The Power of One by Bryce Courtney

1st Review by Jana
I found this book to be an inspiration. It outlined the cruelty that the black people had to endure. I love how the unthinkable happened when a white man was destined to lead the the blacks and bring all races together. I now relise one person can make a difference in the world and if we all tried to help our fellow man then what a beautiful world it would be. I have reccommended this book to plenty of my friends and family and they all agree with me, your book is a master piece and it speaks to your soul. Once you read the power of one your way of thinking is changed forever.
2nd Review by Judith Miller
Bryce Courtenay makes THE POWER OF ONE seems so authentic that the reader is carried right into the story.
The book begins when a five-year-old boy is being sent off to boarding school. He's small for his age, white and of English descent. His name is Peekay and he lives in South Africa. Up to this point in his life he's known only his family and his beloved black Nanny. Now, he's forced to take care of himself and survive under the most brutal of circumstances. The time is World War II and Peekay spends years in a boarding school where he's the only English student among Afrikaners who are sympathetic to the Nazi cause. He's beaten, tortured and treated as a "prisoner of war" by the older boys. The Afrikaners are the descendents of the Dutch and there has been a great deal of conflict between them and the English settlers who came to South Africa at a later period of time.
When I first started reading this novel, I wasn't sure if I could handle the passages about the brutal treatment of the little boy. However, I quickly learned that Peekay is a spirited survivor and would make it through that horrible period of his life. On his vacations from school, he meets several people, both black and white who really influence him and teach him to work hard in order to fulfill his dreams. I found an uplifting joy in every success that Peekay experienced.
This is a big book, but I looked forward to my reading sessions every day and I'm sure that part of this story will remain in my mind forever. The character of Peekay is very inspiring.