The Boys in the Boat (Daniel James Brown)

• The first American intercollegiate athletic event of any kind: Harvard-Yale Regatta in 1852
• In 1869, Harvard met Oxford in a rowing match on the Thames, such a well publicized event in the United States that "it produced an explosion of interest in rowing. It also imbued the sport with an aura of elitism that has lingered to this day." (111)
• On the famous racing shells Pocock built:
• "... something about the deliberate application of strength, the careful coordination of mind and muscle, the sudden unfolding of mystery and beauty." (127)
• "Craftmanship required though, and thought required a quiet environment." (136)
• More wisdom on building racing shells from Pocock himself:
• "The ability to yield, to bend, to give way, to accommodate, he said, was sometimes a source of strength in men as well as in wood, so long as it was helmed by inner resolved and by principle." (215)
• "You had to give yourself up to it spiritually; you had to surrender yourself absolutely to it. When you were done and walked away from the boat, you had to feel that you had left a piece of yourself behind in it forever, a bit of your heart." (215)

Daniel James Brown writes heavy stories - this one of triumph, others of tragedy - but the grandeur of his inspirational stories will sweep you up and take you in. Brown used a wide expanse of resources, from first person interviews to weather reports, to create as complete a picture as possible of the boys' journey to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Starting with freshmen tryouts at the shell house in Washington and ending with a triumphant win over Germany for the gold, the reader will not only learn about rowing but also what it meant to live during that time.

This is a great book for many different readers - those who enjoy history, inspirational reads, sports, or just a good human interest piece. Not just for rowers, The Boys in the Boat shows a glimpse of the American spirit - what it means to perverse through difficult times and overcome challenges.