Author:
Daniel James Brown
Nominated By :Cherie Smith
non-fiction
Review From:
Publishers Weekly
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. ( FROM
Amazon.com) Due out in paperback May 27, 2014. Reviews also available from
goodreads.com
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