Born A Crime by Trevor Noah.

Born a Crime is the story of a mischievous young boy who grows into a restless young man as he struggles to find himself in a world where he was never supposed to exist. It is also the story of that young man’s relationship with his fearless, rebellious, and fervently religious mother—his teammate, a woman determined to save her son from the cycle of poverty, violence, and abuse that would ultimately threaten her own life (from Penguin, Random House).

Noah’s Raw Account of Life Under Apartheid.  New York Times.

Purple Hibiscus  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

Fifteen-year-old Kambili's world is circumscribed by the high walls and frangipani trees of her family compound. Her wealthy Catholic father, under whose shadow Kambili lives, while generous and politically active in the community, is repressive and fanatically religious at home.

When Nigeria begins to fall apart under a military coup, Kambili's father sends her and her brother away to stay with their aunt, a University professor. There, Kambili and her brother discover a life and love beyond the confines of their father's authority. (from Penguin Random House).

A Moveable Feast.  Review of Purple Hibiscus in the Washington Post.

The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan.

Through the stories of The Joy Luck Club, we peer into the secret-laden lives of eight Chinese immigrant mothers and their American-born daughters. The daughters reject their mothers’ seemingly constant criticism of everything they choose, from husbands to hairdos. They view their mothers’ warnings as irrelevant, and their advice as intrusive. The daughters do not know what has inspired their warnings and advice: the hardships their mothers suffered in China before coming to America (from Penguin Random House Publishers).

Review of The Joy Luck Club in the New York Times.