Facts about Kaffir Boy

1. 05

   Mathabane's autobiography Kaffir Boy details how playing tennis became his path out of poverty and eventually led to a tennis scholarship in the United States.

   Kaffir BoyJun 7sharememoirapartheidautobiography
2. 04

   The title Kaffir Boy uses a racial slur historically directed at Black South Africans, which made the book's name itself controversial in some school districts.

   Kaffir BoyJun 7sharememoirapartheidrace
3. 03

   Tennis star Arthur Ashe, who wrote the foreword for Kaffir Boy, helped bring international attention to Mathabane's autobiography.

   Kaffir BoyJun 7sharememoirapartheidliterature
4. 02

   Published in 1986, Kaffir Boy was later challenged and temporarily removed from some American school curricula due to its explicit content.

   Kaffir BoyJun 7sharememoircensorshipapartheid
5. 01

   Mark Mathabane's memoir Kaffir Boy recounts his childhood growing up under apartheid in the Alexandra township of South Africa.

   Kaffir BoyJun 7sharememoirapartheidafrica