The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
A family member, who is also an avid reader, recommended this book to me. It was time for me to delve in to something historical. There is nothing like a slice of the past to keep me grounded in the present. The Boys in the Boat did exactly that.
The boys in the boat are the 1936 rowing team from the University of Washington. Through a series of ups and downs in the middle of the Great Depression, the tenacious group made their way to the Berlin Olympic Games and won the gold medal. The story is told through the eyes of Joe Rantz, a poor farm boy who struggled to stay in school and stay on the team. Joe is part of a cast of characters from George Pocock who painstakingly built the boats, to Al Ulbrickson who coached with his eye on the prize.
This is not a story about rowing, even though I did learn quite a bit about the sport. It is not a story about the Great Depression which serves as a backdrop and guides many of the men's actions. This is a story about teamwork, drive and ambition, staring evil in the face and winning. The author did a wonderful job of showing life in America during this time as being slow and simple. People rallied around each other, sharing what little they might have. Just when the reader became fully immersed in the American lifestyle, he yanked us into an evil world during the rise of the Nazis. The contrast was startling.
Society today could learn more patience from this story. The Boys in the Boat takes us to a world that once was and should never be again. Well worth reading.
A family member, who is also an avid reader, recommended this book to me. It was time for me to delve in to something historical. There is nothing like a slice of the past to keep me grounded in the present. The Boys in the Boat did exactly that.
The boys in the boat are the 1936 rowing team from the University of Washington. Through a series of ups and downs in the middle of the Great Depression, the tenacious group made their way to the Berlin Olympic Games and won the gold medal. The story is told through the eyes of Joe Rantz, a poor farm boy who struggled to stay in school and stay on the team. Joe is part of a cast of characters from George Pocock who painstakingly built the boats, to Al Ulbrickson who coached with his eye on the prize.
This is not a story about rowing, even though I did learn quite a bit about the sport. It is not a story about the Great Depression which serves as a backdrop and guides many of the men's actions. This is a story about teamwork, drive and ambition, staring evil in the face and winning. The author did a wonderful job of showing life in America during this time as being slow and simple. People rallied around each other, sharing what little they might have. Just when the reader became fully immersed in the American lifestyle, he yanked us into an evil world during the rise of the Nazis. The contrast was startling.
Society today could learn more patience from this story. The Boys in the Boat takes us to a world that once was and should never be again. Well worth reading.
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