The Boys in the Boat

In 1936, Hitler held the Olympics in Berlin, Germany, meticulously planning years ahead to make a good impression on those visiting in order to hide his darker deeds. Across the sea in the United States, the Great Depression was in full swing and the great dust storms were sweeping the country and causing havoc and devastation everywhere. Unaware of the political aspirations of Germany's leader, dealing with food and money shortages, loads of classwork, and awful storms, heat, and headwinds, a boatload of boys and their coaches from the University of Washington trained tirelessly for the goal of representing their college and their country in the Olympic Games.

I loved the stories of Joe Rantz, his family, his coaches, and his teammates. Joe and his wife are truly inspirational people! He was neglected and physically abandoned so much of his life that naturally he didn't trust easily, or almost at all, but thanks to this amazing group of whole-hearted individuals he was able to learn to become one with others, wholly trustful in them. His words to the author at the beginning of the book highlight this transcendent experience as he admonished him to make the book about more than him: "It has to be about the boat."

And what about the boat? The skill with which it was crafted? Rules, physics and logistics of the sport? Weather and rowing conditions around the university and other racecourses? The coaches who trained up teams of successful, powerful rowers year after year, honing their choices down to the chosen nine who will represent their college? The aspiring crop of rowmen who will work tirelessly day after day to build up the necessary stamina to last a whole race, if not win it outright? Brown is amazing in his ability to draw upon all of these aspects to weave together a complete picture of what it means to be part of a rowing crew and how it pushed each boy and coach to be his best for those on the team.

Brown had the opportunity to interview Joe Rantz at his daughter's home many times before his death, the second-to-last remaining member of that memorable crew who competed in Berlin. Through interviews, books, letters, journals, and even films, Brown put together an intimate look at life during the Depression, living in mine towns, doing back-breaking labor to earn enough money to pay for another year of school, and--most importantly--what it means to be part of a crew of individuals working tirelessly toward a common goal. He highlights not only Joe's experiences at college, but his childhood, his relationship with his wife, the lives of his team, the basics of rowing, and the grand moments Joe felt part of something more than himself. It was beautifully written! The boat races are exciting (I occasionally felt like I was reading a John Flanagan battle scene), the childhood tales are heart-wrenching, and the historical contexts that Brown includes are insightful and thought-provoking. If you want to know how the race horse Seabiscuit fits in to the timeline, or even Hitler's tactics and motivations for the Olympics, the author brings them all to bear with a masterful hand for detail. There is so much more to the story than a few young men beating the German, Italian and English rowing teams in Berlin!

If you want the highly condensed version, you could watch the PBS American Experience production The Boys of '36, available free for Amazon Prime members on Amazon Video.