Adapted for younger readers from Born a Crime: And Other Stories – the #1 South African and New York Times bestseller

‘If my mother had one goal, it was to free my mind.

My mother spoke to me like an adult. She was always telling me stories, giving me lessons, Bible lessons especially. She was big into Psalms. I had to read Psalms every day. She would quiz me on it. “What does the passage mean? What does it mean to you? How do you apply it to your life?” That was every day of my life. My mom did what school didn’t. She taught me how to think.’