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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