Multiple generations have been inspired by ‘Boys in the Boat’

Sometimes it feels like I spend all day in the car. School drop-offs, pick-ups and errands; thank goodness the price of gas has dropped or I’d be broke. I’ll admit there are days when the thought of one more trip to the grocery store makes me want to scream.

But lately driving the mom-mobile hasn’t seemed so bad. That’s because I’m listening to Daniel James Brown’s bestselling book “The Boys in the Boat” on audio CD. Earlier this year the Everett Public library chose “The Boys in the Boat” for Everett Reads! and brought the author in to speak at the Everett Performing Arts Center. Now I’m kicking myself for not attending. This book is so incredible I wish I read it months ago.

“The Boys in the Boat” tells the story of how nine working-class boys from Washington rowed The Huskie Clipper to gold in the 1936 Olympics. It describes what life was like during the Great Depression and the unthinkable things people did to survive. But most importantly, “The Boys in the Boat” is the story of broken trust and renewed hope.

Listening to the book on audio has additional entertainment value. The narrator is the actor Edward Hermann, who passed away last year from cancer. I’m most familiar with Hermann’s work as the aristocratic grandfather on “The Gilmore Girls.” As the audio-book reader for “The Boys in the Boat,” Hermann gives a stirring performance. He manages to make the most unlikable characters appear sympathetic, and imparts gravitas equal to the subject.

Unfortunately, Hermann seems to have never heard many of our Pacific Northwest names pronounced correctly. He butchers “Skagit,” “Anacortes,” “Chehalis” and more. Herman obviously cares about the story he is reading, so it’s easy to forgive his mistakes. Still, sometimes the mispronunciations are so funny I crack up in the middle of traffic.

A major theme of “The Boys in the Boat” is the East Coast underestimating the West Coast so it’s ironic that the audio book production company didn’t double check our Pacific Northwest pronunciations. Maybe they didn’t even notice.

But I notice, and so has my whole family. The funny mispronunciations are something we chuckle about together.

“Turn on BOB,” my 10-year-old says as soon as I pick him up from fifth grade. BOB is his questionable acronym for “The Boys in the Boat.”

“What’s Thula up to now?” my husband wants to know every evening, referring to the step mother of oarsman Joe Rantz.

“You know I row for North Cascades Crew, right?” my nephew asks. He’s in sixth grade and has read the book too.

The set of 12 CDs has passed from household to household, car to car, as three generations enjoy the same book, grandparents and grandkids included.

So as the U-Dub fight song says, “Bow down to Washington.” It’s almost 80 years later and we are still fascinated by those nine fine men.

Jennifer Bardsley lives in Edmonds.

Her book “Genesis Girl” is scheduled to be released in 2016. Find her online on Instagram @the_ya_gal, Twitter @jennbardsley or at teachingmybabytoread.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

Brandon Hailey of Cytrus, center, plays the saxophone during a headlining show at Madam Lou’s on Friday, Dec. 29, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lynnwood-based funk octet Cytrus has the juice

Resilience and brotherhood take center stage with ‘friends-first’ band.

FILE - In this April 11, 2014 file photo, Neko Case performs at the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, Calif. Fire investigators are looking for the cause of a fire on Monday, Sept. 18, 2017, that heavily damaged Case’s 225-year-old Vermont home. There were no injuries, though a barn was destroyed. It took firefighters two hours to extinguish the blaze. (Photo by Scott Roth/Invision/AP, File)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Singer-songwriter Neko Case, an indie music icon from Tacoma, performs Sunday in Edmonds.

Sarah Jean Muncey-Gordon puts on some BITCHSTIX lip oil at Bandbox Beauty Supply on Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2024, in Langley, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Bandbox Beauty was made for Whidbey Island locals, by an island local

Founder Sarah Muncey-Gordon said Langley is in a renaissance, and she’s proud to be a part of it.

Dominic Arizona Bonuccelli
Tangier’s market boasts piles of fruits, veggies, and olives, countless varieties of bread, and nonperishables, like clothing and electronics.
Rick Steves on the cultural kaleidoscope of Tangier in Morocco

Walking through the city, I think to myself, “How could anyone be in southern Spain — so close — and not hop over to experience this wonderland?”

chris elliott.
Vrbo promised to cover her rental bill in Hawaii, so why won’t it?

When Cheryl Mander’s Vrbo rental in Hawaii is uninhabitable, the rental platform agrees to cover her new accommodations. But then it backs out. What happened?

Byrds co-founder Roger McGuinn, seen here in 2013, will perform April 20 in Edmonds. (Associated Press)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

R0ck ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famer Roger McGuinn, frontman of The Byrds, plans a gig in Edmonds in April.

Mother giving in to the manipulation her daughter fake crying for candy
Can children be bribed into good behavior?

Only in the short term. What we want to do is promote good habits over the course of the child’s life.

Speech Bubble Puzzle and Discussion
When conflict flares, keep calm and stand your ground

Most adults don’t like dissension. They avoid it, try to get around it, under it, or over it.

The colorful Nyhavn neighborhood is the place to moor on a sunny day in Copenhagen. (Cameron Hewitt)
Rick Steves: Embrace hygge and save cash in Copenhagen

Where else would Hans Christian Andersen, a mermaid statue and lovingly decorated open-face sandwiches be the icons of a major capital?

Last Call is a festured artist at the 2024 DeMiero Jazz Festival: in Edmonds. (Photo provided by DeMiero Jazz Festival)
Music, theater and more: What’s happening in Snohomish County

Jazz ensemble Last Call is one of the featured artists at the DeMiero Jazz Festival on March 7-9 in Edmonds.

Kim Helleren
Local children’s author to read at Edmonds Bookshop

Kim Helleren will read from one of her books for kids at the next monthly Story Time at Edmonds Bookshop on March 29.

Chris Elliott
Lyft surprises traveler with a $150 cleaning charge

Jared Hakimi finds a $150 charge on his credit card after a Lyft ride. Is that allowed? And will the charge stick?

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.