final blog journal

 In the chapter where Trevor says, “I saw more than anything that relationships are not sustained by violence but by love. Love is a creative act,” he’s talking about his mom getting shot by his stepdad. It’s intense. But in that moment, Trevor realizes that real love isn't about control or fear, it’s about care, patience, and building something together. Even though his stepdad tried to control everything with violence, it didn’t bring peace. It only brought pain. His mom, on the other hand, was the one who gave real love. She made a home. She raised him with heart. 

When Trevor says, “My mother showed me what was possible,” I think he’s saying she helped him believe he could do anything, even though they came from nothing. She never let their situation hold them back. She raised him to dream bigger, to question things, to laugh through the struggle. One of her best pieces of advice was to use your mind and not let the world decide your worth. She always told him to be true to himself, even when life was unfair. 

Even though Born a Crime deals with a lot of pain, like racism, poverty, and abuse. Trevor still finds ways to be funny. I think it’s because he uses humor like a shield and also like a spotlight. He makes people laugh, but he’s also exposing deep truths. What I’ll remember most about this book is how wild and unpredictable his life was, but he still came out of it with hope. 

"I grew up in a world of violence, but I myself was never violent at all." pg262

This quote is a lot. It shows that in spite of trevors environment he didn't become what he experienced. Growing up he was disciplined by his mother. He didn't exactly like it but he knew it came from love. But Abel is just straight abuse. There isn't any mistaking that. Trevor came out a better person than the example he had, showing that you don't have to become a product of your environment.