The Power of One
Bryce Courtenay Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)

Books

Movies

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Mystery/Thriller

Literature

Romance

Biography

History

Bryce Courtenay Books	New book search	Bryce Courtenay Message Board
Get more information about this book

Plot Summary of The Power of One
"The Power of One is a novel based on war, prejudice, and aparthied in South Africa in the 1930's. It's about Peekay, a precocious British chid whose mother suffers from depression. He is sent to boarding school, and is constantly bullied and teased by other kids, especially an older kid called "the judge". Peekay survives the first school and then encounters some very important people, including Hoppie, the boxing champion of the railways, who tells Peekay about many things, including life, prejudice, and boxing. " SaxanRG, Resident Scholar
"The Power of One will take its readers on a journey during the time of apartheid in South Africa. Peekay, a precocious British boy, faces many challenges and learns how to deal with the South African culture and the many adversities that come his way. Throughout his childhood, Peekay meets several people that impact his life deeply. On the train to Barberton, he meets Hoppie, a boxing champion who works with the railways. Hoppie introduces Peekay to boxing, forever changing his life. From then on, Peekay has the ambition to dominate the world of boxing. Before meeting Hoppie, though, Peekay was sent to boarding school, where he was tortured and bullied on to no end. Boxing helped Peekay physically and mentally to overcome his fears and to defend himself. This is a book that teaches the values of friendship, and the importance of confidence and determination, the power of one. " EAcurio, Resident Scholar
"The Power of One is a novel about a young British boy, Peekay, who grows up in South Africa during WWII. Throughout this novel, Peekay has many encounters that change his life, some more positive than others. His frist experience with hate and prejudice came at an early age. An older boy at Peekay's first boarding school, who was called "The Judge", was a Boer, an Afrikaner. The Boers hate the British because the British are trying to change South Africa. Peekay is discriminated against by "The Judge" on many occasions. He is peed on, beat on, degrated, and forced to eat human waste. On occasion changed Peekay's life forever. His best animal friend, a chicken named Grandpa Chook, was stoned to death by The Judge and Jury. On Peekay's train ride home he meets Hoppie Groenwald, a professional Welter Weight boxer. Hoppie puts this outrageous idea in Peekay's head that Peekay can become the next Welter Weight Champion of the World. Hoppie's appearance in the novel is very short but very important. Hoppie tells Peekay to always say to himself "First with the Head, then with the Heart". This saying stays with Peekay and becomes essential to his life. Peekay then meets Doc, a German scientist who is also a professional classical musician. Doc teaches Peekay to always think, always ask questions. Doc encourages Peekay to NEVER hide his intellect. Doc however, is put into the Barberton Prison because he is a German. Doc receives special treatement from the Kommandant and guards for his accomplishments. He is allowed to keep his piano at the prison and continue private lessons with Peekay among many other things. Peekay also begins taking lessons on boxing from Lt. Smit. He coaches the Barberton Blues and holds practices at the prison gym in the mornings. The Barberton Blues compete in many tournaments throughout South Africa. Peekay soon becomes the youngest and the best boxer on the squad. Much of Peekay's success is due to a black prisoner named Geel Piet. Geel Piet was looked down upon as scum of the earth except when he was coaching in the ring. Geel Piet became a dear friend of Peekay and his death greatly affected Peekay. Ms. Borenstien helps Peekay recieve a scholarship to yet another boarding school in Johannesburg called The Prince of Whales School. There he meets his first friend of the same age named Morrie. Peekay realized that without Geel Piet, his dream of becoming Welter Weight Champion would never come true. He discusses this with Morrie and the two place a rather large bet on a rugby match to earn enough money to pay for a coach. Solly Goldman ran a gym where he taught people how to box. Blacks and whites arn't allowed to fight in public for the same title. Solly furthers Peekay in boxing and Peekay has never lost a boxing match--ever. Morrie attends a boxing match of Peekay and sees just how horrible segregation is. The two boys start a school for the blacks. They feel that the blacks deserve just as much of an education as anyone else. Crested sapwood supportable noradrenaline runout. " Alissa, Resident Scholar
"The Power of One is a coming of age story revolving around a young British boy named Peekay. When the boy's mother suffers from a nervous breakdown he is sent off to a boarding school. This school is full of Boers, Afrikaaners who hate the British for trying to control the government. This is where Peekay first experiences extreme hatred for being different. He is tortured and demeaned by an older boy who he calls "The Judge". This boy and his friends pee on him, beat, make him eat feces and kill his animal friend in the time that Peekay is at the first boarding school. After two years, Peekay is called back home which is now in Barberton. In order to get to his new home he must take a train ride that will forever change his life. On the train Peekay meets Hoppie Groenwald, a pro welter weight boxer that teaches Peekay, "First with the head, then with the heart that's how you'll get ahead from the start". He plants the dream in Peekay to become welter weight champion of the world. He also becomes the first friend of Peekays. When Peekay arrives in Barberton (his new home) he soon meets Doc. An elderly gentleman who becomes a mentor and friend to Peekay. Doc gets arrested for being a German alien during the war and gets taken to Barberton Prison. While visiting Doc at the prison Peekay meets his first boxing coaches, Luitenant Smit and Geel Piet. Geel Piet is a black man, so he is discriminated against. Soon Geel Piet becomes more than a boxing coach to Peekay, he becomes a friend. When Geel is brutally murdered Peekay witnesses the first death of a friend. As Peekay's boxing career progresses he never loses a boxing match. He becomes known to the blacks as the "Tadpole Angel" Soon Peekay goes to a second boarding school where he meets another important friend, Maury, a witty Jewish boy. They quickly bond, Maury starts to manage the wrestling team and seeing Peekays talent, the two begin a betting ring. They rake in the winnings because Peekay NEVER loses. When Peekay returns home on break from school he hears that Doc had gone missing, he soon figures out he has passes away and has to come to grips with losing his first best friend. Peekay sees the inequality in the education of blacks and starts up a night school for the black boxers which is quickly shut down by authorities. Peekay applies to Oxford, gets accepted but does not get the scholarship he needs to attend. He decides to take a year off between school and college and work in the mines to earn the money. Peekay finishes the mining classes and starts working. A man living in the camps befriends him, his name is Rasputin. Although the two do not speak the same language the connect through classical music and share a silent commradarie. One day while working in the mine an explosion does not go as planned and Peekay is trapped beneath tons of rubble. Rasputin comes to his rescue and save him, in the process losing his own life. " R. Attaway, Resident Scholar
"The book opens with a white British 5-year-old being sent away from his home (and his sympathetic black nanny, who provides him with a lifelong understanding of black South African culture) on a South African chicken farm, to a rural, barely-civilized boarding school where all the other kids are Afrikaans. It's the late 1930s, and the Afrikaaners (Boers) hate the British, so the boy comes in for an enormous amount of physical and mental abuse - and acquires his nickname, Pisskop, which he later co-opts, calling himself 'Peekay' (in fact, we never learn his 'real' name - he becomes a one-name hero). From there, we follow Peekay as he grows up over the next 12 years, becoming a successful scholar and a boxer, and in the process we learn a great deal about the political and racial situation in South Africa as it existed between about 1938-1950." Sarah Welstead, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of The Power of One

Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).

Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - depressed
Time/era of story - 1930's-1950's
Kids growing up/acting up? Yes
Political/social activism Yes
Plotlet: - minorities fighting for rights
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
Parents/lack of parents problem? - boarding school! (wack wack!)

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - student
Age: - a kid
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
Ethnicity/Nationality - British
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Very much smarter than other characters
Physique - very athletic - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - a teen
Profession/status: - student
Eccentric/Smart/Dumb: Yes
Eccentric: - emotionally unstable - dumb
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Cynical sense of humor
Intelligence - Dumb
Physique - bulging muscles

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 (a significant amount)
Africa Yes
Kind of Africa: - Black Africa - White Enclave
Small town? Yes
Small town people: - nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting - prison

Style
Person - mostly 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - very explicit references to deaths and torture
Amount of dialog - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog

Most similar books to The Power of One
Back Home by Michelle Magorian
The Small Rain by Madeleine L'Engle
A Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell
God Don't Like Ugly by Mary Monroe
Where the Lilies Bloom by Vera and Bill Cleaver

Click here for more information about this book

Bryce Courtenay Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:

Louisa Eggleton

SCHOLARS: Sarah Welstead R. Attaway EAcurio Alissa SaxanRG milkiwei Alexander Simon Sara Mitchell

Search for another book

Bryce Courtenay

Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

Use our site!
Feedback
About us
Bribe your congressman!
Rudy Giuliani

Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Online Dating Advice
Southampton Row 4:54:40 AM
George W. Bush 2:35:28 AM
Megan Whalen Turner 1:11:22 AM
Robert Stanek 11:36:14 PM
Gordon Korman 11:31:13 PM
Suzanne Collins 10:33:41 PM
Adele Geras 9:27:08 PM
Libba Bray 6:34:03 PM
Online Dating Advice 4:49:57 PM
David Pelzer 4:02:14 PM
General Discussion (All Topics) 3:39:55 PM
Teri Woods 2:37:27 PM
Ellen Hopkins 2:10:41 PM
Ray Bradbury 12:33:12 PM
The worst part of the Lord of the Rings 10:48:28 AM
Audrey Niffenegger 12:35:29 AM
Cassie Edwards 11:17:01 PM
Terry Brooks 8:59:21 PM
Walter Dean Myers 8:32:48 PM
Robert Cormier 4:38:38 PM

More message boards

The Power of One Bryce Courtenay Book Review

The Power of One
Bryce Courtenay Book Review