Friends of Birch Bay Library book club review: ‘Boys in the Boat’

In “Boys in the Boat,” rower Joe Rantz recalls a monumental time in his life.

It’s 1936 in Seattle. Joe needs to do something quickly to stay at the University of Washington to complete his degree. If he can get on the rowing team, he can get a job, have a place to live and pay his tuition. Surprisingly, Joe makes the junior varsity rowing team without any rowing experience.

Coach Al Ulbrickson is hoping that his varsity team will get a chance to travel to Berlin to compete in the 1936 Olympics. As the JV and varsity teams practice alongside each other, it becomes clear to Ulbrickson that his scrappy group of nine JV rowers are the faster team. Time after time, the JV rowers prove they have something special. Ulbrickson takes a risk and sends the JV team to Germany to compete against the best rowers, which include Adolf Hitler’s finest. Through trust and determination, the team makes history and becomes lifelong friends.

Daniel James Brown shares this heartwarming, inspirational story that rowers, teammates and underdogs can appreciate. The author brings familiar pieces of Seattle to life, which enhances the story. This book has been out for 10 years and was a Whatcom Reads book. The film adaptation, which came out in December 2023, is still in theaters. This is a perfect time to read this book and watch the movie. 

This book is available at wcls.org and the audio book is on the WCLS’ Libby app.

Friends of Birch Bay Library Book Club will discuss “Boys in the Boat” 4-5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 20 at the Bookmobile stop. The book club is open to all.

Dianne Marrs-Smith is the Lynden library manager and Friends of Birch Bay president. She reads and listens to a variety of different books, loves getting book recommendations and her favorite genre is horror. 

Correction: The date of the March book club meeting was changed on March 14.