Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane was a poignant autobiography of a young South African growing up in the worst ghetto of Johannesburg during apartheid. The purpose of this book was to give a first hand account of the struggles that he and his family endured. It discussed black and white living conditions as well as the education he received. The author somewhat met this purpose, however the story, at times, was opinionated and biased. This was due to the fact that the book focused on the events in Mathabane's life rather than the life of South Africans in general. Overall, Kaffir Boy was informative, factual and further assisted the reader in understanding South African life during the apartheid.

According to Mark Mathabane, the living conditions of blacks during the apartheid were very different than those of whites. He described blacks who lived in the Alexandra ghetto as living...