The #1 New York Times–bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany and now the inspiration for the PBS documentary “The Boys of ‘36’.”For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American … working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.
more
The Boys in the Boat is not only a great and inspiring true story; it is a fascinating work of history.
Why did I wait so long to read this book? Because I couldn’t imagine being interested in the subject matter… Wrong, wrong, wrong! A terrific piece of non-fiction. After the first few chapters, I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough and growled at anyone (my husband) who interrupted me.
The Boys in the Boat is nothing less than a gorgeous, inspiring, well-told underdog story. You don’t need to love rowing or history books or even nonfiction to appreciate this one. Brown excels at painting suspenseful, nerve-wracking sequences when the boys are competing, and Edward Hermann (!!) expertly narrates the audiobook. I teared up more …
The Boys in the Boat is a wonderful true story that tracks the lives of the eight-man-scull from the University of Washington, who won the gold in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. This beautifully written book reads like a novel with a deep focus on the individual characters, the boys, the coaches and the boat maker. But it especially focuses on one …
This book kept me enthralled from beginning to end. It took place during a time in history that I didn’t know a lot about so I found myself looking up events to enrich my reading. It was also good to show that a lot of work is involved to produce Olympic athletes. An inspiration!
This has landed on the top of my favorite books of the year. I anticipate it will be tough to beat. From very early on, I was wrapped up in the lives of Joe, his family and his team mates. There were no easy times for Joe growing up. He was left to make it on his own from a very early age. Because of this, it was hard for him to trust others to be …
I loved, Loved, LOVED this book!!! The individual stories about each of the “boys in the boat” are so good. I recommend this book to anyone.
Loved this book! A great author telling a compelling story set in one of America’s most interesting times. Very similar to Seabiscuit and Unbroken in style and feel.
This is one of the best books I’ve read recently. The way Brown combines the story of the Washington boys with Nazi Germany and what was going on in Hitlers life sets up an amazing crash course when they come together. It was beautiful, page-turning, sad, joyous, and sorrowful.
One of the best books I have read! A true story that is hard to put down. I have recommended this book to many people who have loved it also.
It was a page turner even though you knew the outcome.
I’ve never seen a rowing race and honestly had no interest in doing so but after hearing a good friend rave about the story in this book I was intrigued. The book is a thoroughly entertaining and easy read. It mixes history with drama and inspiration, transmitting the hardship the US Olympic team had to overcome to produce one of the most dominant …
A great read about a group of diverse young men working (sacrificing) towards a common goal. I never thought college crew racing garnered national, let alone international attention. Or, that “reading” about such races would be so captivating; it has my highest recommendation.
LOVED this book. To quote the back cover: “Out of the depths of the Depression comes the improbable, intimate accounts of how nine working class boys…showed the world at the 1936 Olympics what true grit really meant.” They competed in eight-oar crew with University of Washington. Fantastic stories of these young men, their background and …
I had read rave reviews of this book when it was first published. I was not prepared for the narrative excellence and the deep engagement of this story of the 8 young men who won the gold medal in rowing at the 1938 Olympics, in Germany with Adolf Hitler watching. Brown writes about the adversity these young men faced from the depression and the …
I enjoyed this book because it was about true events which I had never heard of.
A book about crew racing? You mean those ivy league guys rowing in a thin boat? Do I really want to read a book about that?
Daniel James Brown shows the answer to the last question is ‘yes.’ His Boys in the Boat, is not only a compelling story about the sport, written with impeccable literary style, it is also a story about hard-scrabble life …
Its a book that is a must read…..
It compels you to reflect on life as it unfolds with all its challenges and extremely difficult circumstances and almost serves as a guide and friend to navigate one through so heroically !!
Joe and his wife are truly inspirational !!
A great look at the development of a young man’s character as well as side helpings of history, insights into other young men in another time in history. Lessons to learn; victory to cheer for.
This is a non-fiction story of the student crew team from Washington University who went on to win the Olympic gold during the 1936 games held in Nazi Germany. The guys were just a bunch of hard working students, scraping their financial way through college, who had such a love of rowing that they endured the harsh weather and grueling training to …