Born a Crime by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah is another great resistance read. Noah, of Daily Show fame, released a book of memoir stories from his life growing up in South Africa, during and post-Apartheid. While at first glance, you might wonder what a book by a stand-up comedian has to say about justice and resistance, you won't have to wonder long. Trevor dives right in, explaining the context for how his birth was, quite literally, a crime, one worth a penalty of five years imprisonment, for mingling the races in apartheid South Africa. If you aren't yet familiar with the full extent of and rationale behind apartheid, just wait, because Trevor explains it in clear, concise language. He offers a horrifying examination of the full extent to which institutionalized racism can go, and what it's like to be different in a world that tries to put you in boxes by skin color and language.
Trevor talks passionately about race and tribe and language and even the right to have access to proper toilets (If, like me, you haven't pondered the social justice implications of bathroom access before, don't worry--you will.). He talks about poverty and hunger and the lengths to which one will go to avoid starvation. So many of Trevor's descriptions are viscerally vivid. (I gagged when reading about eating caterpillars and eyeballs.) For better or worse, you feel like you are right there with Trevor all the way, from his sheltered, primarily indoor childhood prior to the fall of apartheid, to his romantic misadventures in high school, his entrepreneurial adventures in his teenage years and beyond, and his sometimes tragic family relationships. He speaks of his mother with an affection that can't be denied, and of her devout faith with a wonderful balance of both affection and skepticism. Reading this story, I couldn't help but cheer for Trevor and his mother and eventually his brothers to escape their greatest problems and find happiness and success. I have a whole new level of respect for Trevor now, not the least of which is for his ability as a narrator--the audio version is read by him, and wonderfully captures the nuances of language and tone and timbre in the people around him as he grew.
So if you're looking for a fun, engrossing read that addresses a lot of heavy issues, like race, ethnic identity, poverty, hunger, abuse, religious faith, and more, in a way that makes you laugh and cry and really think about these issues, and ways to address them in your own life, look no further. I cannot recommend this book enough. I especially recommend the audio version, as hearing Trevor read it can help with pronunciations of words and language unfamiliar to American English-speaking readers.