Author Topic: Boys in the Boat ~ Daniel James Brown ~ Prediscussion (Read 20901 times)

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #40 on:** December 08, 2014, 11:58:31 AM »

The Book Club Online is the oldest book club on the Internet, begun in 1996, open to everyone. We offer cordial discussions of one book a month, 24/7 and enjoy the company of readers from all over the world. Everyone is welcome.

January Book Club Online:
Please Post Below if you are able to join us!

The Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown

The #1 New York Times–bestselling story about American Olympic triumph in Nazi Germany.

"Out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the most desperate of times—the improbable, intimate account of how nine working-class boys from the American West showed the world at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin what true grit really meant...

The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest." - Amazon.com

This team of nine young athletes traveled to the Berlin Olympics, an event staged-managed by Hitler and the Nazis, and vanquished the Germans’ hand-picked crew. The book is in its fifth week as the No. 1 best-selling nonfiction paperback in the country, according to The New York Times. (It’s No. 5 on the best-seller list that covers all forms of nonfiction, both print and e-book.)

DISCUSSION SCHEDULE:

PROLOGUE, PART ONE..............................JANUARY l - 7

PART TWO...............................................JANUARY 8 - 14

PART THREE............................................JANUARY 15 - 21

PART FOUR Ch. 13-15...............................JANUARY 22 - 28

PART FOUR Ch. 16-end.............................JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 4~

RELEVANT LINKS:

1936 Film of Olympic Rowing

Daniel James Brown Website and Information

Discussion Leaders: Ella & JoanK

_____________________________________________________________
WHAT? NO COXSWAIN YET!

WEll, I NOMINATE HARRY - THE QUIET ONE, THE THINKER, HE'S BUSY PLANNING OUR SPEED, STRATEGY, ETC.!!!

YOO-HOO, HARRY

FlaJean · « **Reply #41 on:** December 09, 2014, 11:27:06 AM »

This sounds interesting.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #42 on:** December 09, 2014, 02:59:01 PM »

Oh, it lis, JEAN, the book is so interesting. Do join us as we learn all about rowing and meet some great young men. What an adventure. Hope to see you by the lake.

JoanK · « **Reply #43 on:** December 09, 2014, 04:19:01 PM »

Hi, JEAN. Jump in the boat.

Once you're interested in anything, you see traces of it everywhere. I like to watch the soppy Christmas movies broadcast on TV this time of year. I looked at one last night, involving a rich family. Someone was introduced to the son, and told that he had gone to Harvard. Instead of asking, as I would have done, "what did you major in?", the person asked "Did you crew?" (i.e. were you on the rowing team?)

That reminded me of what a friend who went to Princeton told me. We middle class families send our kids to Ivy League schools, if we can, to get a good education in their chosen field. Not so the rich. They send their kids there to meet all the "right people" (i.e. sons of other rich people) and form a useful network for later. This involves joining all the "right" activities. Apparently, rowing is one of those.

We'll see what happens when working class kids try to row, and outsider schools try to compete with the "Ivies."

Jonathan · « **Reply #44 on:** December 09, 2014, 04:22:53 PM »

Ella, it was our teacher in the third grade who taught us the little rowing song. But not for the wisdom. I believe it was meant to wake us up when we began to look a bit droopy and bored. It was a little trick of hers to wake us up. We all enjoyed it, without ever wondering about the wisdom we were acquiring. The row of desks at the window would start with 'row, row, row your boat, and after getting launched, the second row would begin. After that the third row would begin plying their oars. By the time the fifth row was rowing with a splash the first was finding life a dream...in a classroom of all places! Not until now did I ever thing of the teacher as a coxswain.

I have my book, and it's all I can do to keep myself from getting into it. But I've solved the problem by starting another which should keep me occupied while waiting for New Years. I'm going to try hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with Cheryl Strayed. Has anyone read her book. WILD? I believe the movie has just come out. What a wild subtitle! From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail. It starts wih her stopping for a break, taking of her boots, to have one of them fall off and out of reach farther down the mountain. In despair or disgust she throws the second boot to follow the first. What a prologue!

JoanK · « **Reply #45 on:** December 09, 2014, 04:25:25 PM »

Oh my, JONATHAN. You have me hooked.

Jonathan · « **Reply #46 on:** December 09, 2014, 04:28:45 PM »

I can't resist it, JoanK. The Ivy Leaguers and the Uppers in England chose not to row with the working class. (The latter, being generally more muscular, had an unfair advantage.)

JoanK · « **Reply #47 on:** December 09, 2014, 04:48:17 PM »

FlaJean · « **Reply #48 on:** December 10, 2014, 09:23:11 AM »

I downloaded the book on my iPad. Now to keep myself from starting it too soon. That's a problem with me in this type of forum. Once I start the book I want to finish and then lose interest. I'll try harder this time.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #49 on:** December 10, 2014, 01:02:56 PM »

Yes, I understand that JEAN. That is why we ask people not to start the book - we have a schedule which we will post soon, but DO NOT START THE BOOK UNTIL THE FIRST OF JANUARY.

You just miss the whole discussion which is half of the fun - if not, all of the fun of reading the book. It adds so much.

HIDE THE BOOK, HAVE YOUR NEIGHBOR KEEP IT FOR YOU, DRASTIC MEASURES MUST BE TAKEN! hahah

bluebird24 · « **Reply #50 on:** December 10, 2014, 05:13:57 PM »

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/fivering_circus/2012/07/_1936_olympics_rowing_the_greatest_underdog_nazi_defeating_american_olympic_victory_you_ve_never_heard_of_.html

I am in.

JoanK · « **Reply #51 on:** December 10, 2014, 06:40:38 PM »

WELCOME BLUEBIRD! So glad you can join us.

That's a great article, but a bit of a spoiler (yes, we can guess how the race turned out, but there's a lot of suspense on the way. Let's wait and see how it unfolds). So let's save it for the end of the book.

Jonathan · « **Reply #52 on:** December 11, 2014, 02:43:45 PM »

WOW!! What a happy ending. I'll be looking forward to reliving the moment, in the book. I'm sure getting there will be a lot of fun. Our book is the answer to the remark:

"For seventy-five years the feats of the Washington crew have largely been forgotten."

And then, this amazing report, of the awards presentation:

"As the Star-Spangled Banner played, the crowd gave the Nazi salute to the American victors."

That salute has taken on a new meaning for me. But it must have caused many sleepless nights for many Germans, who were left wondering if they had been caught on Riefenstahl's films.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #53 on:** December 11, 2014, 10:43:35 PM »

JONATHAN! You are not reading ahead - certainly not! We will be discussing that film in the book. Now hide your book, we just have a couple of weeks. We will post the schedule this weekend sometime and then a few days before Jan. lst you can read what is scheduled.

That's a good picture of the boys,BLUEBIRD! We are happy you are joining us. Our boat is fillling up nicely, hahaha Look at the muscles on those young men.

As JOANK said, we'll have a lot of fun starting at the beginning to read how it all got started.

Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream - JONATHAN, my sisters and I used to sing that song and my children sang it on driving trips. That one and 99 bottles of beer on the shelf. MERCY, how tiring those trips were, would I do it all over again. You betcha!

pedln · « **Reply #54 on:** December 12, 2014, 12:52:04 PM »

JoanK, don't forget JohnJacobJingleheimerSchmidt, that's my name too.

I've downloaded Boys, but promise not to start until January. And since I"m committed to finishing Goldfinch by FEb. 1 that should keep me on the straight and narrow.

The German documentaries are on my Netflix queue -- are they for the beginning or the end, Ella?

Every time I come here I keep thinking of the Winkelvoss twins. Weren't they big rowers -- the ones who said they were cheated by Mark Zukerberg?

My DC daughter-in-law tells me that her book club will read Boys in the Boat in February.

PatH · « **Reply #55 on:** December 12, 2014, 05:20:25 PM »

Pedln, I hadn't thought of JohnJacobJingleheimer for years, and now I've been humming it all afternoon.

JoanK · « **Reply #56 on:** December 15, 2014, 02:42:27 PM »

The discussion schedule is now in the heading. Can we tear ourselves away from football and hangovers on January first to start rowing? We'll see.

Jonathan · « **Reply #57 on:** December 16, 2014, 05:17:12 PM »

Happy Hannukah to all who celebrate this happy event.

JoanK · « **Reply #58 on:** December 17, 2014, 04:23:19 PM »

HAPPY HANNUKAH!

ginny · « **Reply #59 on:** December 21, 2014, 04:46:01 PM »

Jonathan, as you may have noticed in the Open House, you are one of two winners in our Holiday Open House Raffle! Congratulations!

Your email is bouncing, could you please email me so I can give you the details?

Jonathan · « **Reply #60 on:** December 22, 2014, 03:14:12 PM »

hi, ginny What a nice surprise. I'm going to enjoy the happy feeling for the time being. I have no active email at the moment. Something must be done about it.

ginny · « **Reply #61 on:** December 22, 2014, 03:48:13 PM »

Well many congratulations! When you get email you can email me either your address to which I can send a B&N gift card for use in any B&N store, or I can send the prize via email to you, via Amazon.ca.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #62 on:** December 23, 2014, 11:49:33 AM »

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!

Keep those books out of sight for another week and then you can read the Prologue and Part One in anticipation of our discussion!

We put the Schedule of Discussion up rather early because we DLs (Discussion Leaders) wanted to get our work done early before the holidays.

But you were not to start reading!!! No, No. You will forget everything or have to go back and read the varying parts all over again.

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #63 on:** December 23, 2014, 12:17:11 PM »

History in the movies. UNBROKEN, is to be shown soon and it's hero was a runner in the Berlin 1936 Olympics if I'm not mistaken. It was a good book and I do want to see the movie.

And again, history in the movies, sort of. FOXCATCHER - The Dupont family. They brought black powder, dynamite to America in the early 1800's. We toured their historic site along the Brandywine Creek back in the 90's about the time the one brother was found guilty of murder. The historic site is well worth seeing, explosions were a fear, they did happen, but they took precautions; even the horses wore padded boots to prevent sparks on the cobblestone streets.

And now, I understand, our BOYS IN THE BOAT, is to be a movie.

Movies, I think it is grand when the focus is on history. However, first comes the books, and then the movies, so let's hope they keep getting written. Laura Hillenbrand seems to write one every 10-15 years

JoanK · « **Reply #64 on:** December 23, 2014, 04:02:51 PM »

Oh, that's great. We'll be able to compare the book and movie. (I usually hate the movies that are made from books I've read: they never look the way I've imagined things).

pedln · « **Reply #65 on:** December 23, 2014, 09:28:25 PM »

Today my youngest granddaughter and I were at one of my favorite Seattle bookstores -- Third Place Books -- and the place was hopping. I saw a woman carrying Boys in the Boat and just couldn't resist telling her that SeniorLearn was going to read it in January. She told me how much she had enjoyed, and said what some others here have said -- that it reads much like a novel.

Ella, I like the films based on history, too, and also the biographical ones. I'm looking forward to the one about Stephen Hawking -- The theory of Everything, andThe Imitation Game, about Alan Turig, as well as Unbroken.

Halcyon · « **Reply #66 on:** December 24, 2014, 09:27:31 AM »

JoanK....I agree about movies made from books. The only one that ever met my expectations was Gone With the Wind. Rhett Butler was just as I'd imagined. Of course I think I was only 14 when I saw the movie! Happy Holidays everyone.

bellamarie · « **Reply #67 on:** December 28, 2014, 08:54:21 PM »

I just came home from seeing the movie, Unbroken about Louie Zamperini an Italian/American Olympian of 1936. I loved the movie. Although, I must say it broke my heart. We are going to see The Imitation Game with friends on New Year's Eve. I prefer reading and seeing nonfiction movies. I am finding fiction a bit boring. Does anyone else feel like this?

The Boys in the Boat, sounds interesting, so I would love to join you all in the discussion. I just downloaded the ibook from my library.

Saw previews of 50 Shades of Grey that is coming out in Feb. I read book one, and half of book two of the three books, and was not impressed. My daughter in law read all three and shared the ending with me. I suspect they will have to clean the movie up incredibly in order to keep it from being rated porn.

JoanK · « **Reply #68 on:** December 29, 2014, 04:35:43 PM »

WELCOME WELCOME, BELLA! Jump onboard the boat. We row on January 1st. (Is that the right expression? We set sail isn't right for rowing).

If your too hung over on the first, will still be here on the second).

Ella Gibbons · « **Reply #69 on:** December 29, 2014, 05:57:31 PM »

Good to have you, Bella. The book UNBROKEN is wonderful to read, the author wrote SEABISCUIT some years ago which also was wonderful. I agree about nonfiction.

BooksAdmin · « **Reply #70 on:** December 31, 2014, 12:00:20 AM »

Please join our new discussion of this book at http://seniorlearn.org/forum/index.php?topic=4551.0

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Author Topic: Boys in the Boat ~ Daniel James Brown ~ Prediscussion (Read 20901 times)