The Boys in the Boat
I was a little surprised to learn how many people were taken by the book The Boys in the Boat. It didn’t seem like your typical ‘everyone’s talking about it’ kind of book. Maybe this is my own ignorance towards rowing, since we don’t have a lot of excess water here in the desert there aren’t many people who have a great connection to this sport. But, despite my hesitation I read the book and was inspired. The story of the Boys in the Boat was an incredible display of courage, hard work, and loyalty. I enjoyed hearing the constant advice from the boatmaker, and I loved to see Joe overcome his terrible upbringing and find success in the world. I read so much from the WWII time period and although I love to hear a good war story it was nice to see a bit of inspiration coming from a different angle.
Historical Value – 4
Emotional Value – 2
Entertainment Value – 3
Personal Character Value – 4
Age Recommendation – 16+
“It’s not a question of whether you will hurt, or of how much you will hurt; it’s a question of what you will do, and how well you will do it, while pain has her wanton way with you.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics
“It is hard to make that boat go as fast as you want to. The enemy, of course, is resistance of the water, as you have to displace the amount of water equal to the weight of men and equipment, but that very water is what supports you and that very enemy is your friend. So is life: the very problems you must overcome also support you and make you stronger in overcoming them. —George Yeoman Pocock”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
“Harmony, balance, and rhythm. They’re the three things that stay with you your whole life. Without them civilization is out of whack. And that’s why an oarsman, when he goes out in life, he can fight it, he can handle life. That’s what he gets from rowing.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
“Sure, I can make a boat,” he said, and then added, quoting the poet Joyce Kilmer, “‘But only God can make a tree.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
“Perhaps the seeds of redemption lay not just in perseverance, hard work, and rugged individualism. Perhaps they lay in something more fundamental—the simple notion of everyone pitching in and pulling together.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
“The only time you don’t find a four-leaf clover,” he liked to say, “is when you stop looking for one.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
The trick was to recognize a good thing when you saw it, no matter how odd or worthless it might at first appear, no matter who else might just walk away and leave it behind.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat
“It takes energy to get angry. It eats you up inside. I can’t waste my energy like that and expect to get ahead. When they left, it took everything I had in me just to survive. Now I have to stay focused. I’ve just gotta take care of it myself.”
― Daniel James Brown, The Boys in the Boat