• The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation)

  • The True Story of an American Team's Epic Journey to Win Gold at the 1936 Olympics
  • By: Daniel James Brown
  • Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
  • Length: 5 hrs and 36 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (622 ratings)

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The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation)  By  cover art

The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation)

By: Daniel James Brown
Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
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Publisher's summary

The number one New York Times best seller about the Greatest Generation freshly adapted for the next generation.

For listeners of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Great Depression comes the astonishing tale of nine working-class boys from the American West who at the 1936 Olympics showed the world what true grit really meant. With rowers who were the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew was never expected to defeat the elite East Coast teams, yet they did, going on to shock the world by challenging the German boat rowing for Adolf Hitler.

At the center of the tale is Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, whose personal quest captures the spirit of his generation - the generation that would prove in the coming years that the Nazis could not prevail over American determination and optimism.

This deeply emotional yet easily accessible young listeners adaptation of the award-winning number one New York Times best seller features an exclusive new introduction.

©2015 Daniel James Brown (P)2015 Listening Library

Critic reviews

"The word teamwork, which can sound humdrum to kids in coaches' droning lectures, doesn't adequately describe the connection shared by the men in that boat in 1936. Illustrated with vintage photos, this moving book offers young people a vivid sense of that shared experience. A Depression-era story with timeless appeal." (Booklist, starred review)

"Offering a model of masterful nonfiction writing, Brown expertly balances the leisurely pacing of the protagonists' back stories with the exciting race scenes, related with concrete nouns, lively verbs, and short sentences, selected and adapted for this edition by Mone. Many photographs, an easy-to-read timeline, and notes on "The Art of Rowing", complete with a diagram, add visual appeal. A fine companion to Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken (2014), also about the 1936 Olympics and also adapted for young readers." (Kirkus)

"It becomes almost impossible not to root for such a hardscrabble collection of underdogs as they exhibit hard work, sacrifice, teamwork, and loyalty at every stage of their collective journey to Berlin." (Horn Book)

What listeners say about The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation)

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Boys in the Boat

This is a true story. I purchased it looking forward to an inspiring read. It seems to me however that there was a conscious effort not to allude to any divine intervention, such as praying for or receiving assistance from God in achieving some of those impossible task that the crew members were confronted with. At the end one of the crew member's girlfriend clung to a four leaf clover as the nail biting final lap commenced. I would have enjoyed it much more if the author was not tip toeing around the elephant in the room.

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Awesome book

Well narrated, awesome, compelling story. Even knowing the basic story I was on the edge of my seat!

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Great Family Book

We chose this audiobook for our family and it was a good fit. My just, son (9) and I enjoyed it immensely. It is a great combination of determination, overcoming adversity, exemplary character mixed with history and sports. We have all boys and I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to provide a true story to exemplify strong character traits that lead to victory.

My 7 and 4 year old struggled to engage with the book but I had no concern out content and will plan to listen to it again in future years.

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1 person found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Inspirational true story

This story pulled us in from the first chapter to the end. Would listen again!

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Best Book I read in Five Years

Where does The Boys in the Boat (Young Readers Adaptation) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top Five

What did you like best about this story?

History was perfect

Which character – as performed by Mark Bramhall – was your favorite?

Joe It showed all his sides.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Neither just felt good

Any additional comments?

Reader was very good. I love History and saw a documentary on book and History was accurate.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic listen, great story!

This was recommended to me a while back and I just got to it, but it was fantastic!

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Phenomenal slice of history that I missed!

We really enjoyed this story and found the audiobook retelling very exciting and compelly. Wonderfully done!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Joe Ranch and his life it was amazing

I liked how Joe Rance did not have any anger towards his dad, or his step mom 

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Beautiful story of perseverance

The narrator’s voice was deep and engaging. I feel like the National Geographic narrator from the 90s was reading to me. This underdog story was a trip to the Greatest Generation where humility meets grit.

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Wonderful Book!

What a Great book! Easy to listen to and follow along. Excited to see the movie!

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