forth to tell different parts of the story, braiding the different threads to bring everything together at the end.

If you enjoy well-narrated audio, comedic writing, and good storytelling, this is an excellent choice for your next listen.

I have tried to get decent photos of the audio books I listen to, and I’m sure there is plenty of info on the internet about how to take good photos of screens. Unfortunately, that’s not something I want to be good at, so I’m trusting that if you find the reading recommendations you find here helpful, you will be able too look past my lack of effort in this regard.