Product Description

No stranger to the injustice of racial hatred, five-year-old Peekay learns the hard way the first secret of survival and self-preservation - the power of one. An encounter with amateur boxer Hoppie Groenewald inspires in Peekay a fiery ambition - to be welterweight champion of the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #211809 in Books
• Published on: 1998-08-06
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 640 pages

Customer Reviews

Fantastic book, 5 crowns coud never do it justice
The Power of One an amazing book, I was sometimes struck by the fact that surley no one man could achieve as much as Peekay did, but was so compleled I had to read on and on. Bryce Courtenay's masterpiece drags you avidly through the political struggles of South Africa. The emotional roller coaster of joy and tears never ceased to amaze me. I could not put it down at all. I read it in one go, starting at 7am one Saturday morning, I planned to read for an hour or so but ended up reading it until I turned the last page at 3am the following morning!

The sequel to this book Tandia is well worth reading too, I found the ending a little weak...

A book I would not be without
I first read this book several years ago after finding a copy of it on a coffee table at work. After idly reading one page I was hooked. I bought my own copy of the book and am currently reading it for the fourth time.
It is a magnificent story of an English boy's life set in South Africa in the mid twentieth century. While it does deal with racism, predjudice and man's inhumanity to his fellows, it is also an inspirational story of how a human being can survive cruelty with determination and love. Characters like The Judge, Hoppie Groenewald, Big Hettie, Doc, Giel Piet and Lt Borman show humanity in all it's forms. The locations and the story are wonderful. It is a book that can make you laugh and cry and is much more than just a story about a boy's journey through life. It is an inspirational story, and I would not want to be without this book.

BY FAR THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ
I found out after reading The Power Of One that it based on Bryce Courtenay's life. Wow. Watch the film first, because the book is so good that the film is a letdown (although I think it is a good film on its own). The characters are larger than life and the story is inspiring. I bought the junior edition for my son. He says that it is also the best book he has ever read.