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Trevor Noah goes into depth about how important religion is to his family and how his family got into a near-death experience while taking minibus to church.

"If you’re Native American and you pray to the wolves, you’re a savage. If you’re African American and you pray to your ancestors, you’re a primitive. But when white people pray to a guy who turns water into wine, well, that’s just common sense" (Noah, 6).
I linked the meaning of this quote to white supremacy as it entails that their beliefs are above any other beliefs. The examples of this quote for the Native Americans and African Americans are negative, whereas what whites believe is deemed as normal. This relates to the world as this concept of white supremacy is something that is still seen today. White people have given themselves the power over minority groups and deem themselves as superior just because they are white. Even our former white president, Donald Trump, refused to denounce white supremacy. This is important because minorities matter! They should not be dismissed and thought as inferior just because they were not born white. Because they weren’t born in America, have different beliefs, etc. Other ethnic groups deserve the same opportunities and recognition as white people receive.

"'Oh, you’re a Xhosa,' he said. 'That explains it. Climbing into strange men’s cars. Disgusting woman'" (Noah, 15).
The meaning of this quote was negatively reinforcing the stereotype behind Xhosa women, in this case, saying that the mother is disgusting because she willingly got into men's cars. This is irritating as it not only puts a false stereotype on her based off of her ethnicity, but degrades her as a woman. As a woman, hearing something like this coming from a man, no matter what time period, boils my blood. He said this all because of her genetics that she can’t control: her ethnicity and her gender. Another thing that bothered me about this story was that she was practically lured into that minibus because there were men that stopped the car she was in when hitchhiking claiming that he was stealing their customers. The driver of the minibus said something like this to a customer.

This photo represents Noah jumping out during the "mini-bus" moment.
https://www.prepslife.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/how-to-jump-out-of-a-moving-car-vehicle-escape.png

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Noah explains what it was like to live in South Africa during apartheid and how difficult it was to sneak around with him being mixed.

"I was born a crime" (Noah, 26).
This refers to how Trevor was born as a mixed child during apartheid. When I first got the book, I didn't really think about the title. I didn't even know what apartheid was. But after reading into the book thus far, I completely understand the significance of the title and realize how powerful it is. He was literally born a crime because the relations between his parents were illegal.

"This is my country. Why should I leave?" (Noah, 31)
As most mixed families fled the country because of how harsh the punishment would be if they were to be caught, Trevor did not understand why his family couldn’t do the same. It really makes sense because why should she leave her own country? It was her home. Why would she ever want to leave her home? This is so important because you should never let anyone stop you from doing what you want. Although it was considered a crime then, having a mixed child isn’t even close to other crimes, such as assault and murder.

This photo represents how Noah describes how he had to hide during his childhood because of his skin color.
https://www.misophoniainternational.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/hiding.jpg

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Noah talks about his living conditions while growing up with his family. He also explains why he loves to pray and gives an example of a time he had to pray for a commotion he caused.

"As a nation, we recognized the power of women, but in the home they were expected to submit and obey" (Noah, 39).

Noah mentions that the children in his neighborhood didn’t see their fathers often, just as he did. He talks about how he was surrounded by women and how they played a big part in his life. This is powerful because in a family setting, women were seen as the main caregivers, housewives, etc. But in a marriage, women were seen as inferior and were expected to abide by the man’s orders. It’s interesting but sad how women were seen as so important, but still treated as if they weren’t. Today, there’s still gender equality that exists, especially in the workplace, where men tend to get paid more than women. As a woman, it’s frustrating to see how long women have been deemed as “inferior” to men and I hope that the fight for gender inequality progresses.

"English prayers get answered first. How do we know this? Look at white people. Clearly they’re getting through to the right person" (Noah,  40).

Noah’s family, especially his grandmother, believed that his prayers would get answered because he prayed in English. They believed that prayers in English got answered first because Jesus spoke English. This stood out to me in his example of white people. White people were given more job opportunities, less violent treatment, leniency with the law, etc. Black people didn’t get any of that. This shows that religion could tie into white supremacy and how not only do they have dominant roles in society, but they seem to also seem to get priority, at least to Trevor and his family, in religion.

I chose this photo because the chapter was about Noah's relationship with praying and how significant praying was to him and his family.
https://miro.medium.com/max/4242/1*-EnSOqPnm7gqh77hOl0fiw.jpeg

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Noah talks about his experience with race and how he felt like he had an experience at school where he felt like he had to choose one over the other.

“I learned how easy it is for white people to get comfortable with a system that awards them for all the perks” (Noah, 52).

This refers to how white people are basically born into a life of privilege. They have always held dominance and power over racial minority groups. The fact that “racial minority groups” is even a thing is because white people have given themselves power over them. Within a racial hierarchy, white people are on top. Because they are born into this privilege, they tend to have more leniency towards certain circumstances. One example I can think of is employment. If you’re white and you have a job, you’re probably making more than the average colored person. In addition, on average, white people are let off with a warning for speeding in front of a police officer. But there’s a history of police brutality towards people within the black community for something as simple as speeding.

“Just because it’s not happening to you doesn’t mean it’s not happening” (Noah, 57).

This quote is referring to how Noah realizes that he was shielded from reality when he transitions from a school with diversity to a school without it. When he was in a more diverse learning setting, he didn’t experience racism and segregation. He was comfortable and used to there being groups of different people. But when moving to this new school, he felt that because everyone was so separated, he had to choose who to befriend by who he identified with the most. This concept of racism not being seen but still existing is very relevant as of right now. Lately there have been numerous attacks on Asian elderly, but some people are still ignorant of the situations because they haven’t personally seen a case before their eyes despite there being video evidence on the internet. Racism still exists whether you’ve experienced it or not and whether you’ve seen it or not.

This photo portrays segregation within schools, which is what Noah dealt with when going to a school that was socially separated into racial groups.
https://s3.amazonaws.com/s3.timetoast.com/public/uploads/photos/9514746/bwon_vboard.jpg

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This goes into depth about Noah’s mother’s life and how she established her life on her own will.

“Learn from your past and be better because of your past,” she would say, “but don’t cry about your past. Life is full of pain. Let the pain sharpen you, but don’t hold on to it. Don’t be bitter” (Noah, 66).
This refers to Noah’s mother’s past and how she decided to live her life in the present, not in the past. She explains that your past is something that already happened, and that you should grow from it. In addition, you should also not hold grudges for too long, as it may affect your feelings more than it should. I resonate with this a lot because it’s something that I’m trying to incorporate in my life. I no longer want to live in my past mistakes, and just escape it and move forward. Although there are some traumatic events that will probably never escape our thoughts, moving in baby steps and trying to let go of the smaller things always helps in progressing towards a better life.

“As modestly as we lived at home, I never felt poor because our lives were so rich with experience” (Noah, 72).

This refers to how Noah didn’t live in luxury as a child, but still had enjoyable moments. This stood out to me because you can tell that Noah was genuinely appreciative of his life, despite his living conditions. This ties into happiness and how it doesn’t all come from materialistic goods and wealth. Materialistic desires only satisfy you temporarily. The enjoyable experiences he made with his family are what provides meaning to his life. Memories like these can last a lifetime. No amount of money can buy you the happiness that memories with loved ones can.

I chose this photo because it depicts a version of Rosie the Riveter, which is a symbol of female empowerment. This chapter focuses on Noah's mom's strengths, so I associated her with this image because I she is strong and empowering just as Rosie the Riveter is.
http://bpic.588ku.com/element_origin_min_pic/16/09/25/1657e7913f04010.jpg

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Noah explains how he didn’t follow the rules as a child because he didn’t see what he did as something wrong. He saw himself as creative.

“Authority rests on a bunch of rules that don’t make any sense” (Noah, 88).

This refers to how Noah was always accountable for the ruckus he’s caused as a child, however, it seems a lot more powerful than that. The rules didn’t make any sense during apartheid, such as the racial views and segregation. In the informational part before the chapter  actually starts, Noah speaks on how South Africans considered Chinese people as black and Japanese people as white. I have never heard of this before and I thought it was extremely weird, because even to this day, people have trouble distinguishing Asians from one another. In a way, this is one of the rules then that didn’t make sense to me. As of right now, there are still questionable rules that don’t make sense, such as same-sex marriage still being illegal in some countries, how polygamy is not considered a felony in one state out of the whole country, etc.

“You’ll have a few bruises and they’ll remind you of what happened and that’s okay. But after a while the bruises fade, and they fade for a reason--because now it’s time to get up to some shit again” (Noah, 91).

This is how Noah used to conclude the chapter and to justify why he didn’t hold onto the punishment he received and continued doing whatever he wanted to do. This stood out to me because it’s a concept that I want to work on. I tend to let things in the past affect how I act and live my life, however, I want my actions in the past to never hold me from doing what I want to do. An example I can think of is how I quit my current job due to being scared of going through past experiences with my previous job. When I quit, I wasn’t hesitant at all, but now that I only have two more days there, I’m kind of regretting my decision. I don’t think I’m going to take back my decision, however, I hope as time goes by, I realize that my decision was for myself and not because I didn’t want history to repeat itself.

I honestly just chose this image because I thought the story of Noah burning down the house was funny.
https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/burning-house-fire-outside-walls-isolated-white-background-flame-family-home-natural-disasters-accident-concept-140856357.jpg

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Noah tells the story of his first dog, Fufi, and his relationship with her.

“The smart, hearing one was helping the dumb, deaf one” (Noah, 97).

This refers to how Panther, who was the dog who could hear, would help Fufi, who was the dog that couldn’t hear. Noah was confused as to why Fufi didn’t listen to his commands, but the whole time, it was because she was deaf and he just didn’t know, thus him calling her a stupid dog. This was a misunderstanding because he wasn’t aware of her condition, but I chose this quote because this is related to a stigma that still exists today. There are deaf and hard -of-hearing people that face ableism because they cannot hear. They’re constantly told that they cannot do anything because of their inability to hear. I related this to the quote because Noah describes Fufi as the dumb dog, which is a way that society portrays deaf people. After watching a show that is supposed to bring awareness to the deaf community, I have seen that the deaf community are no different than us in terms of intelligence.

“You do not own the thing that you love” (Noah, 100).

This refers to the story Noah tells about how another family claimed to own Fufi and how he got jealous over Fufi interacting with another boy. This quote is so important to me because it is something that people still don’t understand. This is why there are so many toxic relationships out there. Some people think that they own people because they love them. This doesn’t have to be in romantic relationships, but it could also be seen within families or friendships. It could be toxic within any relationship formed. In this case, it was a dog. I personally have gone through this with a friendship I had with someone. He was protective and clingy and I felt so suffocated and trapped in something that I didn’t want to be in. This is a social problem that in my opinion, will not go away any time soon.

I just found a random cute dog picture for this chapter. I tried looking for a picture of the mix that Noah had, but all of the dogs looked so different!
https://hips.hearstapps.com/wdy.h-cdn.co/assets/17/39/cola-0247.jpg?crop=0.668xw:1.00xh;0.151xw,0&resize=480:*

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This chapter is about Noah’s relationship with his father and how he reconnected with him after years of being separated.

“When an African dad buys his kid a present, the last thing he’s going to do is give some fat white man credit for it” (Noah, 106).

Noah talked about how his Christmas with his Swiss dad was different from how South African families would celebrate their Christmas. Specifically, how they would be against giving presents addressed from Santa Claus. I honestly thought this quote was both funny and true. I never thought about it that way. A white man taking credit for something that you put effort into. It’s even worse because in South Africa, the white men were the ones that oppressed them, giving them even more power just for taking credit over a Christmas present. It really makes sense. But also, I never thought about it that way because I never credit my gifts for people to Santa. Looking at it from a different perspective really made me think about it, and now I know to never start making my gifts from Santa.

“When a parent is absent, you’re left in the lurch of not knowing, and it’s so easy to fill that space with negative thoughts” (Noah, 108).

This refers to how Noah’s dad moved to Cape Town when he was thirteen and how he hadn’t seen him in years. He goes on about how he has negative thoughts about him because all he has are questions about him, not facts. It was as if he was creating his own narrative about his dad. I feel the same way. My dad hasn’t been around much of my life. Only holidays. However, I have always had this negative narrative of him in my mind because it felt like he abandoned me for another family. Don’t get me wrong, I love my brother more than anything, but sometimes it feels like my dad favors him over me. When your parents aren't there, all you’re left with are questions spiraling in your head about what they would do for you and what kind of person they would be around you. I completely understand it all.

This was the meal, potato rösti, that Noah's father made him as a child, but also when Noah reunited with him after years apart.
https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2020/08/potato-rosti-cakes-with-sage-leaves-12eeb5f.jpg?quality=90&resize=440,400

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These last few chapters were very entertaining, however, one part of the reading that caught my mind was the chapter about Trevor Noah’s experience getting away with shoplifting. What I thought was interesting was that despite his best friend being arrested and Noah being caught on camera, the security guards still did not realize that the person that was with them was right in front of them. This was due to the fact that Noah’s skin color cannot be seen through the black and white footage, whereas his friend, Teddy’s, could. Although his skin color did not appear clearly on the footage, Noah claims that “the picture wasn’t great, and my facial features were a bit blurry, but if you looked closely: It was me” (Noah 158). He could be clearly seen on camera, however, the securities guards’ perception of skin color is what kept them from discovering that Noah was indeed involved in the shoplifting incident. To me, that’s like seeing the evidence right in front of you, but not even putting it into consideration. It was definitely an interesting story to read.
Another thing that caught my attention was the chapter about how Noah went to a dance with a girl he was dating, and yet did not even realize they didn’t speak the same languages. I thought it was funny because he was dating her for nearly a month, and yet the thought of them communicating through a friend translating for them didn’t even cross his mind until the day of the dance when his friend said she didn’t speak English. I think the main issue with this was that Noah was unsure how a relationship even worked. Noah states “I didn’t even know what ‘girlfriend’ meant” (Noah, 177). He didn’t know that communication was a big aspect of a relationship, and that’s something that wasn’t there. Although I thought it was interesting, I thought it was quite relatable. Sometimes you can know someone, but not really know them. I feel this way with some of my friends that I’ve known for a while. Of course I know the bare minimum about them, but there are always things that have never been brought up that you are unaware of.

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All of these stories have been fascinating to read about, but I think the one that stood out to me the most was the one where Noah goes to jail. I have personally never read about jail experiences before, so it shocked me. Whenever I think of jail, I associate it with big scary prisoners that have all done something as bad as murder. But when Noah was describing jail, although it did sound scary, there were people that were there for smaller cases such as petty theft, unpaid parking tickets, etc. I didn’t realize that cases such as these would be a reason to go to jail until now, so that was one thing that definitely surprised me. I think what really stood out to me was how the system worked in South Africa. Maybe I should have realized it when reading about apartheid and reading the book in general, but I didn’t think that the system would be similar to here in the United States. It seems as if your jail time is based off of who you are rather than what you have done. Noah claims “The more time I spent in jail, the more I realized that the law isn’t rational at all.” How fast you get bailed if you even get bailed at all depends on if you have the money to do so, which Noah was lucky enough to have. But for others such as the man he met in jail, money isn’t as easily accessible. It is sad that money is always the answer to everything, no matter where the location is. It made me realize that there is a whole world outside of America that is so similar, yet far away.