Reviews tagging 'Classism'

The Boys in the Boat: An Epic Journey to the Heart of Hitler's Berlin by Daniel James Brown

9 reviews

esterohman's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging hopeful inspiring slow-paced

2.75

Obviously I wanted to like this book. It had been recommended many times. It’s also Seattle history. But I just couldn’t get into it. I finished it because I felt I had to. I think the author described the weather for too long and too often. 
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cj13's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative inspiring medium-paced

4.75

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orangeowl55's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

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sparklefarm's review against another edition

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hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

3.75

I enjoyed this way more than I expected to! I rarely read nonfiction these days, and even more rarely read sports nonfiction. The historical background for the story set the scene well, and I appreciated the way Joe's story was told. And most surprising to me, I was absolutely caught up in the Sports of it all. The entire premise is that this crew team goes to the Olympics, and yet at the Olympic trials I could not put the book down; I was so engaged. I recommend!
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nataliealane's review against another edition

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emotional informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Read this for book club, and sports/sports nonfiction is definitely not my normal wheelhouse…but this was so good! 
An engaging, emotional, and inspiring account of resilience and brotherhood

Daniel James Brown masterfully wrote the racing scenes, making them easy to imagine and thrilling the reader almost as much as watching the actual race might. 
Told largely from the experience of Joe Rantz, the story is very personable and not the kind of nonfiction that keeps it reader at a distance. Although I wish I learned more about the other “boys in the boat,” I quickly grew up to admire and root for him. Brown continually ties the story back to Joe’s character growth and how bring in crew makes him into the man he is later. Brown’s books are also unique because each chapter begins with a quote from a character—-in this case, George Yeoman Pocock, who made the boats and advised the team—-which gives the reader additional insight into an oarsman’s mind. If you like stories of survival or overcoming obstacles, underdogs, or coming of age, I think you will like The Boys in the Boat even if you aren’t a sports fan!
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arturo_luzen's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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abicaro17's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional funny informative tense slow-paced

3.0

I wanted to like this so much more than I did. Its my favorite kind of story: American underdogs beating the odds to show the world what America can do. Unfortunately both the formatting and pacing makes this a super slow and difficult read. The interesting and relevant tales of the actual boys in the boat are sprinkled in with side plots varying between Nazi Germany setting up for the Olympics to the Dust Bowl. This made it hard to read as a lot of information could not only be condensed but also wasn't necessarily relevant to the story. The last three chapters really pulled it together for me though as it was what we all came for: the 1936 Olympics. In short, would I read this again? No. Would I recommend it? Maybe. If you like historical sports novels definitely! Otherwise maybe just watch the movie? 
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rochelleisreading's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring medium-paced

5.0

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alenert's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

This book was so freaking good.

Audio is great. It had me audibly reacting alone in my room. “WHAT?!” at the start of the Olympic race. Like, how was it THAT CRAZY??? “THAT’S THE END??!” when the narrator said “Epilogue.” Their bond 🥹

TW: Hitler Germany, Nazi propaganda in action, antisemitism, war, child neglect/abandonment
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