The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
(2013) 404 pages

As a rower, reading The Boys in the Boat felt like a deep dive into the heart and soul of the sport I love. Daniel James Brown’s tiny detail in describing the physical and mental challenges of rowing resonated with me. Reading the book and seeing these small things that relate to my practices and struggles show how true and realistic this book is if you want to capture the rowing experience. This book also shows the essence of teamwork, perseverance, and the sheer willpower required to excel in this demanding sport. The story of the University of Washington’s 9 man journey to the 1936 Berlin Olympics is both inspiring and deeply moving, highlighting the extraordinary bond formed among teammates in pursuit of a common dream. Brown’s vivid portrayal of the rowing scenes brought back the familiar rush of adrenaline and the synchronicity needed in every stroke, making me feel as if I were in the boat with them. The Boys in the Boat is more than just a sports story; it’s a goes deep into to the human spirit, and as a rower, it’s a motivational and affirming read.

Beowulf author unknown
(700-1000 A.D.?)

Beowulf is an epic poem that tells the tale of the titular Beowulf’s life. Translated from Old English, it took some effort to get used to the long-winded sentences with tons of detail and background information. Every once in a while, huge chunks of exposition are revealed about a past event or a character’s backstory. There were a lot of aspects that I found interesting because the story was written and set a long time ago. The first was how they portrayed human nature and tied it into biblical allusions. One of the beasts, Grendel, is directly a product of Cain’s murder. It retells Cain’s story with a message by showing that unjustified killing will lead to your death while Beowulf’s justified killing is praised. I really liked how Beowulf had a “fatal flaw” from the very beginning that was seen in the ending – his pride, but also his old age – and how he acknowledged it. There are also lots of changes in cultural values compared to today’s world, which I thought was interesting. Some of the things that I didn’t like are also probably products of Beowulf being an ancient tale. First of all, the majority of characters don’t get deep characterization besides from their actions in battles. In addition, the interactions between characters is extremely formal – completely different than the dialogue found in more modern novels. There is also a strange combination of “show not tell” in that the author sometimes directly says what is going on or what happened (such as Beowulf’s 50 year time skip), but other times is extremely detailed in the moment (usually action sequences). It’s not a big deal but it does occasionally feel like I’m being told unnecessary information. For example, they would give lots of details about a character only to not utilize the immaculate set-up later on. This leads to my next point: a generally unsatisfactory plot, especially the ending. I’m not saying that it should have ended any other way, since this ending was what the entire story was building up to and how it should’ve ended, but I think that the concept of Beowulf as a character could’ve led to another layer of complexity for the Geat citizens. Beowulf was essentially God’s protection, so when Wiglaf and the others lost the security, they lost hope and started mourning for themselves. However, instead of just blaming themselves for not protecting Beowulf during the attack on the dragon in order for Beowulf to continue to protect them, they could’ve realized that other kingdoms didn’t have an anomaly like Beowulf and they should’ve got to work to improve their own army. Beowulf was going to die eventually from old age, so was their plan to just get invaded by past foes? (It could possibly have to do with their potential invaders seeking revenge, possibly foreshadowing their failed invasions, but that is not actually hinted anywhere.) Additionally, bringing back the idea of abandoning previous plot points and details, the alliance between the Danes and the Geats’ relationship with Hrothgar was completely forgotten after they left. Half of the entire story was about how they built trust with the Danes and formed an alliance, only for the Geats to not ask for help. Again, the way Beowulf ended was the most logical ending for the message the epic was conveying.