The Power of One

The book I have chosen to recommend...is The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay, published in 1989. I did not read this in high school but as an adult about five years ago. I continue to recommend it to friends and am planning to suggest it to some of my advanced readers in 7th grade at Redwood Middle School.

I found this book extremely engrossing and powerful. It is the story of a young white (English) boy growing up in South Africa in the 1930’s. Peekay, the main character’s name, is sent to boarding school at the tender age of 5 and suffers many torments by the older boys who are Afrikaners and hate the English. They physically abuse Peekay, kill his pet chicken, and make his life miserable. Throughout these years of anguish, Peekay somehow manages to survive. He meets a small black man, Hoppie, who is a talented fighter, who takes Peekay under his wing and teaches him to box. Peekay, altho ugh small, becomes able to defend himself against the older, bigger boys who bully him.

Peekay meets an old music professor, whom he calls Doc, who is supposed to be teaching him music. Doc becomes Peekay’s close friend and teaches him about everything. Doc is a truly good man who is also extremely wise.

During the entire book, Peekay and Doc and Hoppie all are affected by the brewing war in Europe, the fear of the Nazis, the racial hatred between whites and blacks, and English/Afrikaners/Germans. Peekay grows into a talented well-known boxer who becomes welterweight champion of the world. His triumph against all the odds is a testament to the power of the human spirit and thus the title, The Power of One.

I think that your students would find this character very appealing. The ability of Peekay to overcome his seemingly insurmountable personal obstacles and the prejudice and politics of South Africa is very inspiring. Students should be able to connect his experiences to their own lives, and probably find that their own problems are minimal compared to those of Peekay. I absolutely LOVED this book and went on to read the sequel, Tandia, which tells of a mixed black/Indian girl and the terrible injustices/prejudices she endures in South Africa. Peekay meets Tandia and his story continues. The only caveat to my recommendations is that The Power of One and Tandia both contain some violent scenes and sexual abuse. Readers must be mature.

Best Regards

(originally posted at: Queen Mona)