Between Laughter and Law: January in the Circle
January sits between laughter and law. With Born a Crime, we’re stepping into a story that makes you laugh, then quietly asks you to sit with what that laughter is protecting. Conversations are about to get deeper, wider, and more interesting — with familiar voices, new perspectives from Lit Nomads, and a say in what kind of love story February brings.
Hey fam👋🏽,
Oh, Damn! Hi “farm.” 🫣
Welcome back to Voices of the Circle — our little corner of the internet where stories breathe, opinions clash (politely of course), and laughter sneaks in between the pages. January has been nothing short of engaging, and as we close out the month, we turn the spotlight to a story that is as hilarious as it is haunting, as personal as it is political. One you would occasionally pause reading to say, “Wait… that’s actually deep.”
January’s Book of the Month: Born a Crime
This month, the Circle stepped into the sharp, funny, and deeply honest world of Born a Crime by Trevor Noah. “Born a Crime” is the kind of book that sneaks past your guard. You come for the jokes, stay for the stories, and leave carrying uncomfortable truths you didn’t know how to name before.
“I was born a crime. If my parents had been caught, I could have been taken away.”
Born under apartheid to a Black Xhosa mother and a white Swiss father, Trevor’s very existence was illegal. Not a victim’s tale this one, mmh mmh! Just a sharp, funny, and deeply human account of growing up at the intersection of race, language, class, faith, and survival. With stories so absurd they make you laugh before they break your heart, this book reminded us that sometimes humor is survival, and storytelling is rebellion. Somewhere where humor is not decoration, but armor, part coming-of-age story, part social commentary, and part survival manual.
Choosing “Born a Crime” reminds us that history does not live in archives — it lives in homes, in jokes, in discipline, in prayer, in the languages we speak and the ones we are punished for speaking.
Upcoming Review Discussion
We’ll be unpacking all of this — the humor, the discomfort, the silences, and the lessons — during our virtual book discussion:
📅 Date: January 31, 2026
🕖 Time: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM EAT
💻 Location: Virtual (Google Meet)
Come ready to reflect, question, agree, disagree, and maybe re-read a few passages differently after hearing other perspectives.
Visit the event page for more information and add the event to your calendar.
A Cross-Circle Conversation
Stories gain depth when many voices tell them, and this month, we get to stretch the conversation beyond one room. We’re excited to be joined by Lit Nomads, bringing other interpretations, sharp observations, and the same love for stories that challenge and connect us.
Books like Born a Crime are not finished when the last page ends — they are completed in conversation. Sometimes honest, sometimes uncomfortable, often funny, and always alive.
So grab your copy, revisit your favorite chapters (or that one quote you underlined three times and still think about), and come ready. Bring your notes, your questions, your favorite lines and that one moment that made you pause the audiobook or reread the page twice.
Fresh pages, fierce opinions — as always.
Up Nex: February Romance Book
We’re nearing the final pages of Born a Crime — a story that’s made us laugh, pause, and sit with uncomfortable truths. As January winds down, the Circle is already glancing ahead. A new lineup waits, full of wit, heart, and very different kinds of love. Soon, we choose what comes next.
💻 A Code for Love — Bal Khabra : A contemporary romance about a software engineer, Naz, who moves to New York, clashes with her handsome new boss, and finds love amid humor, cultural tension, and personal growth.
🌊 Love and Other Words — Christina Lauren : A story told between past and present, love and loss. Tender, nostalgic, and quietly devastating, this one explores the words we say, the ones we don’t — and the timing that changes everything.
🌹 Flawless — Elsie Silver : Rough edges, undeniable tension, and a romance that refuses to play it safe. Flawless is all about attraction that complicates, challenges, and slowly softens even the most guarded hearts.
🍊 People We Meet on Vacation — Emily Henry : Two friends. One complicated history. Years of almosts and maybes wrapped in humor, longing, and sun-soaked trips. This is a love story for anyone who’s ever wondered if the right person was beside them all along.
Four very different kinds of love. One February choice. Sit with them, feel the pull, and choose the story you want to fall into next 💚
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