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

Phenomenal. Absolutely captivating from start to finish. The story of the 1936 University of Washington rowing crew is inspiring, emotional, and beautifully told. The amount of research and detail that went into this book is mind-blowing. You’re transported right into the boat, the Depression era, and ultimately to Berlin. A masterpiece of storytelling.

The Boys In The Boat I have had this book on my Kindle for quite a while, along with a number of other books to read. The other night, I finally opened this book and haven’t been able to put it down. I am reading it late at night and every moment of my spare time. Once in a while I will find a book that I haven’t touched and have had for a while and when I finally settle down to read it, it blows my mind! It was like going through a jewelry box and discovering an overlooked piece of jewelry. That is what happened when I finally started to read this book. I kept thinking how well it is written and what an interesting story. The book was about nine American rowers (eight oarsmen and one coxswain) from the University of Washington. Their quest was to be the best rowers, and be chosen for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, and win a Gold Medal. The book centers on the main character Joe Rantz, who we meet as a young boy and followed his story to the University and how he became a rower. But it was his struggles before that made a reader admire him more. He was a little boy when his mother died. When Rantz’s father remarried, the second wife doesn’t want him around, so they abandon him. At first, he lived with his older brother and then with others and then by himself. Rantz struggled to take care of himself, and his survival tactics were amazing. But more interesting was that he harbored no ill will toward his father or his step-mother. It was a salute to him and how he managed his life that made me proud for him and proud to be an American. We learn about the other rowers in the nine men crew too, along with their coaches. Crew is an interesting sport and that was also a big part of the book along with the making of the rowing shells and more. It was also the eerie tale of the 1936 Berlin Olympics that plays a shadowy part of this book. While the crew and the other sports amateur figures were at the Olympics, there was something sinister going on behind the scenes in Berlin. While the Olympics are going on, Hitler and his generals present a different picture of Berlin, removing any signs of the Jewish people. All one sees are the Third Reich flags prominently flying, and soldiers with their high stepping cadence. There were no signs of the Jewish population because the Germans were in the process of getting rid of them, and removing their identifying symbols from the town. While the games are going on, the Germans are silently and craftily orchestrating the removal of the Jews and others from the cities, streets and towns. The Germans are also building their concentration camp, setting up the awful history of the Holocaust. This was a fascinating tale of nine men and the others who help them become great. It is also an ugly tale of what was to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read. It will fill you with a sense of achievement and the horrors and evil that one nation was plotting. I promise you…if you read this book, you will not be disappointed in the least. My disappointment was that I didn’t read it sooner!

If you like an adventure story, you'll love The Boys in the Boat. Brown chronicles the story of the 9 American crew members and their quest for Olympic Gold during the Berlin Olympics. The story is true and quite riveting. Brown didn't just create suspense as he described one crew race after another, he created characters. His descriptions of crew member Joe Kranz, of coach, Al Ulbrickson and of master shell maker, George Pocock held me spellbound. He sprinkled the story with many other characters but these were the main three. Brown also set the stage. The book began in the heart of the Great Depression. What was happening to people's lives during that time played an important role in the unfolding of this story. What has happening simultaneously in Hitler's Germany also had an impact. I loved the first sentence of this book: "Monday, October 9, 1933, began as a gray day in Seattle. A gray day in a gray time" We, authors, are told not to launch our books with the weather. I'm delighted that Brown ignored that advice. This sentence captured the essence of the story. Many gray days of grueling practice in unbelievable weather followed. The gray time between the worst depression in our history and World War II took a front row seat in this tale. Brown opened each chapter with a quote from George Yeoman Pocock. He described Pocock as a man who understood the sport of crew better than any man alive at the time. He not only understood the mechanics of it, he understood the psychology--what went on inside the boat. Here's one of the many quotes I highlighted: "It is hard to make that boat go as fast as you want to. The enemy, of course, is resistance of the water, as you have to displace the amount of water equal to the weight of the men and equipment, but that very water is what supports you and that very enemy is your friend. So it is life: the very problems you must overcome also support you and make you stronger in overcoming them." The author interviewed Joe Kranz before his death. Those interviews and massive research as well as long discussions with Kranz's daughter provided the sources for this book. Written with a sensitivity as well as a delight, Brown placed the reader inside the crew shell. We could almost feel their pain as they pushed past unbelievable odds. In addition, Brown contrasted the efforts of the crew with the pomp and circumstance and propaganda going on in Nazi Germany. He didn't let the people who ignored what was happening in Germany off lightly, but he conceded that the world wanted to turn a blind eye on Hitler. The outcries to boycott the Olympics in 1936 went largely unheard. What did I know about oarsmen and the sport of crew before I read this book? Basically nothing. After reading Brown's detailed descriptions, I've learned a lot and I have a new respect for the sport as both extremely competitive and athletic. It looks so graceful it fools us into believing it's easy. Pocock described crew like a swan on the lake. Very graceful to the onlookers but working like hell under the water. Although an historical account, this book does not bog down. As a reader, I wanted to know what happened next. Would Joe get on the varsity boat? Of course, we know he did, but how when everything seemed to be working against him. Would the crew succeed in their quest for the Olympic gold? Of course we know they did, but again, Brown made it so exciting, I began to doubt what I knew. Indeed, this book will make a wonderful movie and I do hope that will be the next step.

The insights given about the training, mindset, and strategy of racing crews is spectacular. I couldn’t put the book down as it is the ultimate underdog wins feel-good story. Glimpses into pre-war Germany provided historical background, but the very best part of the book was the actual race sequences. I was able to see the scene more clearly than movie footage!

There are a number of features of this book which it earn a five star rating.. Firstly the writing is smooth.and makes for enjoyable reading. From start to finnish there is not a single jarring note. The descriptions of the lives and times of the characters and their development during the depression during the 30's in the USA, was most moving. It was well researched and a true story making the book riveting, exciting and a page turner. It proved to me that a book need not be a crime thriller to make one want to read on. Not the least was the wonderful descriptions of the art of the rowing regattas and revelations of the emotions and the development of the crew. The picture painted of the rise of Nazi Germany was historically accurate including the lengths they went to in order to impress the world and to hide their terrible treatment of the Jews. In summary a fine historical story well told.

If I had not been inspired enough by the Olympics then this book certainly add another level of pure inspiration. Fantastically written, focusing on the individual men in the boat and at the same time providing real insight into the period of history just before the Second World War. Incredible, brilliant read.

日本人にはあまり知られていないが、映画化も決まっていてアメリカ人にはお馴染みなストーリーだと思って読んでみました。ボート競技の勝敗だけでなく、それに関わる多くの人のドラマが織り込まれていて、ボート競技や歴史に興味がない人も楽しめる本です。

Nice