The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown. Penguin Books. 431 pages. 2013
****
Earlier this year, I enjoyed the film The Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney, and based on this book by Daniel James Brown. You can read my review of the film here. A friend, who also saw the film recommended that I read the book, as he had done twice, and I’m glad that I did.
Descriptions of the book state that it reads like a novel. I agree. The book gives so much more of the story than the Clooney film did, or any film based on a book really can. The author was able to spend a few months with Joe Rantz, one of the oarsmen for the University of Washington rowing team that won the gold medal at the 1936 Olympics, before he died. Rantz agreed to let Brown write the book, but said it could not be just about him, it had to be about the boat. The book is about the men in the boat (or shell), their coach Al Ulbrickson and George Yeoman Pocock, who made the shells, in particular the Husky Clipper. It’s also about some of the history of the times that the story took place, particularly in Germany, where the Olympics were held. After Joe died, the author worked closely with Joe’s daughter Judy to tell Joe’s story, and the larger story of the 1936 Olympic crew.
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We read about Joe’s very difficult upbringing (losing his mother to throat cancer, and being abandoned by his father, who would go on to start a new family). Joe attended the University of Washington while living in poverty, always struggling to make his tuition payments. His girlfriend, and later wife, was Joyce.
The book takes us through Joe’s and his teammates’ four years on the Washington rowing team – their battles against the University of California, the annual race at Poughkeepsie, the Olympic trials at Princeton, and eventually the Olympic games in Berlin. Throughout, the author does a good job with character development as we get to know Joe’s story, along with to a lesser degree those of his teammates and coaches.
The book ends with the author giving us an update on what happened to each of the main characters after the Poughkeepsie Regatta in 1937. For the rest of their lives, the team members remained close, and met at least once a year, usually twice.
I didn’t know anything about rowing teams before seeing the film and reading the book. I recommend both the book and the beautifully made film to you.
- Why Read Fiction as a Christian? Alan Noble writes “We read fiction as Christians to delight in beauty, to better read His Word, and to better understand His world.”
- Study, Savor and Share Scripture: Becoming What We Behold. My wife Tammy has published a book about HOW to study the Bible. The book is available on Amazon in both a Kindle and paperback edition. She writes “Maybe you have read the Bible but want to dig deeper and know God and know yourself better. Throughout the book I use the analogy of making a quilt to show how the Bible is telling one big story about what God is doing in the world through Christ. Quilting takes much patience and precision, just like studying the Bible, but the end result is well worth it.”
- A Field Guide on Gender and Sexuality. Tim Challies reviews the new release from Ligonier Ministries A Field Guide on Gender and Sexuality. He writes that the book “is a helpful, timely, and valuable resource and one that offers sound answers to urgent questions. It is priced very reasonably which makes it ideal to purchase in bulk and distribute widely. To young and old alike, it will prove a trusted guide to some of today’s most pressing issues.”
- Three Types of Reading and Suggested Books for Each. Tim Challies writes “While my reading habits tend to ebb and flow, varying between moderate and voracious, I have been a committed reader from my youngest days. And to maintain my interest, I have found it helpful to divide books into three broad categories: slow, fast, and fun.”
- Be a Leaders Others Will Want to Follow. My next book is tentatively titled Be a Leader Others Will Want to Follow. Over the years, I worked with many talented individuals, some of whom wanted to move into a formal leadership position. In addition, I mentored several emerging leaders. I would often tell them that I wanted them to be a leader that others would want to follow. I’m in the early stages of editing the book, and would appreciate your prayers if you are so inclined.
BOOK CLUB – Won’t you read along with us?
“The Westminster Confession of Faith is one of the most precise and comprehensive statements of biblical Christianity, and it is treasured by believers around the world. R.C. Sproul has called it one of the most important confessions of faith ever penned, and it has helped generations of Christians understand and defend what they believe.
In Truths We Confess, Dr. Sproul introduces readers to this remarkable confession, explaining its insights and applying them to modern life. In his signature easy-to-understand style and with his conviction that everyone’s a theologian, he provides valuable commentary that will serve churches and individual Christians as they strive to better understand the eternal truths of Scripture. As he walks through the confession line by line, Dr. Sproul shows how the doctrines of the Bible—from creation to covenant, sin to salvation—fit together to the glory of God. This accessible volume is designed to help you deepen your knowledge of God’s Word and answer the question, What do you believe?”
Here are a few quotes from the second half of WCF 16: Of Good Works. Here are a few helpful quotes from the chapter:
- We are to look to God and to the Holy Spirit for help in our spiritual growth as we strive to advance in our sanctification.
- No work that we do proceeds from a heart that is absolutely pure; no work that we ever do in this world is completely untainted.
- Most people are resting on their performance, on what they perceive to be a net balance of goodness in their life, to get them past the judgment seat of a holy and righteous God. But they are sadly mistaken.
- The only way our righteousness is acceptable to God is if it is done in and through Christ.
- The confession reminds us that the unregenerate person can go through all the motions, do all the outward things that the law of God requires, but still will not survive the judgment of God.
- We need to examine ourselves against God’s standards of what is good and what is not, and not by the cultural standards or by the customs or even by the laws of the nation in which we live.
- When we stand before God on the judgment day, we will rest either on our works or on Christ’s works.
