Mark Mathabane is very bright as a young boy, reaching the top of his class grade-wise frequently in school. Going to school wasn't required by law in South Africa, but Mark's mother decided it would be the best thing for him. This was obviously true, because Mark comments throughout the autobiography how much he enjoyed going to school and associating with other people, despite the fact that he was punished for his mother's inability to pay the school fees.
Unable to even pay for school supplies, Mark has to borrow. He feels embarrassed that he has to use things from others, and feels it degrades his honor. However, his hard work and intelligence paid off in the end - graduating from primary school, he did well enough in class to earn a scholarship to secondary school, which lifted a heavy potential financial burden off of his family.
The Smiths are a nice family that Mark begins to associate with after his grandmother gets a job working as their gardener. The Smith family introduces Mark to tennis, and sparks further curiosity for reading. Mark takes the time to learn the English language from the books he has been given, and uses the tennis equipment that the Smiths gave him. He becomes friends with a black tennis player that teaches him more about the sport.
In high school, Mark joins the official tennis team. Technically, it is illegal for him to be on the team because of his color, but he becomes accustomed to white people and white people become accustomed to him. Eventually, he makes friends and shows the public just how good he is at playing tennis.
One day, legendary tennis great discovers the abilities of Mark, and befriends him. He thinks that Mark deserves an education in the United States, so he asks Mark's tennis coach about it. The coach is fine with the idea, and Stan Smith helps Mark get accepted to Limestone College in 1978.
