Notes from May 2016 group

Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown – Discussed on May 4, 2016 at Geneseo Public Library

                                                                                                                         

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, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest.

This was an interesting book, though not an easy one to read.  It is full of details about the sport of rowing and current events in 1920 and 30s.  We learned a lot about the life during the Depression and in pre WWII Germany.  There was family drama .  This book promoted great discussion and the entire group liked this book.