This continues with an older boy, the Judge, and his partners who further punish him for his frequent bedwetting with verbal and physical abuse. The students call him Piskop (meaning piss-head) and rooinek ( redneck-a name given to the British soldiers during the Second Boer War) as a result of the helmets and short hair cuts leaving their necks exposed, resulting in severe sunburn, among other names. As the youngest student attending the school, he is frequently harassed. At a young age, Peekay is sent to a boarding school. The story begins when Peekay's mother has a nervous breakdown, and Peekay ends up being raised by a Zulu wet nurse, Mary Mandoma, who eventually becomes his nanny. The Power of One follows an English-speaking South African boy named Peekay from 1939 to 1951. It is written from the first person perspective, with Peekay narrating (as an adult, looking back) and trusting the reader with his thoughts and feelings, as opposed to a detailed description of places and account of actions.

The author identifies 'Peekay' as a reference to his earlier nickname 'Piskop': Afrikaans for 'Pisshead.') (In the movie version, the protagonist's given name is Peter Phillip Kenneth Keith, but not in the book. Set in South Africa during the 1930s and 1940s, it tells the story of an English boy who, through the course of the story, acquires the name of Peekay.

The Power of One is a novel by Australian author Bryce Courtenay, first published in 1989. This book is so well written and will forever be on my short list of must- reads.576 pp (UK hardback edition) & 518 pp (US paperback edition)Ģ-9 (UK hardback edition), ISBN 2-5 (US paperback edition) & ISBN 0-14-130489-8 (children's adaptation) The relationship that Peekay develops with the Doc will touch your soul and inspire you to want to think deeper and explore your life more fully – “first with the head, then with the heart.” He shows us the power of one to change life for the better. Peekay overcomes significant adversity as he seeks to become the welter-weight champion of the world. The author, Bryce Courtenay, brings to life some very vivid characters including Grandpa Chook, the Judge, Professor von Vollensteen (Doc), his best friend Hymie, and Herr Pete. It is the story of a young British boy, Peekay, as he comes of age in apartheid South Africa around the time of WWII. I have recommended it to many people with overall very positive feedback (though I have to say, from my experience, that men tend to like this one more than women).

For years I have considered this my favorite book and it is one of a few I have read multiple times.

The power of one author bryce courtenay