The Boys in the Boat

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What might Daniel James Brown’s purpose have been in writing about Joe Rantz and the 1936 American rowing team? In your opinion, did he achieve these purposes? Why or why not?

2. Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, is the story of Louie Zamperini, a runner who competed in the 1936 Olympics. How would you compare Zamperini’s journey to Joe’s? If you have not read Unbroken, does The Boys in the Boat remind you of any other nonfiction centered on sports figures (e.g., Michael Lewis’s The Blind Side or Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Becoming Kareem)?

3. Daniel James Brown is the author of several other historical nonfiction books. Have you read Facing the Mountain: A True Story of Japanese American Heroes in World War II or The Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride? What do you notice about Brown’s approach to history? Would you say there is a type of subject matter his approach is best suited to, or does it seem to work equally well with all kinds of historical topics?