The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

            Around 2006, Judy Willman invited her neighbor, author Daniel James Brown, to meet her 92-year-old father.  She’d been reading one of Brown’s books to her father, who wanted to discuss it with the author. 

             Willman’s father was Joe Rantz, a member of the 8-oar crew from the University of Washington that rowed for the United States in Berlin, in the 1936 Olympics. As they talked, Brown recognized Rantz’s story as one that should be written.  A few months later, Rantz died.  In 2013, the book was published.  Ten years later, the movie was released.

             Over the past two weeks, several people who saw me with this book mentioned having seen the movie.  I haven’t yet but will watch it soon.

             In the book, we follow four threads.  First, we are shown the humble lives of all the team members, with most of the focus on Rantz.  Second, we learn about the art of building the elegant racing shells and how boat-builder George Pocock influenced not only Washington’s team but the entire sport. Third, we follow events in Germany at the time, including how Hitler’s propaganda machine used the Olympics to project a positive image to the world.  Finally, we get to know and root for Washington’s team, coached by Al Ulbrickson, through their development as athletes, their rivalries, and their races leading up to the Olympics.  We see how they travel by ocean liner and experience Europe. We also learn about the characters’ lives after the Olympics.

             The author creates empathy for the characters.  Historical and technical information is highly readable and presented in a way that does not detract from the story.  The reader feels the tension and excitement of each of the competitions.  While it’s not a quick read, and you may already know how it ends, it’s well-written enough to still hold your attention.

             Somehow, I ended up with this book from the library farther in advance than I usually read for book club.  I anticipate discussion centering on the historical aspects of the book, and what life was like at the time of the Depression, the Dust Bowls, and leading up to World War II.  The team members had hard lives, which is one thing that made them different from some of their competitors, particularly from the more elite eastern schools. The way Germany controlled its image at that time might also be of interest.

Up Next: Book club this month will be discussing The Nurse’s Secret by Amanda Skenandore, so I will be reading that within the next 10 days. Squeeze Me and Fever Beach by Carl Hiaasen are still on deck as is Where the Rivers Merge by Mary Alice Monroe.