I spent last week in Germany, and in
getting ready for the trip, I wanted a book about Germany for airplane and
rest-time reading. I chose Boys in the Boat by Daniel James
Brown. Boys tells the story of the Seattle
rowing team that won a gold medal in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. The crew team consists of young working class
boys, many poor and struggling financially to stay in college.
It is the story of their transformation into
world champion athletes, but it is the story of a second darker transformation
as well. We learn how Hitler and his advisers turned Berlin into a model city.
Some of the dirt is literally whitewashed and some of it, such as signs
reading “No Jews Allowed,” is removed and hidden away for later. I was moved by the first
transformation and repelled by the
second.
I recommend this book though I’m not sure I recommend it for a German
trip. I was too aware of this hideous history
as I traveled . I had to remind myself
that my country did not have a spotless past either.
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