The Boys in the Boat

'The Boys in the Boat is not only a great and inspiring true story; it is a fascinating work of history' Nathaniel Philbrick, author of Mayflower and In the Heart of the Sea 'I really can't rave enough about this book. 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' David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard and The Long Way Home 'A thrilling, heart-thumping tale of a most remarkable band of rowing brothers' Timothy Egan, author of The Worst Hard Time 'A triumph of great writing matched with a magnificent story' Mitchell Zuckoff, author of Lost in Shangri-La and Frozen in Time. 'The Boys in the Boat is a triumph of great writing matched with a magnificent story. Daniel James Brown strokes the keyboard like a master oarsman, blending power and grace to propel readers toward a heart-pounding finish.' Mitchell Zuckoff, author of Lost in Shangri-La and Frozen in Time. 'Chariots of Fire -- with oars [Brown's] descriptions of the key races are exciting and dramatic, and it is impossible not to get wrapped up in the emotion.' The Times 'Like Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Michael Lewis's Moneyball before it, The Boys in the Boat has all the ingredients for a film adaptation. Written with cinematic precision, it tells the story of Joe Rantz, who grows up in obscurity during the Great Depression only to triumph over adversity as one of the US rowing crew that won gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics [...] a moving, enlightening and gripping tale' Financial Times 'In 1936 nine working-class American boys burst from their small towns into the international limelight, unexpectedly wiping the smile off Adolf Hitler's face by beating his vaulted 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.' James Bradley, Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The Imperial Cruise 'For this nautical version of Chariots of Fire, Brown crafts an evocative, cinematic prose ... studded with engrossing explanations of rowing technique and strategy, exciting come-from-behind race scenes, and the requisite hymns to "mystic bands of trust and affection" forged on the water.' Publishers Weekly 'The Boys in the Boat is the thrilling true story of the 1936 University of Washington crew team, which went from backwater obscurity to a gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. [...] A story this breathtaking demands an equally compelling author, and Brown does not disappoint. The narrative rises inexorably, with the final 50 pages blurring by with white-knuckled suspense as these all-American underdogs pull off the unimaginable.' The Seattle Times