
This extraordinary memoir of
life under apartheid is a triumph of the human spirit over hatred and
unspeakable degradation. For Mark Mathabane did what no physically and
psychologically battered "Kaffir" from the rat-infested alleys of
Alexandra was supposed to do -- he escaped to tell about it. (Summary from amazon.com - Image from www.marshall.edu)
My Review: I told my husband I’d chosen this book to
review for Banned Books Week, and one glance at the cover elicited a “Whoa!! I
can tell why that book’s been banned!” from him. He served a two-year mission in South Africa,
and “Kaffir” (the Arabic word for “infidel”) has the same connotation as the
N-word here.
Kaffir Boy
was written during Apartheid’s final years, and I found myself having to remind
myself of that. All told, however, it is
a difficult read. The conditions forced
upon the Africans were atrocious, and the measures that Mathabane’s family and
acquaintances had to resort to were unspeakable. It didn’t take long before I saw why this
book has been banned, the standard practices and ways of coping with Apartheid
were so atrocious, I’m not sure I’d want my (younger) kids reading about
it. It was fascinating, however, to read
of Mathabane’s “escape” from the Bantu-approved way of life through tennis and
education, to relive the townships’ reactions to the death of Steven Bilko, the
education riots, and to see Apartheid through Mathabane’s eyes.
Sum it Up: An invaluable history of Apartheid, told by one who
survived the worst of it.
My Rating: Four stars for education value. However, I wouldn’t pick it up again.
For the Sensitive Reader: Graphic descriptions of beatings, murder, and
illnesses. Mathabane also recounts a near escape of child prostitution. Keep in mind that this novel was written to
shock the Western World into realizing how atrocious Apartheid really was.
1 comment:
Back when I taught English 115 at BYU, Kaffir Boy was the book I chose to teach. (We could choose from among 4 or 5.) I thought the book had a hopeful message even though the beginning is really sad. I'm glad I read it.
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