Originally, I wasn’t going to read this book. It was assigned by Free Minds, a book club that I belong to. I only knew of Trevor Noah as a comedian. I couldn’t see how his story would enhance my own. I normally favor biographies and memoirs of entrepreneurs or investors.

I lent it to Ben, a friend of mine, who, while reading it, highly suggested that I read it. He said it was a good story with some funny parts and that it was an easy read. I needed a break from the real estate books and all the note-taking, so I picked it up. I figured Trevor is a successful guy by my standards, and I believe success leaves clues — so why not?

Ben wasn’t wrong about the book having some funny parts. Like when his mother threw him out of a moving car to escape danger from their cab driver. She jumped out afterward while holding his baby brother. Or the chapter “Go Hitler” — about Trevor’s friend named Hitler, the best dancer in the neighborhood, who took the stage at an all-Jewish school’s talent show while the crew hyped him up. The audience went still. Hitler was simply his birth name. The audience didn’t know that, and Trevor’s crew didn’t know the weight behind it.

Trevor touched on a few things that made me think, especially this idea: In the hood, even if you’re not a hardcore criminal, crime exists in your life in some way. There are degrees to it — from the mom taking food that fell off the back of a truck to feed her family, all the way up to gangs selling weapons.

That made me realize something: Crime succeeds because it does the one thing the government often doesn’t — crime cares. Crime is grassroots. It looks for young kids who need support and a lifting hand. It offers opportunities, structure, and advancement. It gets involved in the community. Crime doesn’t discriminate.

That piece spoke to me because it shouldn’t be that way. Crime seems to fill the space where the government falls short. Maybe we put too much on the government’s shoulders. Maybe this is where strong communities step in — where people lend a hand when someone falls, or guide someone when they’re lost. I believe we should move more like our neighbor is our brother. Those who have should support those who don’t. Those who can should support those who can’t.

There is one more theme that stood out to me throughout the book: racism. In Trevor’s case, it was shaped by apartheid and its remnants. He titled his book Born a Crime because his very existence was illegal — a Black mother and a White father having a child. Racism bothers me on many levels. How could it not? I’m a Black man. I’ve experienced it.

Injustice is the partner of racism. Together, they give birth to poverty — and poverty may be the deadliest of them all. However, I’ve come to believe that the effects of racism and injustice can be reduced by defeating poverty. It seems that the more wealth an individual has, the less injustice they experience, and the more socially accepted they become.

This is why I feel that financial literacy is so important. This is why I’m willing to spend my time volunteering to teach it. I believe it’s one of the most effective ways to fight crime, injustice, and racism — all at once.