K M Walker

A Brutal, Beautiful Ride

The Boys in the Boat is the true story of a group of young men attempting a near impossible feat - to become one perfectly synchronized unit of muscle and determination to win Olympic Gold. They were not typical oarsmen - they were scrappy, simple kids who faced hard times in Depression-era Washington State.

Up against overwhelming odds, they competed with Stanford and Ivy League teams with more experience, longer histories and deeper pockets. The story follows one oarsman, Joe, who was anything but average. Abandoned as a child by his father and stepmother, he lives off the land, his wits and hard work. In rowing, he finds a purpose greater than himself. Still, his performance is all over the map.

Daniel James Brown describes in lush detail the building of gorgeous rowing shells from American hardwoods, the grueling workouts on the often merciless Lake Washington and the complicated dynamics of bringing together an elite rowing team. He is a master at building suspense in his descriptions of each race, as the team stares down their fears and pushes their bodies to the limit.

In the end, this book transcends its subject. It is not about rowing as much as how we overcome adversity. Joe chooses rugged individualism, but struggles to trust his teammates. The Nazis choose to viciously scapegoat entire populations for their own misfortunes and perceived loss of stature. The Washington men’s rowing team chooses to go all in - to accomplish something together, in the face of punishing challenges, that changed their lives, their sport and everyone who witness them at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany. It’s a brutal, beautiful ride.