The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

Soon to be a major motion picture directed by George Clooney

The #1 New York Times-bestselling story about the American Olympic rowing triumph in Nazi Germany--from the author of Facing the Mountain.

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.

Author: Daniel James Brown
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 05/27/2014
Pages: 432
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.7lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.40w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9780143125471

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 8.4
Point Value: 27
Interest Level: Upper Grade
Quiz #/Name: 167221 / Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics


Award: Green Mountain Book Award - Nominee


Review Citation(s):
Christian Century 12/10/2014 pg. 26

About the Author
Daniel James Brown is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Boys in the Boat, The Indifferent Stars Above, and Under a Flaming Sky. He has taught writing at San Jose State University and Stanford University. He lives outside Seattle.