Confession time: I only put The Boys in the Boat on hold at the library because I thought it was written by Laura Hillenbrand, the author of Unbroken. It isn't; it was written by Daniel James Brown. It was a happy mistake, though, because I quite enjoyed the book.
The full title of the books is The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. The library copy had a picture of them rowing on the front. There was no big mystery about the topic or the ending of the story. Despite this, it was a very, very good book and there were times when I was concerned that they wouldn't win one of the key races (to be America's team to the Olympics; their heat in Germany) even though I knew how it ended. There were other times when I wondered how they would overcome the obstacles. Keeping the story interesting and the tension of the races high when I already knew the ending is the sign of a good writer.
The book centers on one of the boys, Joe Rantz, a young man who had been abandoned by his family more than once, who was fighting to find his place in the world, and who saw rowing as a way to stay in university. His story alone is worth reading the book. It also delves into the backgrounds of other major players: the rowers, to various extents; the coaches; the man who makes the boats and knows the art of rowing inside out; the young lady Joe marries in the end. Brown weaves all their stories together.
Brown also delves into some of the history of rowing and its various events. He talks about the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl years. Periodically, he moves over the Germany for a glimpse into Hitler's plans and how the Olympics were designed to make the world think that everything was fine and dandy in Germany (even though it was already getting dark there).
Overall, I found this to be a well-written and very interesting book. I'm thankful for the happy mistake that led me to it!
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