The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (1989)

The Power of One follows the life of a boy in South Africa in the 1940s and '50s, beginning when he is five years old, the only English-heritage student at an Africaner (Boer-heritage) boarding school, and ending when he has just finished a stint of dangerous work in a copper mine to make enough money to attend Oxford University. The young hero, Peekay, becomes a winner in the literal sense of the word, rising to the top of every class and becoming an undefeated boxing champion and a rugby star. In an unlikely development, he comes to be a symbol of freedom for several black tribes. The story is so unrelentingly uplifting that it becomes unbelievable after a while, so that, in spite of the realistic style, it seems to be almost an allegory about the ability of an individual to make a difference.

The novel is also a lesson about racial and cultural prejudice. Peekay learns his first lesson about intolerance when he is persecuted and physically abused at the boarding school because of the continuing animosity between the Boers and English, even though the two groups have supposedly united to rule the black native population. As he grows older, he is confronted with examples of bigoted preconceptions about the black and colored population and about the Germans and the Jews, and even experiences the judgmental attitudes of conservative Christians. Throughout, Peekay is able to transcend the prevailing prejudices and to judge others on their individual merits.

The novel is saved from being overly preachy and moralistic by the fact that Courtenay is a fine storyteller and an engaging writer. The adventures of Peekay are always interesting, even when the reader comes to realize that he will inevitably come out on top. I was particularly impressed by Courtenay's detailed accounts of boxing matches, because I found them exciting and easily visualized, even though I have never watched a full boxing match.

I would characterize this novel as entertaining popular fiction. It was a best seller in Australia, where Courtenay resided as an adult after growing up in South Africa.. Parts of this book are supposedly fictionalized autobiography.