The World's Best Book Summaries
Who are the Zulu and Xhosa? What is the history of the tension between the two communities? When comedian Trevor Noah was growing up in South Africa, the Zulu and Xhosa rivalry was strong and potentially deadly. We’ll briefly cover the history of the Zulu-Xhosa feud and look at how it affected Noah’s childhood.
What events led up to the 2008 bank bailout? Did Wall Street deserve to be bailed out? What was the true bank-bailout cost? Who paid it? We’ll cover the events leading up to the 2008 bank bailout (also known as the Troubled Asset Relief Program, part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act) and how it hurt the American taxpayer.
America spends more money on healthcare, per capita, than any country in the world. So Americans must be the healthiest, right? Not quite. There are many health issues in America and we are nowhere near the healthiest nation. Two-thirds of our population is overweight, 25 million Americans are diabetic (up by 10 million since 2005), and half of Americans take a prescription drug every week. If we spend so much on our health, why are there so many health issues in America?
The most famous disease of Western affluence is obesity, a symbol of our privilege and the excesses it fosters. Why are Americans so fat? Many people want to blame sugar or fat, and the American sweet tooth and addiction to refined foods certainly play their parts. But are there other, more significant reasons Americans are overweight? As we’ve made a collective effort to cut down on sugars and fats, our rates of obesity have continued to climb. Why are Americans overweight? Learn the surprising factors.
Eating a whole foods, plant-based diet isn’t a new idea. Socrates, via Plato, predicted that a society that indulged in the luxury of meat would lead to a society plagued with inflammation and disease. The winning athletes in the ancient Olympics also knew that eating a plant-based diet was the key to good health and performance. So how did we get where we are today, promoting meat’s health benefits and worrying that vegetarians don’t get enough protein? Some say the future is vegan — is it? Despite the detour we’ve taken as a society, there’s reason to believe that we’re
What are diseases of affluence? What causes them? And how can you lower your risk? Diseases of affluence are diseases common in developed, economically prosperous areas. These are also known as diseases of “nutritional extravagance” because they’re linked to “rich” diets high in protein and fat, include coronary heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Learn what they are, how they develop, and how you can drastically cut your risk.
Comedian Trevor Noah writes about many misunderstandings in his memoir Born a Crime, but perhaps none are as cringeworthy as the story about his friend Hitler’s dance performance at a Jewish community center. Even as they leave the center, Trevor Noah, Hitler, and their dance troupe fail to understand the gravity of the misunderstanding. Learn how their education in South Africa completely failed to impress upon them the extent of the historical Hitler’s crimes and his impact on the Jewish community, and see how this resulted in a humorous, though disastrous, misunderstanding.
Who is Abel Shingange? What significance did he play in Trevor Noah’s life? And what did he have to do with the shooting of Noah’s mother? Abel Shingange is Trevor Noah’s ex-stepfather. Noah writes about him extensively in his memoir Born a Crime. Learn the history of Abel’s abusive relationship with Noah’s mom and how these events led up to the day Noah’s mother almost died.
Who is Teddy in Trevor Noah’s memoir Born a Crime? And what can the story of Trevor Noah, Teddy, and the shoplifting bust tell us about the judgments we make based on skin color? Teddy was one of Trevor Noah’s childhood best friends. The construct of black versus white blinds people to anyone who doesn’t fit those molds. If you don’t identify as black or white, others’ failure to see you can leave you feeling invisible and inconsequential. But occasionally, this can work to your advantage. Learn how Trevor Noah let his invisibility work for him.
How many languages does Trevor Noah speak? How have Noah’s amazing language skills helped him in life? Trevor Noah reportedly speaks eight languages: English, Xhosa, Zulu, Tsonga, Southern Sotho, Tswana, Afrikaans, and German. Learn how they helped him understand his place in a divided post-apartheid South Africa.