The Power of One

by Bryce Courtenay

Book Overview

"The Power of One has everything: suspense, the exotic, violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures, drama." -The New York Times "Unabashedly uplifting . . . asserts forcefully what all of us would like to believe: that the individual, armed with the spirit of independence-'the power of one'-can prevail." -Cleveland Plain Dealer In 1939, as Hitler casts his enormous, cruel shadow across the world, the seeds of apartheid take root...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034541005X
• ISBN13: 9780345410054
• Release Date: September 1996
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 12 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 7 to 12

Customer Reviews

Great book. Poorly published.

This is a wonderfully written book and an inspiring epic journey. Be careful though. If you don’t like reading extremely small print. The paperback is very fine small print. But do not get the hardcover as it is the children’s version with pictures and is not the original novel for adults.

The Power of One

THE POWER OF ONE and THE LION THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE-Two totally dissimilar books but each read avidly by middle school kids across the world- It helps if the teacher provides a background of the Boer War, Apartheid and the Blitz but after that-the kids eat up these two. The strength of the two is in the "power of one" but more than that both books have stories and plots and the good guy wins!

THIS IS ABSOLUTELY AN EXCELLENT BOOK

Like the Kite Runner, this is a great come "full circle" book. Hard to put down. You will not be disappointed.

The Hardcover is a Condensed edition!

I love this book so I thought I'd buy a hardcover edition. I didn't know it until the book arrived that it is a "young readers' condensed edition". If you are looking for a shortened version of the story for a young adult, choose this one, otherwise pick up the paperback edition.

Skip the movie, Read the Book FIRST

Annotation: An inspiration story of a young man named Peekay who struggles in South Africa during World War II to find that it only takes one to change the world. Peekay overcomes obstacles by using his courage to show the power of one. Author Bio: Bryce Courtenay was born in 1933 in South Africa. He arrived in Australia in 1958 and a year later became an Australian Citizen. He is married to Benita. He also has three sons with her. Courtenay began an advertising career at age twenty six and within five years, he had become Australia's youngest creative director. He retired full time in 1993 to become a writer. Power of One was his first novel and became an international bestseller. The book is translated into eleven different labguages. The book has sold over two million copies. Courtenay also wrote a book, April Fool's Day, in which it was wrote about his youngest son who died in 1991 from AIDS. Evaluation: I was fist introduced to Courtenay's book when I saw his movie in the seventh grade. Four years later, I decided to read the story behind the movie in this novel. There is no comparison. The movie is a amended summarization of the book and although it is very inspirational, it is not as life changing as the book. I was enthralled in the hardships of Peekay's life as a growing boy in South Africa. He faces many obstacles in racial discriminations with the Afrikaaners since he was English. It is astonishing to see how this boy not only survived his childhood; he also made a tremendous impact on South African society by using the power of one. Peekay meets many people along his journey that only flavors the soup pot. This book was a life changing event for me. Not only did I feel like crying and helping Peekay with his mission, I felt like I have to make an impact on society today. This book receives my highest rating and I can not wait to begin reading it again.

An absolutely amazing and riveting novel

The Power of One is without a doubt, one of most compelling novels I've ever read, and what prompted me into researching a bit into the history of the African (and European) people under Apartheid living in South Africa. The book, although from a British perspective, seems very unbiased, unlike what you might be thinking. The Power of One begins with the main character (who names himself Peekay) heading off to boarding school, away from his beloved nanny, and into the arms of Boers (Dutch, also called Afrikaners), who not only despise him for being British but despise him as a human being. Throughout boarding school, Peekay is ridiculed but promises himself that he'll never cry again. Although Peekay looses a friend (Grandpa Chook- a chicken of all things), he comes to realize the horrible riff that lies between the Dutch and the British. After leaving boarding school, Peekay encounters a man who teaches him about some of the essentials of what he believed was the power of one, and from this man (a Boer) he discovers his love of boxing, which became his obsession, becoming Welterweight Champion of the World became his goal and his life. This is just the idea behind the power of one, and the introduction of the story. From there, the book tells about the many people Peekay encounters throughout his life and the influence they had upon him and what he believed was the power of one. But what struck me was really how beautifully written the novel is and the way it combines wit, humor, drama, and the everyday troubles of life, and still manages to get its message across and entertain the reader. Just an absolutely incredible novel that sets across a striking vision of South Africa before and during the terror that was Apartheid.