THE BOYS IN THE BOAT by Daniel James Brown, published by Penquin Books copyright 2013. Finished this book on Sunday, just in time for my book club. I really enjoyed the book for several reasons; I really enjoy reading history, especially those set in the time period of the Great Depression and War World II. This is the second book that I have read dealing with members of the American Olympic team and there traveling to Germany. I am amazed that Hitler was able to hide his agenda so well from everyone. There is a statement in the book that the Americans make on returning from Germany that the author puts in the book "As for this man Hitler....Well, I believe we should all like to take him back to America with us and have him organize there just as he has done in Germany."(page 360) Of all the books I have read and the documentaries I have seen, the killing and imprisonment of people in their towns were just completely ignored.
The other reason is that I like books teach me about things that I know nothing about, especially sports. I have friends who have done crew. In fact, one of my friends in book club, did crew and she was impressed by the how well the author did with the details. Knowing that they won in the Olympics,, Daniel Brown still had me on the edge of my seat with his descriptions of the races. Especially, the races at home, but more specifically the race in Germany. Very well written.
Then there is the life of Joe Rantz, who beyond all the hardships he endured he worked his way through life without bitterness. He may have had some self doubt but instead of saying 'Woe is me,' he did all that he could to survive. It was a different world, but leaving your 13 year old to fend for themselves, egad. Could you imagine what kind of news story we would have about this?
A great book, I would highly recommend it.
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