This was one of those books that kept popping up on my radar, but I didn't pay it any real attention until it was chosen as the "One Maryland, One Book" title for 2015. Libraries and organizations all across the state are hosting book discussions on the story, and I found myself tasked with running our branch's book club. Which was okay with me, because I'm a sucker for inspirational sports stories. This one did not disappoint. 
 This is the story of nine American boys who go from pretty great freshman rowers at Washington to Olympic gold medal contenders, however there is one central character that ties it all together - Joe Rantz. The author was able to meet with him for a few months before his death and also gleaned a ton of information from his daughter Judy. All of this came together to paint a portrait of a hardworking, determined young man who came from almost nothing (he was abandoned by his family in his teens) to become a member of one of the most celebrated boats in rowing history. What I loved about Joe is that he was a great representation of all of the boys in the boat - they all came from little to nothing and had to scrape and claw their way to stay in school (and thus on the crew team). They showed up to row amidst a sea of young boys who were well-off, didn't have to worry about money, and didn't have to pick up various side jobs to make ends meet. And yet, in the end, they all gravitated toward each other and into a boat that would defy odds again and again. 
 You get a hint of how much that boat and his teammates meant to Joe in the prologue, when the author meets with him for the first time and Joe tears up remembering his rowing years.Brown mentions that it's not the talk about tactics and times and techniques and long, grueling workouts that touch Joe. It's talking about "the boat." The boat, however, is more than just a vessel. It was the boys in it, and the obstacles they had to overcome to achieve glory. The rest of the book brings this quest to life. 
 Brown does an excellent job at transporting readers to each and every race, and the intense workouts the team goes through beforehand. I was on the edge of my seat for a few of the big races (especially the Olympics finals). I knew nothing about rowing before reading this book, but now I have a profound appreciation for the physical prowess and mental discipline required to succeed in the sport. 
 Beyond the central storyline of the Washington crew team, Brown creates a vivid picture of the struggles many Americans were facing during the Great Depression. And of course, there is the parallel storyline of the rise of the Nazis and Hitler's desire to present Germany as a peaceful, progressive nation at the Berlin Olympics (all while hiding the beginning of the countless atrocities he would commit in search of a dominant race). It was shocking to see how willing America and other countries were to ignore the unsettling words and actions coming out of Germany, since we now know what would come from all of Hitler's deception. But who could predict or believe that the horrors to come could actually happen? 
 Overall, this was well researched and written account of both a group of boys rowing toward glory and a critical time in American and world history. I highly recommend this to anyone who enjoyed Unbroken and/or Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand. Like Hillenbrand, Brown has the amazing ability to take something that most people don't have a detailed understanding of and explaining it in a way that really brings it to life.