Book - Boys In The Boat

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel Brown

"The University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the nine boys, in the depths of the Great Depression, showed the world what beating the odds really meant. They defeated elite rivals from California and eastern schools to earn the right to compete against the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic Games in Berlin. The crew was assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it was their trust in each other that made them a victorious team"- WorldCat

This book is now on my shelf of recommended books. I never knew much about rowing and wasn’t particularly interested in it. I read the book because I received it as a gift and it’s a piece of Seattle area history. Within a few pages I was totally caught up in the story. It was interesting to learn about rowing. It was even more interesting to learn about these “boys” who had to work so hard to earn money to attend the University of Washington during the Depression. The author weaves together what’s going on in the hearts of the rowers, especially Joe Rantz (the author’s neighbor); what’s going on in the United States (the Great Depression), and what’s happening on the world stage (the rise of Hitler). All this culminates at the 1936 Olympics which were carefully orchestrated by Hitler to show the world that he and Germany were good and not the evil that was beginning to be reported in the media. Daniel Brown (not the Dan Brown of DaVinci Code fame) weaves quite a story.

Much of the story is told through the eyes of Joe Rantz. The rejection he experienced from his father and step mother are disturbing. Yet Joe finds a way not only to survive, but to go to college and become part of this Olympic gold-medal winning team.  Joe Rantz shared how it felt to lose his mother at an early age and then how it felt to be abandoned by his father and stepmother. How it felt to be the poorest boy on the rowing team and get teased about the clothes he wore. How it felt to have to work, row, and take college courses. How it felt to search for home and belonging.

Now that we’ve lived near Lake Washington for three years, I can relate to some of the conditions they had to row in. Lake Washington is notorious for winds and rough waters.

"Boys In The Boat" has been selected as this year’s title for “If All Kirkland Read the Same Book.” Read about that here.

The book ends in present day with University of Washington students signing up to be on the rowing team. The coach explains the high and rigorous expectations. Then he raises his hand to direct their attention to the Husky Clipper, the boat used in the 1936 Olympics. “A new, deeper level of quiet settles over the room. And then he begins to tell the story.” What a story it is. Oh, that we all could tell our stories as skillfully as Daniel Brown has. 

This book is about so much more than rowing.