First with your head and then with your heart . . .
Bryce Courtenay is the bestselling author of The Power of One, Tandia, April Fool's Day, The Potato Factory, Tommo & Hawk, Solomon's Song, Jessica, A Recipe for Dreaming, The Family Frying Pan, The Night Country, Smoky Joe's Cafe, Four Fires, Matthew Flinders' Cat, Brother Fish, Whitethorn, Sylvia, The Persimmon Tree, Fishing for Stars, The Story of Danny Dunn, Fortune Cookie and Jack of Diamonds. Bryce Courtenay AM passed away in November 2012, aged seventy-nine, at his home in Canberra.
" "The Power of One "has everything: suspense, the exotic,
violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures,
drama in the boxing ring."
- "The New York Times" "From the Hardcover edition."
""The Power of One "has everything: suspense, the exotic, violence;
mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures, drama in the
boxing ring."
-"The New York Times" "From the Hardcover edition."
Gr 6 Up-The opening chapters of this haunting autobiographical novel, set in small-town South Africa during World War II, are as bleak and violent as anything written for young people. Five-year-old Peekay is the only English-speaking boy in a harsh Afrikaans-language boarding school. He is urinated on by a pack of older boys, and then beaten for it by the matron. Although he endures many losses, he grows through his experiences. His goal is to become a boxer, and the story shows how hard work can lead to success. Peekay forges loving relationships with adults, most notably Doc, a German professor. When Doc is detained as an enemy alien, Peekay's life becomes intertwined with the local prison. It is there that he learns to box and becomes a secret ally of the black prisoners. Courtenay's deft and chillingly accurate characterization of the Afrikaner prison warders. The author is unsparing in his portrayal of the brutality meted out to prisoners and in his depiction of racist speech. Courtenay's ear for dialogue is impressive, and he consistently captures the cadences of South African speech. Peekay's story is written in a direct, almost childlike style, which sometimes seems bland, but readers will be swept along by the events in the protagonist's life. The book packs a powerful emotional punch, evoking horror, laughter, and empathy. It is a condensed version of the first part of Courtenay's adult book of the same title, and the ending feels artificial and unresolved. In all, this is an extraordinary and unusual survival story, and one that should inspire young people feeling battered by the circumstances of their own lives.-Sue Giffard, Ethical Culture Fieldston School, New York City Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
" "The Power of One "has everything: suspense, the exotic,
violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures,
drama in the boxing ring."
- "The New York Times"
"From the Hardcover edition."
"From the Hardcover edition."
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
