I’m late to the game on this one  but it’s still the best book I’ve read so far this year

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

Honestly, I think this is a close to perfect book. 

I first read this book in 2019 and it completely blew me away. I was TOTALLY surprised by how much I loved it. Daniel James Brown has the difficulty of telling a story in which everyone knows the ending, but he still somehow manages to put in so much tension and uncertainty. Several times I caught myself thinking "how is this going to work out???" Even though I knew exactly what happened!! 

Daniel James Brown does an incredible job weaving the information and context needed to understand Rowing and the historical context of the story with the personal narrative of the 9 Boys in the Boat, particularly Joe Rantz. As I listened this time, I had a smile on my face for so much of the book. I was so struck by how well Brown was able to personalize these young men and make them so endearing and charming. 

Final note: Edward Herrmann is the perfect narrator for this book. If you've ever watched Gilmore Girls, you'll feel like you're sitting at a Friday night dinner listening to your grandfather tell you a story. 

Okay, Gushing over.