"Astonishing . . . Moving . . . One of the best books ever written about a sport."
*Walter Clemons
Newsweek
"A PENETR... read full description
*Walter Clemons
Newsweek
"A PENETR... read full description
reviews
Apr 29, 2010
Dulguun
rated it: 
I finished the book within 2 evenings. It is such an extraordinary book that illustrates what rowing really is. When you row the feeling of pain is so overwhelming that it is even beyond the name of pain is given. In the book, it says:
"During their college years the oarsmen put in terribly long hours, often showing up at the boathouse at 6:00am for preclass practices. Both physically and psychologically, they were separated from their classmates. Events that seemed earth-shatter More...
"During their college years the oarsmen put in terribly long hours, often showing up at the boathouse at 6:00am for preclass practices. Both physically and psychologically, they were separated from their classmates. Events that seemed earth-shatter More...
Jan 17, 2010
Benjaminxjackson
rated it: 
This book gave an interesting look into the motivations of Olympians who compete in a sport that does not lead to money and fame. The world of rowers sounds very insular, but Halberstam made it possible to look inside of their minds.
The taciturn nature of rowers became evident to me when I asked a friend of the family about his experiences, and he wouldn't say much about them, even at the lower level at which he rowed.
Returning to the book, what came through was the leve More...
The taciturn nature of rowers became evident to me when I asked a friend of the family about his experiences, and he wouldn't say much about them, even at the lower level at which he rowed.
Returning to the book, what came through was the leve More...
Sep 13, 2010
Sam
rated it:
A very interesting and reveting narrative. As you might know from my 'about me' section of my profile, I really enjoy rowing and find it the ultimate test of my body and mind. This story depicted exactly what rowing is like for me. 
Written in 1985 by David Halberstam, The Amateurs tells the story of four young men, all vying for the coveted '84 Olympic team and ultimately the Olympic gold medal. In telling this story, Halberstam takes as his focus the 1984 single sculls trials in Pri More...
Written in 1985 by David Halberstam, The Amateurs tells the story of four young men, all vying for the coveted '84 Olympic team and ultimately the Olympic gold medal. In telling this story, Halberstam takes as his focus the 1984 single sculls trials in Pri More...
Mar 06, 2010
Tom
rated it:
After reading David Halberstam's "The Amateurs" I am convinced that the man could have written a book on bird watching and would have made it interesting.
Halberstam is one of my favorite authors of all time, having written classics such as "Summer of 49", "Teammates", "War in a Time of Peace", "The Coldest Winter" and "Playing for Keeps." So when I saw Halberstam's "The Amateurs" for a book at Green Apple, I picked More...
Halberstam is one of my favorite authors of all time, having written classics such as "Summer of 49", "Teammates", "War in a Time of Peace", "The Coldest Winter" and "Playing for Keeps." So when I saw Halberstam's "The Amateurs" for a book at Green Apple, I picked More...
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Apr 27, 2011
Meghan
rated it: 
okay, i'm going to divide the book into three parts, but first, here's
what i had, going into this book:
the dad of the family i nanny for (let's call him dad 1) went to yale for undergrad and harvard business school after that. he's about ten years older than (or ahead of) most of the characters in this book. he has a friend in town (dad 2), the father of his sons' former classmate, and he (dad 1) has said that this guy (dad 2) is the only guy in town he can "intellectual More...
what i had, going into this book:
the dad of the family i nanny for (let's call him dad 1) went to yale for undergrad and harvard business school after that. he's about ten years older than (or ahead of) most of the characters in this book. he has a friend in town (dad 2), the father of his sons' former classmate, and he (dad 1) has said that this guy (dad 2) is the only guy in town he can "intellectual More...
Nov 24, 2008
Ron
rated it:
When I first began following Olympic sports back in the 1960's, all of the events for which medals were contested still adhered fairly rigidly to the amateur code. That is, one had to pursue one's dreams in any given sport with little to no outside support. Things have changed dramatically since the late 1970's, and in the most popular sports, such as basketball and track and field, the athlete's are either millionaires before the games (such as the NBA stars who now take most of the US roster s
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May 14, 2011
Lizzy
rated it:
It was fun, but it didn't change my life. There was a lot of description of how brutal rowing a single is, a lot of technical description but not that much introspection or even drama, which you would kind of expect from a book about racing. If I were to run into Tiff Woods after reading this, I wouldn't be particularly inclined to talk to him.
Jan 15, 2012
Alicia
rated it:
Halberstam is an exceptional writer. This book covers the lives of 4 world-class rowers, and their struggle to make it to and win in the Olympics. While I'm not particularly interested in rowing, but if you are (or even if you're interested in underappreciated Olympic sports or athletes in general), this is worth checking out.
Jan 28, 2011
Court
rated it:
Written in the clear prose of a journalist, this delves into the personalities, history and lifestyle of competitive men's rowing.
Aug 03, 2009
Becky
rated it:
Great, gripping biography of a strange breed of athletes, rowers. I couldn't put it down - and it's still one of my favorite sports books.
Jan 20, 2008
Chris
rated it:
I really enjoyed this book; read it straight through without putting it down. I was surprised that a friend (and a rower, nonetheless), wasn't as excited about this book as I was. Then I realized that I identified with the characters in this book, and their relentless (probably skewed and misguided) pursuit of an athletic goal. Since we usually like to read things that reflect our points of view, I think it's clear why I liked this so much. Still, Halberstam's sportswriting, as always, is limpid
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Nov 27, 2011
Ajk
rated it:
Essentially a white-collar version of some Steve Earle song about trying hard and getting by or something.
Jan 21, 2010
i am supposed to read this so i no longer know embarrassingly little about dan's rowing.
Dec 26, 2010
Patrick
rated it:
Great book. As a collegite runner, I readily identified with competing in a lonely sport with no hope for financial gain. Halberstam is amazing at accurately capturing the inner motivations of the atheletes. His writing style is dry, but somehow you really care about each of the athletes and how they fair. I kept reading, page after page, to find out how they did. I could care less about rowing, but highly recommend this book.
Mar 09, 2008
Nate
rated it:
Olympic rowing (crew) is not a sport we see featured on Sportscenter. It was fascinating to read about the dedication these athletes put into a sport for which they don't get paid, don't become famous. They are doing it solely for the love of sport. Also I was amazed by the physicality of the sport, if I remember right they would have work-outs in which they would burn 5000 Calories at a time. Plus, anything Halberstam wrote about sports is worth reading.
Dec 17, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
This is the book I hope to write someday.
I had no interest in rowing (and little interest in reading about sports) before picking up this book. I decided to read it to help me prepare to write my own article about rowing. Even as someone with little interest in the topic, I was immediately taken with the story and mainly with the in-depth way Halberstam brought his "characters" alive. This is the book that recently resparked my interest in creative non-fiction.
I had no interest in rowing (and little interest in reading about sports) before picking up this book. I decided to read it to help me prepare to write my own article about rowing. Even as someone with little interest in the topic, I was immediately taken with the story and mainly with the in-depth way Halberstam brought his "characters" alive. This is the book that recently resparked my interest in creative non-fiction.
Mar 22, 2008
Koz
rated it:
An insightful look into the world of rowing, with a particular focus on the strange obsession that seems to come over rowers of all levels of expertise. I rowed in high school and my first reaction every time I see a body of water is still, "Would that make for good rowing?" Not as exciting as Brad Alan Lewis' "Assault on Lake Casitas" as far as narratives about the 1984 Olympics go, but a good read nonetheless.
Nov 20, 2007
Maura
rated it: 
This is a book about rowing. It was pretty good, but not as gripping as I wanted it to be. A friend of mine said he couldn't put it down once he got into it. I found myself pushing myself through just to finish it, which disappointed me because rowing is written about very infrequently. Halberstam certainly is a good writer, but I didn't feel the investment in the characters.
Mar 30, 2008
Tressa
rated it:
I don't know why rowers always like this book. Sure, it's about rowing, but it's much too disorganized and uninspiring to be enjoyable. It was obviously pieced together from several interviews of the rowers trying out for the 1984 Olympic team, but maybe if the timeline of their stories were consistent it would be easier to follow.
Mar 13, 2011
Roger
rated it:
An exceptional book. Certainly Halberstam's best, including Best and Brightest. The guy could write sports, witness Breaks of the Game, but this remains utterly compelling. Scullers as the land of broken toys, OCD driven maniacal and exceedingly, in the end, sad.
Jul 30, 2008
Paul
rated it:
Great read, good look at the sport of rowing (or at least at that sport in the early '80s.) Halberstam does a great job of focusing in on characters, letting their personalities drive the action.
Feb 27, 2010
Michael
rated it:
An inspiring and deftly detailed story of competitive rowing. This is a superb book. I finished it feeling like the athletes were long-time friends of mine.
Dec 20, 2008
Dean
rated it:
Jeremy Schaap rec. WSJ 8/9/08
A first read /introduction to Halberstam. Reminds me of John McPhee.
A first read /introduction to Halberstam. Reminds me of John McPhee.
Jun 03, 2009
Miki
rated it:
Amazing book on qualifications of greatest athletes of "ultimate team sport"
Feb 20, 2012
