Average Bufph Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Daniel James Brown
2016-07-26
The #1 New York Times-bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany, now in a premium mass market edition. Available just in time for The 80th anniversary of the boys' gold medal win as well as the 8/2 broadcast of the PBS /American Experience documentary, The Boys of '36. and the start of the 2016 Summer Olympics.
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 book really took me back to the days of the Civil War, and it's a gritty, honest look at the realities of that time. Sinclair's storytelling is raw and real, showing what it's like to be in the thick of it with no room for error. It's not just about the battles, it's about the brotherhood and the will to survive against all odds. The way he tells it, you can feel the tension and the respect for his fallen comrades. It's a tough read, but it's a testament to the kind of courage that's hard to find in today's world. It made me appreciate the sacrifices made by those who served.
