Bryce Courtenay

Follows Peekay, a white British boy in South Africa during World War II, between the ages of five and eleven, as he survives an abusive boarding school and goes on to succeed in life and the boxing ring, with help from a chicken, a boxer, a pianist, black African prisoners, and many others.

A young English boy, orphaned in a foreign land and terrorized for his political belief, turns to boxing. As he grows up fighting with his fists and leading with his heart, he takes on the system and the social injustices around him--finding that one person really can make a difference.