The #1 New York Times–bestselling story about a stunning American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany, the inspiration for a major motion picture directed by George Clooney, and the basis of the PBS documentary “The Boys of ‘36′.” Now over three years on the New York Times list.
For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant.
It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era.
Reviews
*TIMOTHY EGAN, author of The Worst Hard Time, says:
Every sport needs its laureate. With The Boys in the Boat, crew has found its voice in Daniel James Brown, who tells a thrilling, heart-thumping tale of a most remarkable band of rowing brothers who upstaged Adolf Hitler at the 1936 Olympics. Well-told history, packed with suspense and a likable bunch of underdogs at the heart of an improbable triumph.
*NATHANIEL PHILBRICK, author of Mayflower and In the Heart of the Sea, says:
“The Boys in the Boat is not only a great and inspiring true story; it is a fascinating work of history.”
*DAVID LASKIN, author of The Children’s Blizzard and The Long Way Home, says:
“I really can’t rave enough about this book. Daniel James Brown has not only captured the hearts and souls of the University of Washington rowers who raced in the 1936 Olympics, he has conjured up an era of history. Brown’s evocation of Seattle in the Depression years is dazzling, his limning of character, especially the hardscrabble hero Joe Rantz, is novelistic, his narration of the boat races and the sinister-exalted atmosphere of Berlin in 1936 is cinematic. I read the last fifty pages with white knuckles, and the last twenty-five with tears in my eyes. History, sports, human interest, weather, suspense, design, physics, oppression and inspiration – The Boys in the Boat has it all and Brown does full justice to his terrific material. This is Chariots of Fire with oars.”
*PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY says: “For this nautical version of Chariots of Fire, Brown crafts an evocative, cinematic prose…he makes his heroes’ struggles as fascinating as the best Olympic sagas.” Read the full review here.
*JAMES BRADLEY, author of Flags of our Fathers and Flyboys, says:
“In 1936 nine working-class American boys burst from their small towns into the international limelight, unexpectedly wiping the smile off Adolph Hitler’s face by beating his vaunted German team to capture the Olympic gold medal. Daniel James Brown has written a robust, emotional snapshot of an era, a book you will recommend to your best friends.”
*LUKE MCGEE, USA Rowing Men’s National Team Coach, says:
“The Boys in the Boat is an exciting blend of history and Olympic sport. I was drawn in as much by the personal stories as I was by the Olympic glory. A must read for anyone looking to be inspired!”