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.
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Very interesting story of how the U.S. rowing team came about and then won in the Berlin Olympics. A couple of the rowing team members are spotlighted to illustrate how these athletes develop and a team comes about. Gripping read. These young men are quite interesting comparing to Millenials.
Great picture of our country at that time.
One of the best books I’ve ever read, and every word is true!
Despite all odds he found success
One of my best ever.
One of the best books I have read!
This was a very interesting book. Learned a lot about rowing, dedicated athletes and some tragic events. The main character had a pretty difficult life but didn’t let it stop him from achieving some amazing things. A lot of historical information.
Being a true story, it put into perspective some of our history which I had learned about in school Many, many years ago. Beautifully written.
Very good story well written .
A great true story. I love to learn about history through a story.
It is interesting to me to see how differently people viewed Germany before/during/after WWII. Their perspective is unique, innocent, trustworthy…I adored these boys, now men.
Not only inspirational is this true story, but it is so life-affirming , giving testimony to the power of forgiveness of wrongs done by one’s own family as well as the admirable courage and determination to succeed regardless of the difficulties thrown in one’s path.
This is a great story. One not to be missed. But then I am from Seattle and I had the pleasure of knowing one of the “boys” from the boat so I may be prejudiced.
Entertaining and educational. Writing is superb.
another book club read — great discussion… some liked it and others were neutral
A very engaging true story
One of the best books,I’ve ever read. Not only was the book historically correct,but expanded on previous available information on the Munich Olympics.
Great human interest story. If you like “overcoming the odds” stories you will love this. The “Rudy” of rowing.
This is a non fiction book about the young men who came from hard working and poor backgrounds to win in competitive rowing racing at the University of Washington at a time when this was unheard of. They beat out the Ivy league schools for the gold in the 1936 Olympics.
I learned so much about this episode in history, and I loved following the characters through the story. A great read.