The Power of One: A Novel

An amazing novel written brilliantly by Bryce Courtenay, it is the story of Peekay a young boy growing up in South Africa WWII. To say that I could not put this book down is an understatement. Courtenay has produced rich characters that come to life on the page. You cheer, cry and cringe in horror as you follow the life of Peekay and the people he interacts with. In addition, the lush, inspiring, beautiful and harsh descriptions of South Africa make the reader feel as if they are there and is not only the background of the story but Africa is the story of Peekay. The novel begins with Peekay being shipped off to a boarding school at age five. He is haraassed, tortured, and abused by the "judge" and his posse but is a survivor who is determined to live. On a semster break he encounters a man who is a boxer and shows him kindness, dignity and begins to explain the power of one. This has such a profound influence on Peekay that his life obsession after this meeting is to be the welterweight champion of the world. The power of one is really the power of believeing in yourself. To follow your dreams and to be authentic. Through a series of moving freindships with the adults in Peekay's life he begins to understand this. Doc, a brilliant musician and botanist plays a central role in his life and urges him to be himself and to show others his extraordinary intellect. He teaches him and shares in his love of Africa. As Peekay emerges from merely surviving to fully inhabiting his person he begins to understand more fully the power of one. He meets Geel Piet a man in prison who is more tortured than Peekay was in boarding school simply because of the color of his skin. He teaches Peekay how to box and Peekay in return accepts him for who he is and loves him. As Peekay finds his place through his acceptance of others he gains a mythical status with the African people in the community. He becomes the "tadpole angel" who can unite the black and white races together. His friendship with Morrie, who is Jewish, and also feels like an outsider has a profound effect on Peekay. At prep school for the first time he has a friend of his own age. Morrie finds that Peekay's immediate acceptance of him although he is Jewish amazing and the two find that they have much in common including their equal brilliance. Not only does Peekay's life change because of these friendships, but what he finds is that he has a profound impact on these people's life as well. There are many other people in Peekays life who influence it and move it and the reader is held spellbound as they watch the fine web that Cortenay has woven and marvels in the intricacies of life that can be conveyed through writing. This is a life changing book and the reader will be the better for having read it.

The Power of One is the story of Peekay, a young boy growing up in South Africa during World War II. After being tormented by an older bully and his stooges during his initial year of boarding school (why would anyone send their small children to boarding school--if you've been exposed to any literature at all you know boarding school is clearly a horrible experience at best), six-year-old Peekay determines to become the welter-weight boxing champion of the world. With hard work and mentoring from some unique and genuine individuals, Peekay is driven by his ultimate goals. In the meantime, Peekay transcends local racial strife to become beloved by all races in South Africa. Peekay is a true "outlier" as described by Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers. He is also likable and great fun to cheer on. The writing is splendid. In a single scene, Courtenay takes the reader through a multitude of emotions without feeling manipulated. The book is full of humor, love, sorrow, pain and joy and still doesn't feel contrived. The characters are unique and intriguing--Peekay is coached, taught and enlightened by the grizzled African criminal; the German ex-patriot professor of music and the beautiful Jewish intellectual. People are simply drawn to Peekay's sincerity, determination and potential. He is fiercely loyal to those he loves. There is something magical about this boy. The setting is exotic and teaming with stories of racism, adventures and chances. Courtenay is, quite simply, a natural and gifted story teller.

Imagine this fairy tale: A boy of English heritage is born in South Africa after the Boer war and during the rise of Nazi Germany. He suckles at the breast of a loving nanny the first 2 1/2 years of his life. Nanny provides physical and emotional nourishment. Grandpa is a male figure-head with some, but little, positive influence. Father unknown. Mother has a nervous breakdown and is sent away. At 5 yrs of age, the boy is sent to a boarding school where he is taunted, teased and physically abused. The "Judge," (an older boy with a swastika tattooed on his arm), pronounces sins committed by the boy and punishment to follow. The boy is called "Pisskop" because he wets the bed. Pisskop learns it is better to endure the torture,and never give his tormenters the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He is a determined, precocious child of genius level intelligence. But how will he survive the mistreatment by Boer children and Nazi sympathizers? He miraculously survives the torture for almost 2 years. Then, he is called to live with his grandpa and now cured mother. For this meeting, he must no longer go bare-foot. Tackies are bought from a Jewish man who renames him "Peekay." What kind of name is "Pisskop" for a nice little boy? On the train ride home, Peekay meets a professional boxer. Within 24 hours, Peekay learns about boxing, sees a boxing match, and makes a definitive decision to become the welterweight champion of the world. His mother has become a born-again Christian. His grandpa - still a figure head. Peekay walks the countryside, meets Professor Von Vollensteen - the "Doc." Doc is the fairy godfather who becomes Peekay's most devoted friend, mentor and teacher. Doc is a musician, photographer and botanist. He is later imprisoned because he is a German. Peekay is sent to a boarding school to be educated. He is far more intelligent than peers his age. He moves upward quickly in educational ranks. He wins a scholarship to the Prince of Wales School where he meets Morris, a Jewish boy of like intelligence. They become best friends. Peekay has, from 7 years of age, learned to fight as a boxer. He shows unusual talent and is given boxing lessons. His best coach is the multi-racial prisoner, Geel Piet. Peekay visits Doc in prison, takes piano lessons and boxing lessons. The Black prisoners call him "Tadpole Angel" - an angel sent to rescue them. They know that Peekay smuggled tobacco, sugar and rations to them. Peekay feels the "power of one" after winning a boxing match. But it is not only about winning - "the power of one is above all, the power to believe in yourself." Peekay and Morrie test for Rhodes scholarships. The scholarship committee believes that Peekay's boxing goals make him a lesser candidate despite his remarkable intelligence and test scores. Peekay refuses Morrie's offer to pay his tuition to Oxford. Peekay goes to work in a copper mine, earns enough to pay his own way. At the copper mine, Peekay is met by his childhood tormenter, the Judge. The Judge, in a drunken stupor, threatens to kill Peekay. Peekay is lighter and smaller, but with superior intelligence and boxing skills, he pummels the Judge in vengeance and fury. He has his revenge. He is on his way to Oxford and boxing glory. A fairy-tale? Once tormented child conquers hatred, fear and ignorance, and spreads tolerance, love and knowledge and lives happily ever after? Simple story? End of story? No, there is more. There is love and emotion intertwined within the bonding of Peekay and Professor "Doc" Von Vollensteen. Doc - a Darwinian character who grades the best by "an eleven of ten" - yes, "schmarty pants," "absoloodle"! You cannot help but love and laugh with them. And learn...Doc teaches Peekay to find botanical specimens. Doc's description of the cactus is priceless. Doc teaches Peekay to play the piano well, yet knows Peekay will never be a great pianist. There is despair. You feel racial injustice. Hatred. Whites against Blacks. Boers against rooineks (Brits). Nazis against Jews. You swell with pride when young Peekay defends and helps the Blacks who are imprisoned solely because of their color. There is humor. You laugh when fat "Big Hattie," over 6 ft. tall gets trapped between bunks in the train. There is sadness. You cry when Geel Piet is hacked to death and there is no punishment for the crime. You feel Peekay's pain when Doc goes to his death. You feel his sense of spirituality in the atmosphere surrounding Doc's body. There is much to learn - about the Boer war, the Crimean war, Nazis and Hitler, religion, education, boxing, botany, prison life in South Africa, Apartheid, South Africa. You'd like to learn more. Research. Courtenay's characterizations put you there. He makes you feel. He makes you feel that even though the character named Peekay may be a Cinderfella, and the story may be a fairy tale, too good to be true, they are what life should be about. The power of one is really one person's power to improve the world. The power of one, when achieved, is power for all. I had mixed emotions about Peekay's need for REVENGE against the Judge. Peekay was devoted to humanitarianism and justice. If revenge is a form of justice, it is a in a negative sense. But most readers would say hooray for Peekay anyway!

One of the best books I’ve ever read.

Bryce Courtenay makes THE POWER OF ONE seems so authentic that the reader is carried right into the story. The book begins when a five-year-old boy is being sent off to boarding school. He's small for his age, white and of English descent. His name is Peekay and he lives in South Africa. Up to this point in his life he's known only his family and his beloved black Nanny. Now, he's forced to take care of himself and survive under the most brutal of circumstances. The time is World War II and Peekay spends years in a boarding school where he's the only English student among Afrikaners who are sympathetic to the Nazi cause. He's beaten, tortured and treated as a "prisoner of war" by the older boys. The Afrikaners are the descendents of the Dutch and there has been a great deal of conflict between them and the English settlers who came to South Africa at a later period of time. When I first started reading this novel, I wasn't sure if I could handle the passages about the brutal treatment of the little boy. However, I quickly learned that Peekay is a spirited survivor and would make it through that horrible period of his life. On his vacations from school, he meets several people, both black and white who really influence him and teach him to work hard in order to fulfill his dreams. I found an uplifting joy in every success that Peekay experienced. This is a big book, but I looked forward to my reading sessions every day and I'm sure that part of this story will remain in my mind forever. The character of Peekay is very inspiring. Next, I plan to read the sequel, TANDIA.

I read this book for our book club and at the beginning I was completely overwhelmed. It is a very long book (over 500 pages) and the print is very small. This is not a book I would normally read and I was a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to finish it in time. Let me tell you this is, by far, one of the best books I have ever read. I wasn't enirely interested in the beginning, but after about 80 pages I was hooked. It is so different than most other books of this genre. The relationships between Peekay and everyone he encounters are so interesting, inspirational and a teaching tool. A wonderful read. I can now see why they have a school version of this book as I wanted my 12 year old to read it but there are a few parts that are not appropriate for a 12 year old boy. Mostly due to growing up and the crazy feelings that boys go through during puberty. The narrator starts as a 5 year old boy with a mentally/depressed mother and is sent to boarding school.. This sets up his relationships with mentors of every kind for the rest of his adolescence. While you are reading you are completely convinced the story is going in one direction and then does not. I wasn't sure I liked the ending until I read it three times then decided it was perfect. A great book and learning tool to understand racism of every sort, to understand ignorance, and to read about love, redemption and acceptance. This book also helps us to understand the beauty of a culture that is so different than ours and beautiful if not tamed. This is an amazing book from a very gifted author. I literally read the last three chapters over and over because I didn't want it to end. For those of you who are stuck in the middle during the prison/fighting scenes, don't give up... that's just a small part of this masterpiece. Bravo Bryce Courtenay. If you ever write the sequal I will be ready....

This book is so well written, different, interesting and heart felt. I will start the second book now! Strongly recommended!

This timeless classic is one I couldn't put down. An hour would wiz by in no time. Such a well crafted masterpiece, it almost felt like reading a true story. Entertaining, insightful and educational...

Un des plus beaux romans que j'ai lus ces dernières années ! Roman d'éducation, dans un domaine qui pourtant n'est pas du tout un sport que je partage (la boxe), qui vous tient en haleine tout au long de ses pages. Je limitais mon temps de lecture à la fin pour faire durer le plaisir plus longtemps.

Das Buch ist sehr gut geschrieben, der Film ist mit einer hervorragenden Besetzung einer der besten Filme, die ich gesehen habe. Mindestens viermal gesehen, jedesmal gleich gut!

I have read this book multiple times over the years. It’s such a beautiful, raw and heart wrenching book. You develop love for the characters and feel engrossed through out. Bryce Courtenay paints a picture from the start as you are taken along this incredible journey of struggle, hope and determination. I recommend this book highly as well as many of his others.

It's perfect. Mint condition and the best book I've ever read. Will read it over and over again. For those that don't know, Tandia is the 2nd part of this book. Half way through Peekay makes his entrance. Definitely get Tandia as well!

Bello, bellissimo. Non lo conoscevo. Ho visto il libro e mi sono innamorata del romanzo... da leggere... sul kindle è ancora più comodo.