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The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
Nine working-class kids. One boat. Gold in Berlin. 🚣
Who it's for
This is a book about the kind of pride you can only earn with other people.
Proud, determined, or isolated→Proud, connected, inspired
Feelings it meets
What it is
The true story of the University of Washington's eight-oar rowing crew, sons of loggers, farmers and shipyard workers during the Great Depression, who beat elite teams to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It centres on Joe Rantz, a teenager left by his family to fend for himself, who finds belonging in the boat.
Where to find it
In print, from libraries, and as an e-book and audiobook. A young readers edition also exists.
Before you start
Heads up: Childhood abandonment and poverty.
Age: General nonfiction (suitable for teens and adults)
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.Alfred, Lord Tennyson, “Ulysses”
