Reader recommendation: The Boys in the Boat

Monitor readers share their favorite book picks.

November 5, 2013

My husband and I both just finished The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, about the University of Washington crew that won the gold medal in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The story is wonderfully told, and provides so much background about individuals in the boat, as well as about that time in history. Even though I knew the outcome from the start, I found myself excited about the various races, and could imagine myself watching them. It's already scheduled to be made into a movie, but don't deprive yourself of the depth of information gained from Brown's years of research in this outstanding and very inspirational book.