The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown is a book full of struggle and courage. It is about learning from failures, beating all odds, and overcoming stereotypes. Brown’s novel focuses on Joe Rantz’s life and the crew team that won gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Joe Rantz and his crew team have to overcome their struggles in both rowing and the Great Depression. From the novel, I have learned about life in Washington during the Great Depression, and the harsh circumstances people like Joe faced. Through this non-fiction novel, Daniel James Brown, gives many lessons about life that are found in Joe’s struggles and the crew team’s experiences.
Through Joe, Brown shows…show more content… During tryouts, the coaches look for the student that demonstrates “the ability to disregard his own ambitions . . . and to pull, not just for himself, not just for glory, but for the other boys in the boat” (Brown 23). The challenges the crew faces “had taught them humility . . . [which] was the common gateway through which [the team was] able to come together” (Brown 241). A superstar, who does all the rowing, does not exist in crew teams. Instead, people in crew, pull at the same speed and power as the others. One needs to be aware of the whole team in crew, since just one oar hitting the water at the wrong time can upset the team’s rhythm. People are focused more on the team then trying to do everything themselves. This was seen in the Chilean mining accident in 2010. 33 miners were trapped 700 meters underground. After 69 days, they were all rescued. These 33 miners worked together to gather resources they could find in order to maximize their chances of survival. They were one team with one goal and that was to get all 33 of them out. In the end they succeeded, thus demonstrating the importance of humility in teamwork.
The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics has many lessons to offer to its readers. From reading a gratifying first half of this novel, I have learned that struggle makes us stronger people and understood the importance of humility for the
