The inspiration for the major film of the same name directed by George Clooney, this is the bestselling story about a rowing team's quest for Olympic gold in Nazi Germany.

'A moving, enlightening and gripping tale' - Financial Times

Cast aside by his family at an early age, abandoned and left to fend for himself in the woods of Washington State, young Joe Rantz turns to rowing as a way of escaping his past.

What follows is an extraordinary journey, as Joe and eight other working-class boys exchange the sweat and dust of life in 1930s America for the promise of glory at the heart of Hitler's Berlin. Stroke by stroke, a remarkable young man strives to regain his shattered self-regard, to dare again to trust in others - and to find his way back home.

Told against the backdrop of the Great Depression, Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat is narrative non-fiction of the first order; a personal story full of lyricism and unexpected beauty that rises above the grand sweep of history, and captures instead the purest essence of what it means to be alive.

'I really can't rave enough about this book . . . I read the last fifty pages with white knuckles, and the last twenty-five with tears in my eyes' - David Laskin, author of The Children's Blizzard and The Long Way Home.

An epic true-life journey to the heart of Hitler's Berlin.

About the Author
Daniel James Brown is the author of The Indifferent Stars Above and Under A Flaming Sky. He lives in Washington State.

Reviews
Chariots of Fire - with oars [Brown's] descriptions of the key races are exciting and dramatic, and it is impossible not to get wrapped up in the emotion * The Times *
Like Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Michael Lewis's Moneyball before it, The Boys in the Boat has all the ingredients for a film adaptation . . . a moving, enlightening and gripping tale. * Financial Times *
Daniel James Brown has written a robust, emotional snapshot of an era, a book you will recommend to your best friends. -- James Bradley, Flags of Our Fathers, Flyboys, The Imperial Cruise
A fine-grained portrait of the Depression era . . . inspiring * Guardian *
The Boys in the Boat is a triumph of great writing matched with a magnificent story. Daniel James Brown strokes the keyboard like a master oarsman, blending power and grace to propel readers toward a heart-pounding finish. -- Mitchell Zuckoff, author of Lost in Shangri-La and Frozen in Time.
For this nautical version of Chariots of Fire, Brown crafts an evocative, cinematic prose ... studded with engrossing explanations of rowing technique and strategy, exciting come-from-behind race scenes, and the requisite hymns to "mystic bands of trust and affection" forged on the water. * Publishers Weekly *
A story this breathtaking demands an equally compelling author, and Brown does not disappoint. The narrative rises inexorably, with the final 50 pages blurring by with white-knuckled suspense as these all-American underdogs pull off the unimaginable. * The Seattle Times *


Awards
Short-listed for William Hill Sports Book of the Year 2013 (UK) and James Tait Black Prize for Biography 2014 (UK).



Book Information
ISBN 9781447210986
Author Daniel James Brown
Format Paperback
Page Count 416
Imprint Pan Books
Publisher Pan Macmillan
Weight(grams) 286g
Dimensions(mm) 196mm * 131mm * 26mm