The Boys in the Boat: A Review

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!

Among the Books

We have been sorting through the immense donation we received for the church library. Among the regular books you would expect to find in a pastor's library -- theological works, commentaries, a really large number of Bibles, doctrine, creeds and catechisms -- are the others, among them:

-- a nice collection of hymnals and songbooks (not really strange to find in a pastor's library, except for the number and variety of them)

--health and home remedy books

--a few novels, most of which would show up under women's fiction

--one of the Dear Canada books (a series of historical fiction for grades 4-7) with a school library stamp in it; I wonder if it's missing from the library

--most perplexing: three very small board books for very small children; each page has a picture on one side and a word on the other

Also interesting are the things we find in the books: receipts, invoices, letters, shopping lists, to-do lists, pamphlets, photographs, a bill of sale for some cows, reminders about appointments.... among the things he used as bookmarks, there has so far been exactly one actual bookmark!

It's been an interesting experience going through the books!

To Think About

I found this quote while researching Richard Wurmbrand; it is from his book Victorious Faith:

“There was once a fiddler who played so beautifully that everybody danced. A deaf man who could not hear the music considered them all insane. Those who are with Jesus in suffering hear this music to which other men are deaf. They dance and do not care if they are considered insane.”

Working on Hospitality

Yesterday I had a family from the church over for dinner. They have 3 children; the oldest is in my Sunday School class and she has two younger brothers. I don't know any of them very well, which is why I invited them over: so I could get to know them a bit.

It was awkward at times as we tried to get some sort of conversation going. The kids were happy playing with Lego and the dad joined them. The mom and I were able to talk about books as we're both readers so that helped. I'm not always much of a talker so it was challenging for me, but it was my house and my job to make them feel comfortable, so I did my best. We did better as we ate; I remembered to ask good questions, asking for specifics about what the dad does (not just what his job title is, but what does he actually do and how did he get interested in that career), which helped and I think we all relaxed and were able to branch out from that. I also did a round of "what do you do for fun?" with the kids.

Overall, it was a good evening. We all learned a bit about each other and the kids had fun playing. They found my Mr. Potato Head collection and had fun making the silliest creations. Conversation didn't flow the way it does with some people, but it wasn't bad. I'm pretty sure I said some "let's make things a bit more awkward" things as I tried to keep going, but nothing that seemed to kill the conversation.

Next time we're together will be a bit easier because we're over the first "getting to know each other" hurdle. Now there's a bit more of a link between us.

Hospitality can be hard. I'm not always good at conversation and I'm always a bit nervous when I have new people over. It's worth the effort, though; I've made some of my closest friends because I've taken the plunge and invited them for dinner. Other people have not become close friends, but we're friendlier at church and different events; letting them into my life by having them into my home helps bridge any differences between us.

It's still a work in progress, but I am trying to step outside my comfort zone in this little way.

Balcony Work

The roofers seem to be done; they're working on the next building over now (there are four buildings in my complex). However...the notice came on Thursday that we had to remove all items from our balconies because they are starting on the balconies on Monday. There are flower pots and planters stashed all over my apartment now.

Last summer they did the balconies across the parking lot. Actually, the didn't finish the entire building until almost spring. It seems there were unexpected issues. They basically seem to take down the railings, tear apart the balconies, rebuild them, redo the pillars (they're white now on the other building instead of brick), and put the railings back up. It took all summer and into fall to do the front of the other building and most of fall and winter to do the rest of the building.

I don't mind them redoing the balconies and I figure the have a reason. I can even live without the balcony for the summer. It's just the part where there will be workmen on the balcony so I'll have to keep things closed up or have strange men looking in. The roofers weren't a problem; I could see them going up and down sometimes, but they didn't bother me. Also, I am not looking forward to the noise.

It's going to be a different summer. I may sometimes have to flee to work at the library on the very noisy days.

The Last Day

Wednesday morning women's study ended today, a couple weeks earlier than planned. That means the end of my Wednesday morning homeschool rooms. I brought them suckers to celebrate surviving another year, so the kids were happy. I'm good with a break now, although I know I'll miss them by the time we start up again in the fall.

This year I read at least 44 picture books to the little kids. Between the middles and the board room kids, we played around 42 trivia games from around 16 decks. We also did a variety of crafts with varying levels of success. They would like to do most of them again: the puzzles, puppets, cards, and woven friendship bracelets. 

I already have a stack of books on my "for later" list at the library to start us off in the fall, as well as a list to look for at used books stores this summer. I would like to find more trivia cards since we're missing at least half the set, although they are hard to find (at least for a price I'm willing to pay). I have more craft ideas running through my head as well.

So I'm ready for a break and planning for fall all at the same time! I really love my homeschool kids and I love Wednesday mornings.