The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay

Riveting story about a boy raised in South Africa during the apartheid. I’m not a boxing fan but this story is about so much more than that. I found my self totally caught up in the story of Peekay, a child sent to boarding school when he was just 5 years old. At first I wasn’t sure I would be able to stick with the story of Peekay’s unhappy childhood but I couldn’t help but root for his success in overcoming adversity. Each character introduced into Peekay’s life brought an enrichment to it and formed the basis for his moral values.

It’s roughly based on Courtenay’s own life while growing up in Africa and was his first novel, which he never intended to publish. I’m glad he did!