This is the story
of nine Americans and their epic quest for gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
This book begins in 1933 in the middle of the Great Depression. The story follows one boy in particular, Joe
Rantz whose childhood deprivations led him to resort to things such as having
to scour for mushrooms and fish for enough food to keep him alive. The nine boys along
with their brilliant coach and a renowned boat builder overcome obstacle after
obstacle in their quest to represent the U.S. and win gold in the 1936 Berlin
Olympics. The book includes the story of
Hitler’s engineering of the 1936 Olympics as a showcase for Nazi Germany, removing
all traces of anti-Semitism and presenting Berlin as wholesome and squeaky
clean. Although the lengthy descriptions
of outings and techniques in the beginning were difficult to get through, I was
glad I continued to the end. Even if you
skim those sections of the book, the ending is worth it as it is well
written and is a very compelling story.
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