I loved this book! Listened to it on audio. It was engaging and interesting and so much more indepth than the movie.

One of the best books I’ve ever read

Every now and then a book comes along that it so beautifully written it's a pleasure to read and the people in it feel like friends. I recommend.

The Boys in the Boat tells the story of the UWashington crew programs run for the 1936 Berlin Olympics

The story is centered around Joe Rantz at “seat 7” as it his family and memories that found the bulk of the books content.

What really impressed me was the level of detail Brown is able to provide in the story. Stroke counts, emotions, and color commentary from memories and sports journalists at the time, along with (im assuming?) researched weather really make each race feel alive.

While it sometimes could be annoying structurally (jumping to different time periods and locations just when things get interesting) the context woven throughout really helps the overall story. We get eyes into Joes childhood, as well as historical context of the depression era and dust bowl migrations, as well as the insidiousness of the propaganda machine in Berlin.

Throughout, Brown really brings alive the incredible moments of teamwork, fortitude, and ultimately “swing” that made this team the historical figures they are.

Really enjoyed this

I’m a bit late to the party as this was published 10 years ago but a recent vacation in Berlin led me to seek out some books about the city - hence this which climaxes at the 1936 Berlin Olympic games.
What an amazing story- the book pans between the lives of individual rowers, the socio-economic situation in the USA during the depression years & the propaganda machine that was the pre-war period leading up to the Olympic Games during the rise of Hitler.
I must admit to shedding quite a few tears around the family life of Joe which resembled something from the (original) Grimm fairy tales - the ones where stepmothers banish the children.