The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Publisher: Viking Press
Publication Date: June 2013
Categories: Nonfiction, United States, Olympics
Source: Viking Press via NetGalley
Description:
Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream,The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant.
The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in each other that makes them a victorious team. They remind the country of what can be done when everyone quite literally pulls together—a perfect melding of commitment, determination, and optimism.
Drawing on the boys’ own diaries and journals, their photos and memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream,The Boys in the Boat is an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate story of nine working-class boys from the American west who, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what true grit really meant.
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| About Daniel James Brown |
My Thoughts:
When Daniel James Brown publishes a new book I don’t have to think twice about whether or not to read it. I’ve been enamored of everything of his that I’ve read and this book was no exception.
Part of Brown’s brilliance lies in his ability to make you care about subjects you thought you had no interest in. This book is about the University of Washington’s eight-oar rowing crew from the mid 1930’s. Rowing? Yes, rowing. That’s a subject I never thought I’d be hankering to read about. By the end of the book I wanted to buy an oar and move to Seattle.
Brown always gets me by focusing on the human side of the story. It doesn’t matter that these boys were oarsmen. They could have been making cheese or painting houses. Brown’s depiction of their friendship and dedication to one another are what made this book a winner.
These boys were a fantastic group of young men from underprivileged backgrounds working their tails off to be successful. Who wouldn’t sign up to read about them?
You definitely should.
The Relentless Reader 