Epic Olympic victory

Book club to discuss "The Boys in the Boat"

Books about rowing don’t usually climb the best-seller charts, but “The Boys in the Boat” by Daniel James Brown is an exception.


Brown has crafted an excellent non-fiction account of how nine young men from the University of Washington overcame myriad obstacles in the heart of the Great Depression to win gold in the 1936 Olympics stage-managed by Hitler and the Nazis.


Brown’s tale includes a fascinating look at how the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers challenged the supremacy of elite Eastern powerhouses like Harvard and Yale and went on to defeat the Germans in the men’s eight-oar competition.

“The Boys in the Boat” will be discussed at the book club’s Nov. 12 meeting. The potluck get-together starts at 6:30 at the Elk Grove home of Sadia Niazi. For more information, contact her by email at sadiafniazi@hotmail.com.

Photo: Some rights reserved by Emily Carlin