Trevor Noah Character strengths in Born a Crime

Noah, a bi-racial child in South Africa, feels like an outsider for much of his childhood. What is particularly interesting about the author and his perspectives, as revealed in his book, is that he does not seem at all embittered. He does seem angry; he does seem somewhat resentful; but he does not seem as though his view of his homeland, and of the world in general, has become cynical or hard-eyed. It is clear-eyed and uncompromising, but relatively objective and focused. In his writing at least, he sees the illogic, the humanity, and the dangers of things as they are, seeing even the darkest circumstances as opportunities to learn, grow, and transcend. This, it seems, he learned from the person he describes as having the most important influence on his life – his spirited, independence-minded mother.