MBTB #3 The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics By Daniel James Brown, 2013

So, back in when I was in high school, many moons ago, I was on the crew team. I learned to row on a small lake in Connecticut in a wooden shell designed by a man named George Pocock. It was a heavy wooden rig by today’s carbon fiber standards, but I loved it.  I loved that skinny little boat, the young women on my team, the calluses that formed on my palms, and the fact that my coaches swore like sailors when things went south. Which they frequently did. So, when George Pocock was quoted throughout this book, I felt my spirit connect with something I thought had long since faded away.  

I think this book is a wonderful read even for folks who haven’t rowed in a boat with 4 or 8 of their closest friends. This was the Olympics that grew out of the Great Depression and served as a metaphorical battle ground between Hitler and the rest of the world.  I felt that Brown did an admirable job of weaving the many disparate pieces of this story into a coherent whole. The crew team from the University of Washington represented the US. Some of the young men on the team came from extreme poverty, and the descriptions of one of the main character’s homestead and summer job in a logging camp were harrowing.  The stark contrast between his life and those of his wealthy classmates resonates even today. He was the poor kid on campus participating in a rich man’s sport. 

Another interesting piece was the logistics of getting the athletes, their food and their gear, including their boats, from the west coast all the way to Germany. The shenanigans on the ship crossing the Atlantic were epic. 

I was startled by how men were in equal measures harsh toward one another to the point of cruelty, but unfailingly loyal to the idea of the team.  

A great read for people who enjoy sports and history.