Soweto, South Africa

This is Nombeko's first home. It is a slum outside of Johannesburg, South Africa. The author paints a vivid picture of what it's like to live there, with orphans running about, parents sending their kids to pick up paint thinner for them to drink, and the 12-year-old Nombeko emptying latrines for a living. It is a hard place for hard living, and early on the reader sees Nombeko rise the unfortunate location of her birth by educating herself and vowing not to use drugs.

Pelindaba, South Africa

Pelindaba is the compound where Nombeko is taken after being run over by The Engineer in Johannesburg. In many ways it is a huge improvement on Soweto. The author improves Nombeko's living situation gradually as the story continues - for instance, in Pelindaba she has her own bedroom, a bathroom with plumbing, and two meals a day. She also...