Tissues
needed? possibly a few
Overall
rating: 4 stars
Summary:
On the verge
of WWII, a young boy in South Africa is forced to grow up quickly when he is
sent to a boarding school. Racial identity is everything; Peekay is the “wrong”
race, and so gets bullied horribly by older students. He then has a chance
meeting with a boxer that forever changes his life. Later Peekay develops a
relationship with a German professor of music. In addition to being a great
learner, Peekay realizes that he has great abilities to adapt. He uses these
skills and learns a most important lesson about the power within himself: the
power of one.
Reaction:
By chance I checked out the YA version of this novel, so the
adult version carries the story farther—at some point I think I will enjoy
reading that. The Power of One wasn’t a quick or easy read, but it was
thought-provoking and inspirational. I don’t like boxing, but appreciated the
discipline and thinking that went into it. Some of the fight scenes (both
boxing and bullying) were fairly graphic, so I did skim some of those
descriptions. It was also interesting to read about South Africa, especially
during WWII. I think it would be intriguing to learn more about that country’s
history and how the different groups function together.
Thanks to Jody at Mud Hut Mama for recommending this author/book! :)
Peekay’s interest in boxing changed his future. What have
you learned that has shaped your life?
I was wondering when I would see a post from you about a book I had read and here it is. I read this years ago (although not the YA version) and loved it but had completely forgotten about it until recently when I found another Bryce Courtenay book - Four Fires. It's about Australia and also has some boxing in it. I'm not a boxing fan but I love the way he tells stories of a place through his characters.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading one of "your picks!" I wonder if Courtenay was also a boxer? Did you know he died recently? I would never have noticed that story except you'd just recommended him, so the headline jumped out at me.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know that - what a shame. I'm embarrassed to admit that I still haven't finished Four Fires - I am thoroughly enjoying it but just can't find the time to pick it up as much as I would like. I will definitely be looking for more of his books.
ReplyDelete