Power Of One- Bryce Courtenay

Our book discussion for this month is Power of One by Bryce Courtenay.  I read this book in one of my literature classes at UCSD.  There were many books that I sold after the quarter was over and but for some reason, I couldn't let go of this book.  Rereading the book for a second time I understood why.  It felt like I was reading it for the first time.  Granted it's been about 15 years since I read this book.  I had forgotten about many of the characters that Peekay comes in contact with during his early life but the one thing that I remembered during and after the last word was read was the feelings and emotions that was arouse once more.  It's a feeling of true triumph of a boy turned man.  His victories were of him and beyond him.    

One aspect that I really appreciated about the book was the author's focus on Peekay's character development from boy to man without the common addition, usually found in other fiction books, of a love affair or girl crush to divert Peekay's focus and, consequently, the story's message.   There were some hints of his hormonal developments coming to natural maturity but the author didn't have sex be a part critical turning point of Peekay's maturity into manhood. He didn't sell out his virginity to the admiring girls of his hometown nor did he get raped by the large brutes of the copper mine town.  Thus, I thought the author mirrored Peekay's life very closely to the way he viewed Africa.  

Here are some discussion questions that I put together for our upcoming discussion.  

1. There are many characters that come into Peekay's life but what group affects him more?  Is it his nanny, inkosi-Inkosikazi, Hoppie, Doc, and Geel Piet?  Or is it Mevrou, the Judge, Sergeant Borman, and his mother?

2.  Peekay seemed to have a natural way of creating his own families when seemed nearly an orphan himself.   Who were his family?  Why were they so devoted to Peekay?  Who was absent in Peekay's life and how did it (or not) affect him?

3. Peekay had an opportunity to throw a fight against his nanny's true son and be rid of his Tadpole image.  Why do you think Peekay change his mind on how he was going to fight that night?

4.  Peekay is able to connect to a world beyond what can be seen and experienced by others. Cite some of these examples of this.  Who taught him how to transform his thoughts?  Who joined him in these experiences and what does it represent?  How does this affect Peekay?

5. What is the Power of One?  When and how did Peekay discover this?   Do you have the power of one within you?  Or in your past?  Was there a situation where you had to overcome an ordeal in which only you could resolve on your own?

6. There seems to be something mystical or religious about Peekay and the world around him.  Do you think this was Peekay's imagination to recreate a world that could better protect him? 

7.  Why did Peekay decline the scholarship and decide instead to work in the copper mines?  What was the significance of his decision?  

8.  Survival seems to be based largely on one's network of people to lean on and band together in order to beat the system.  Cite some examples of this.  

9. In contrast, does being an individual, being "one" open up one's vulnerability?  How does standing on one's own help one survive in such a system?  

10. What do you think of Doc?  How did he nurture Peekay's development from boy to man?  What significance would you give Doc in Peekay's life?  

11. Racism is woven throughout the countryside.  How does Peekay perceive this racial world that the author has depicted?  

12.  Death seems to follow Peekay.  Was this the sign of the times in Peekay's world?  Discuss the deaths of some of the characters and how Peekay was affected by them.  How did it change his world?

13. In a twist of fate, Peekay comes face to face with the Judge once more.  What did this encounter represent?  Did Peekay finally find closure to his early childhood experiences at the boarding school?

     

  

A Silver Lining

Armchair Travelers Book Club members all prayed for sunshine.  It was a brisk morning and most of us were working away at 5:30 am preparing for the event.    The sky was dark and gray with some pockets of sky peeking through, giving us false hope that the clouds would thin out, blow out, or hold out on the impending rain until after our first charity yard sale was over.  The rain would have surely killed the mood and kept the shoppers away.

The weather took care of us well until around 9:00 am.  It began to mist and then the real drops started to fall.  We scrambled between both houses to grab what we could and drag the goods into our garages where things wouldn't get ruined from the wetness.  And in spite of the rain, people continued to come and browse our tables full of books, toys, clothes, furniture, and housewares.   

For 50 cents, one man walked away with our last book selection, Monique and the Mango Rains, for his wife who was a peace corp volunteer like the book's author Holloway;   For an extra couple of quarters in our donation box, he drove away enjoying a couple of great homemade cookies.   

Some people wanted to bargain a $2.00 set of six ceramic coffee cups down to $1.00 while others gave more then what was asked for charity's sake.  And the cookies that Amy and Jen made brought smiles to the young restless kids who had to accompany their parents on a wet Saturday morning. 

A cute young couple showed up.  She was looking for stuff for him and he dug through a box of purses for her.  They left with an arm load of books and a few other things.  Two friends also spent their morning together perusing neighborhoods for good bargain finds.  For a moment, I wanted to do what these couples were doing.  Finding moments like these to bond and secure relationships and friendships.  But then I thought, what a wonderful memory we were creating that day, with good friends, we were doing something larger then all of us could do as a single person.  It was a bonding moment for us too.  And to have an opportunity to positively contribute to a greater cause then just selfishly praying for sunshine on that Saturday morning, I hope we had a chance to answer someone prayers if not our own.

We extended our charity yard sale an hour past our scheduled closing time of 11 am.  Damp in our clothes, the sun came out as the last customer was walking away with a bargain bag full of children's clothes- for $1.00!  We couldn't have done this without all the friends, family, and neighbors who donated the goods for our first charity event.  We raised nearly $700 for charity.  It was surely our silver lining on that rainy Saturday morning.  Thank you, thank you, thank you, to all who made this first event more successful that we could  have anticipated.   

  

1st Annual Charity Yard Sale

HUGE Two House Charity Yard Sale This Saturday!!!

Armchair Travelers Book Club is holding their 1st annual charity fundraising. Please stop by rain or shine on January 24th, 2009 and support a great cause!!

Ski and winter wear, children's toys and clothes, bikes, helmets

Women and men’s clothing

Jewelry, hundreds of books, book shelves

shoes – tons of shoes! And purses

Children’s items: baby seats, gyms, swings, strollers

Bed frame, picture frames

music and movie discs, housewares and holiday items

All proceeds of this fundraiser will go to Central Asia Institute, a non profit organization, whose main focus is building schools in remote villages of central Asia.

Location: 21 and 23 El Prisma

When: January 24, 2009

Time: 7am to 11am

Thank you for your support!

Armchair Travelers Book Club

Welcome to Armchair Travelers Book Club Review

Hello fellow readers, friends, and family!

Armchair Travelers Book Club is made up of 10 women in Rancho Santa Margarita, California.   The love of reading and enriching our minds through books became the building blocks of our foundation of friendship and community three years ago.

The books we chose to read coincidently always ventured into areas where we were most unfamiliar of its lands, culture, people, foods, political standings, education, or religious beliefs. From our well worn armchairs and couches, we traveled outside of our south Orange County homes to Iran, France, Africa, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and even outer space.  

Many of the characters and authors seemed to do things so remarkably beyond their own daily existence that it wasn't hard for us to rally behind them and feel their sense of triumph of overcoming great obstacles and goals.  They found strength when many would have given up long before.  They kept promises so large that many would think that there was no chance in hell that he or she, as one person, could possibly make a significant difference.

Then came our book Three Cups of Tea.   Greg Mortenson was our real hero.  A young man who attempted to climb K2, fatefully found himself lost in the snow covered mountains,and serendipitously stumbled into a remote village of Korphe in Northern Pakistan.  Learning that the children of the village were lacking the basic supplies and tools for a basic education, he promised his hospitable hosts to return and build a school for their children and future generations.   Risking his life at times, he never forgot his promise, and 78 schools later, he has now been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.  

So during our scheduled discuss of Three Cups of Tea, we felt compelled to help our new found hero in his mission to building schools for children in central Asia.  It's a couple of his mottos of 'books not bombs' will bring peace throughout the world and 'when you educate a girl and you educate a community' that we thought was too inspiring to let it wisp away after the last page was read and last word was spoken of this book.  

Forming Armchair Travelers Book Club then took on an entirely new meaning beyond the comfortable settings of our living rooms for some social chatter.  Wanting to do more to help Mortenson's cause, we are now holding our first annual charity fundraiser.  All proceeds raised will go to CAI, Central Asia Institute, Mortenson's non profit organization.   

We have slowly been collecting books, household items, shoes, children's clothes, dvds, electronics, and toys which will be for sale at our first annual charity yard sale.  The event will be held Saturday, January 24th from 7am to 11am at 21 and  23 El Prisma. 

Thank you to all of our friends and family who have donated items for this event.  Our ability to give to this cause extends through to your generosity and we can't thank you enough.   It costs about $1 per month to educate a young child in some of these remote areas.    Your generosity will make an impact beyond what we will ever know.  

Sincerely-

Armchair Travelers Book Club

Rancho Santa Margarita, CA