Excellent! That is
the first word I can think of to describe this book. It is excellent. Well written, informative and deeply
personal, it takes the reader on the same journey the University of Washington
crew took from the first time in a boat through the rest of their lives. Intensely personal, private and public at the
same time, the reader believes they know the boys of this remarkable
story. They could have been your grandfather
or other relative. They struggled, were
successful, overcame unthinkable odds and persevered. I found myself practically on the edge of my
seat as they raced, especially in the Olympics.
While the story is primarily of Joe Rantz, it also includes
the other men of the team and the coaches.
The Depression touched lives in many different ways but it touched all
lives. How each of these men worked to stay in school, to pay for travel
related to the competitions and to simply have food in their stomachs is
amazing. I believe the difficulties each
encountered gave them the fortitude needed to win races just as it caused them
to falter from time to time.
When I think of today’s youth, I know many of them live hard
lives. I wonder how many could survive when told they are on their own at age
ten and still go on to become an Olympic Gold Medalist? I am sure some could because the human spirit
is uniquely able to overcome great odds to survive. Others can barely get up to
make it to the refrigerator. Joe and the other guys took what jobs were
available, many requiring hard labor. This made each even better at the task
before them.
This book is a story of the true human and even American
spirit. Tom Brokaw’s, The Greatest
Generation, is like this. I believe these nine young men are part of that Great
Generation as well. They represented the
nation with honor and lived full lives contributing to society. They were human with fears and doubts but
once they became one team, they remained so.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
