R E K. (bigstone) - , reviewed on 3/17/2015 + 1438 more book reviews

This is an incredible book that depicts the era and life of young people who lived in the dismal 1930s. Yearning for education and a good life, a boy who has been abandoned several times finds what he needs in a rowing team. Discipline, trust, skill and more. The struggle to work together and become a good rowing team is shown in the smallest detail. Self-doubt, fear and failure often undermine the efforts. As the team develops the reader sees how the struggles for survival haunt the hearts of not only Joe but his teammates. They compete for the few available jobs to earn enough to pursue their degrees slogging ahead one year at a time. This is a good, no, a great read that I can recommend to anyone interested in this era because the book is more than a tale about a rowing team. It's about life and living with hardship, viewing it all with clarity.

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