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Red Rose Crew: A True Story Of Women, Winning, And The Water
In 1975, a group of amazing women rowed their way to international success and glory, battling sexual prejudice, bureaucracy, and male domination in one of the most grueling and competitive sports around. Among the members of the first international women’s crew team--and one of the first women’s teams anywhere--were Gail Pearson, the soft-spoken MIT professor who fought equally hard off the water to win the political battles neccessary for her team to succeed; lead rower Carie Graves, a statuesque bohemian from rural Wisconsin who dropped out of college and later became the most intense rower of the crew; and Lynn Stillman, a tiny sixteen-year-old coxswain from California.
On hand to guide them was Harry Parker, the legendary Harvard men’s crew coach who overcame his doubts about the ability of women to withstand the rigors of hard training. From their first dramatic bid at the 1975 World Championships to their preparations for their first Olympic Games in 1976, this gripping story of bravery, determination, and indomitable spirit captures a compelling moment in the history of sports and of America.
On hand to guide them was Harry Parker, the legendary Harvard men’s crew coach who overcame his doubts about the ability of women to withstand the rigors of hard training. From their first dramatic bid at the 1975 World Championships to their preparations for their first Olympic Games in 1976, this gripping story of bravery, determination, and indomitable spirit captures a compelling moment in the history of sports and of America.
232 pages, Paperback
First published September 27, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
November 24, 2018
Provides much-needed subject coverage, but from a disappointingly moderate perspective. It has the lukewarm tone toward women's participation in rowing, an upper-crust facet of a broader liberation movement, that old white dudes have toward the progress of their various sports. It's George Will writing about Jackie Robinson's bravery or whatever, while failing to explore the system that required Robinson to be brave. Title XI is only faintly covered, and the hostility of the male rowing establishment is skirted over and minimized. This is a competent book that chooses to approach the subject from the least-interesting angle.
Give me a book about women's rowing written by a radical woman, not some random Harvard dude who counts himself among the enlightened.
Give me a book about women's rowing written by a radical woman, not some random Harvard dude who counts himself among the enlightened.
March 8, 2024
I am not a sports person (not as a participant nor a watcher) but this history of the first national women's crew team in 1975 was fascinating. It helped a bit that lots of the history took place in Cambridge MA so I knew many of the locations personally.
I was a teenager when these events occurred and I remember hearing a few years later that as a female, I should be careful about applying to some of the Ivy League colleges that are mentioned in this book. So the sexism that some of these female athletes faced wasn't a complete surprise but the extent of it was still shocking.
I was a teenager when these events occurred and I remember hearing a few years later that as a female, I should be careful about applying to some of the Ivy League colleges that are mentioned in this book. So the sexism that some of these female athletes faced wasn't a complete surprise but the extent of it was still shocking.
October 17, 2023
This is not a book I would have ordinarily selected. Fortunately for me, it was the October selection for a book club I’m lucky to be a part of. This book was equal parts informative and inspiring, and completely captivating. You don’t have to be a fan of rowing or women’s sports or sports in general to find something to like about this book. It tells a story of individuals with dreams who come together as a successful team despite systemic challenges. The women in this book changed the landscape of women’s athletics and their story should be celebrated. (The University of Wisconsin and Spring Green connections were unexpected highlights.)
July 3, 2025
@ 4h37 (62%) - I listened while driving North to Brighton for tomorrow's doc appt. For some reason I thought this was a book about the history of the women's rowing program at UW-Madison and was going to come here to say that was false advertising! But it never claimed to be so no complaints. Most of the story so far has been about the selection of the first women's team - for the Olympics, I think? - during a summer training camp at Harvard. LOTS of detail. Before the training camp we got to know many of the people who would figure into the story at training camp. In particular, Carie Graves from UW-Madison and Gail Pearson (much older) who did club rowing at Boston.
I'm learning a lot abt both the sport's history and culture. And about sport more generally in U.S. culture. Here are a few thoughts:
Early on in the book Gail Pearson says something like (this is a MASSIVE paraphrase): "It's totes cool to row w/ men. Once you prove yourself to them, they're super reasonable and welcoming." What she said was something more like, "Men respect ability." (I didn't bookmark it; only later did I find myself going back to it over and over and I don't feel like rewinding to hunt it down.) The problem w/ this: men are only welcoming if you can show that you're their equal. You get respect by playing THEIR game. NOT ACCEPTABLE!! I mean, for someone like Gail Pearson, who *has* the physical ability to match the men - great! But for someone like me - where do I - or an average person - what she's describing isn't inclusion. And it's not men being respectful. It's gatekeeping, and it *happened* that she was able to pass thru the gate, but the MAJORITY of people wouldn't have been able to.
Similarly - listening to the descriptions of how HARD these athletes are pushing their bodies... and being rewarded for it? And - the ones who choose not to - are ridiculed and ostracized. It's def part of an ultra-competitive culture out in the world (not just in the Monson family) where you prove your toughness and your belonging by... ignoring your physical needs? I'm noticing how different it is to listen to these descriptions after having spent the last several years learning and practicing how to not only listen to (and hear!) what my body is telling me, but also to respond w/ appropriate care. And to start thinking that my worth / value / seat at the table isn't measured by how brutal I can be / how well I can survive the most GRUELING physical circumstances... That it's OK to be gentle and go slow. All VERY new ideas. Helpful to reflect on the past few years, and that intentional change in attitude, w/in the context of this story.
They're calling the Wisconsin team "Wisco" in this book, which again is not something I ever heard when I lived there... AL said she didn't hear it when she was a student there but this was published in 2005 when she *was* already attending... so maybe it started w/ athletics programs and gradually spread outward? (oops - amendment - the SECOND edition was published in 2005. The first was in 2000. That's evidence that 'Wisco' was being used even earlier!)
Will def re-watch this docu after listening to this book: https://youtu.be/MZPi43twbtw?si=JNJ9b...
PS - I'm listening to this book instead of continuing the ones I'm *already* listening to b/c it's in Hoopla and Hoopla lets you add bookmarks thru the Android Auto app. I don't think you can do that in Libby. So - Hoopla is much safer!
UPDATE at END (7/3/2025) -
A few more notes before pasting in the passages I bookmarked -
The narrator (voice actor) is fantastic in every regard *except* for her French accent. Her French accent is abysmal.
There is so much bird imagery! Mostly as a way to describe the boats. I included one below (from ch11) as an example. There's so many more, tho.
Despite the descriptions of a culture that... and a set of expectations that... I spent most of my life participating in - toxic and self-harmful - having to prove yourself, to be the best, to ignore your own discomfort and needs for the group's greater good, etc. - I really liked this story. I liked hearing about women who fought hard for what's right. They were trying to get a foothold on a lower rung than where we are now (on the feminism ladder? not sure about this metaphor) - like the quote below from the Epilogue states, they were only looking to *participate.* Trying to gain entry. Equality - was kind of gravy. So in some ways it was a welcome reminder of how feminism has changed in the intervening years - our goals have shifted as the landscape around us has, too. It's also a reminder of - not really "foremothers" (that kind of language - is gendered and sets up some weird presumptions of gratitude etc.) - a kind of not-aloneness. That there have been ppl fighting this fight for a long, long time. We're not (I'm not) the only one. And they've been fighting in many different arenas - the things *I'm* fighting for may be different (i.e., not about women's rowing) but the fight is the same. So - a solidarity across time and context?
5 stars for the story and for the women profiled. 3ish stars for the writing.
Passages I bookmarked:
1h37:30 (21% - ch4) Gail: "It's all right to be strong. It's all right to compete." A lot of the negative attitude, she realized, was cultural. Guns and muscles belonged to men. They were manifestations of male power. But shooting or rowing, like many other sporting activities, were simply traditional ways that boys could develop essential strength and the inner confidence that came with the mastery of a physical skill. Women needed access to that same source of confidence.
2h28:30 (33% - ch6) "Go piss with the big dogs," he [Parker] told them. The comment had just the right amount of irreverence, humor, and challenge in it to put everyone at ease.
3h12:30 (43% - ch8) Despite the new Title 9 law, passed in 1972, which required that universities dispense funds equally, most schools were slow to provide such equity, and crew was one of the more traditional sports. Aside from the issue of physical resources lay the attitude that women could never be serious competitive athletes in something that required such strength and sweat. Acceptable women's sports at the time included swimming, track and field, figure skating, and gymnastics.
3h13:30 (43% - ch8) These physiological factors were completely dependent on psychological ones; namely, that an oarsman had to really WANT to row and be willing to train hard in order to succeed.
3h21 (45% - ch8) - To look at Chris Ernst you might easily get the impression that nothing bothered the diminutive rower - that life's problems were not only predictable but altogether necessary. Only those who knew her a little better . . . might reveal that she was trying to make up for her size with an ebullient, big-hearted personality. [emphasis mine]
3h47:30 (51% - ch9) - It was his [Parker's] business to know the [Charles] river and its daily ways, just as it was a stockbroker's business to open up the paper every morning and have a sense of what was happening on Wall Street.
4h07:30 (55% - ch10) "You don't belong here. You should be up on the 4th floor - psychiatric." What they [the nurses treating the women at summer rowing camp] didn't understand was that the standards of conduct for oarsmen were different from those of the average person. Unless a rower was nearly on death's doorstep, she was expected to show up for practice every day. If this seemed like an overly-macho attitude, it had a practical basis, too. Unlike most other team sports, where a missing player could generally be replaced without great loss, an absent rower might mean the boat could not function properly. It was like a bird with a broken wing.
4h09:30 (56% - ch10) When rowers talked about this trust they weren't talking about morals. Trust had nothing to do with personal integrity, religious beliefs, or political opinions outside the boat. Instead, it was a simple shared expectation that when you sat down in your seat and tied into your shoes, you were committed - body and soul - to the boat.
4h10:30 (56% - ch10) In order to do this [commit to the boat] you had to live by a code, which suggested that your own personal senses and thoughts were less trustworthy or valid than those of the crew. Pain due to exhaustion was the most obvious deceiver. But there were plenty of other distractions and weaknesses - always an excuse if you wanted to find one. [emphasis mine - like firefighters?]
4h31:30 (61% - ch11) Perhaps the seat racing had sifted out the weaker rowers, but it was much too cutthroat. It had turned them into a bunch of pirates. [emphasis mine 🤣]
4h34:30 (61% - ch11) When they took to the water they became transformed. Part of a giant swan with eight wings. [emphasis mine - beautiful]
6h47 (91% - ch16) When things got tough she [Carrie Graves] put her head down and went deep down into the basement of her mind. It was a place where she could draw enormous power but it sometimes frightened her because of the visions that surfaced.
6h50:30 (92% - ch16) This day, she concluded, that had passed by so quickly, was like one of the many waves that now danced around the boat. It was just a day, like any other, but at some point in the future she sensed it would rise up and stand much higher than all the rest. Like a mountain in her life. [re: the day of the competition - reflections after the race]
7h07:30 (96% - Epilogue) The U.S. men's coach, Al Rosenberg, had talked eloquently about the unfortunate reality that a man could never *prove* himself as the best doctor or lawyer in the world. But that in rowing they had the opportunity to do so. Women just wanted to be able to *be* a doctor or lawyer or rower - or have a hot shower if they felt like it. [shower is re: terrible facilities for some women's collegiate rowing teams] And for those members of the Red Rose Crew who were returning to college rowing programs, the medal - and what lay behind it - finally gave them validation in the eyes of male rowers. Or, more importantly, the self-confidence to assume their *own* validation as serious athletes and human beings. [emphasis mine - Proving's / a human invention]
I'm learning a lot abt both the sport's history and culture. And about sport more generally in U.S. culture. Here are a few thoughts:
Early on in the book Gail Pearson says something like (this is a MASSIVE paraphrase): "It's totes cool to row w/ men. Once you prove yourself to them, they're super reasonable and welcoming." What she said was something more like, "Men respect ability." (I didn't bookmark it; only later did I find myself going back to it over and over and I don't feel like rewinding to hunt it down.) The problem w/ this: men are only welcoming if you can show that you're their equal. You get respect by playing THEIR game. NOT ACCEPTABLE!! I mean, for someone like Gail Pearson, who *has* the physical ability to match the men - great! But for someone like me - where do I - or an average person - what she's describing isn't inclusion. And it's not men being respectful. It's gatekeeping, and it *happened* that she was able to pass thru the gate, but the MAJORITY of people wouldn't have been able to.
Similarly - listening to the descriptions of how HARD these athletes are pushing their bodies... and being rewarded for it? And - the ones who choose not to - are ridiculed and ostracized. It's def part of an ultra-competitive culture out in the world (not just in the Monson family) where you prove your toughness and your belonging by... ignoring your physical needs? I'm noticing how different it is to listen to these descriptions after having spent the last several years learning and practicing how to not only listen to (and hear!) what my body is telling me, but also to respond w/ appropriate care. And to start thinking that my worth / value / seat at the table isn't measured by how brutal I can be / how well I can survive the most GRUELING physical circumstances... That it's OK to be gentle and go slow. All VERY new ideas. Helpful to reflect on the past few years, and that intentional change in attitude, w/in the context of this story.
They're calling the Wisconsin team "Wisco" in this book, which again is not something I ever heard when I lived there... AL said she didn't hear it when she was a student there but this was published in 2005 when she *was* already attending... so maybe it started w/ athletics programs and gradually spread outward? (oops - amendment - the SECOND edition was published in 2005. The first was in 2000. That's evidence that 'Wisco' was being used even earlier!)
Will def re-watch this docu after listening to this book: https://youtu.be/MZPi43twbtw?si=JNJ9b...
PS - I'm listening to this book instead of continuing the ones I'm *already* listening to b/c it's in Hoopla and Hoopla lets you add bookmarks thru the Android Auto app. I don't think you can do that in Libby. So - Hoopla is much safer!
UPDATE at END (7/3/2025) -
A few more notes before pasting in the passages I bookmarked -
The narrator (voice actor) is fantastic in every regard *except* for her French accent. Her French accent is abysmal.
There is so much bird imagery! Mostly as a way to describe the boats. I included one below (from ch11) as an example. There's so many more, tho.
Despite the descriptions of a culture that... and a set of expectations that... I spent most of my life participating in - toxic and self-harmful - having to prove yourself, to be the best, to ignore your own discomfort and needs for the group's greater good, etc. - I really liked this story. I liked hearing about women who fought hard for what's right. They were trying to get a foothold on a lower rung than where we are now (on the feminism ladder? not sure about this metaphor) - like the quote below from the Epilogue states, they were only looking to *participate.* Trying to gain entry. Equality - was kind of gravy. So in some ways it was a welcome reminder of how feminism has changed in the intervening years - our goals have shifted as the landscape around us has, too. It's also a reminder of - not really "foremothers" (that kind of language - is gendered and sets up some weird presumptions of gratitude etc.) - a kind of not-aloneness. That there have been ppl fighting this fight for a long, long time. We're not (I'm not) the only one. And they've been fighting in many different arenas - the things *I'm* fighting for may be different (i.e., not about women's rowing) but the fight is the same. So - a solidarity across time and context?
5 stars for the story and for the women profiled. 3ish stars for the writing.
Passages I bookmarked:
1h37:30 (21% - ch4) Gail: "It's all right to be strong. It's all right to compete." A lot of the negative attitude, she realized, was cultural. Guns and muscles belonged to men. They were manifestations of male power. But shooting or rowing, like many other sporting activities, were simply traditional ways that boys could develop essential strength and the inner confidence that came with the mastery of a physical skill. Women needed access to that same source of confidence.
2h28:30 (33% - ch6) "Go piss with the big dogs," he [Parker] told them. The comment had just the right amount of irreverence, humor, and challenge in it to put everyone at ease.
3h12:30 (43% - ch8) Despite the new Title 9 law, passed in 1972, which required that universities dispense funds equally, most schools were slow to provide such equity, and crew was one of the more traditional sports. Aside from the issue of physical resources lay the attitude that women could never be serious competitive athletes in something that required such strength and sweat. Acceptable women's sports at the time included swimming, track and field, figure skating, and gymnastics.
3h13:30 (43% - ch8) These physiological factors were completely dependent on psychological ones; namely, that an oarsman had to really WANT to row and be willing to train hard in order to succeed.
3h21 (45% - ch8) - To look at Chris Ernst you might easily get the impression that nothing bothered the diminutive rower - that life's problems were not only predictable but altogether necessary. Only those who knew her a little better . . . might reveal that she was trying to make up for her size with an ebullient, big-hearted personality. [emphasis mine]
3h47:30 (51% - ch9) - It was his [Parker's] business to know the [Charles] river and its daily ways, just as it was a stockbroker's business to open up the paper every morning and have a sense of what was happening on Wall Street.
4h07:30 (55% - ch10) "You don't belong here. You should be up on the 4th floor - psychiatric." What they [the nurses treating the women at summer rowing camp] didn't understand was that the standards of conduct for oarsmen were different from those of the average person. Unless a rower was nearly on death's doorstep, she was expected to show up for practice every day. If this seemed like an overly-macho attitude, it had a practical basis, too. Unlike most other team sports, where a missing player could generally be replaced without great loss, an absent rower might mean the boat could not function properly. It was like a bird with a broken wing.
4h09:30 (56% - ch10) When rowers talked about this trust they weren't talking about morals. Trust had nothing to do with personal integrity, religious beliefs, or political opinions outside the boat. Instead, it was a simple shared expectation that when you sat down in your seat and tied into your shoes, you were committed - body and soul - to the boat.
4h10:30 (56% - ch10) In order to do this [commit to the boat] you had to live by a code, which suggested that your own personal senses and thoughts were less trustworthy or valid than those of the crew. Pain due to exhaustion was the most obvious deceiver. But there were plenty of other distractions and weaknesses - always an excuse if you wanted to find one. [emphasis mine - like firefighters?]
4h31:30 (61% - ch11) Perhaps the seat racing had sifted out the weaker rowers, but it was much too cutthroat. It had turned them into a bunch of pirates. [emphasis mine 🤣]
4h34:30 (61% - ch11) When they took to the water they became transformed. Part of a giant swan with eight wings. [emphasis mine - beautiful]
6h47 (91% - ch16) When things got tough she [Carrie Graves] put her head down and went deep down into the basement of her mind. It was a place where she could draw enormous power but it sometimes frightened her because of the visions that surfaced.
6h50:30 (92% - ch16) This day, she concluded, that had passed by so quickly, was like one of the many waves that now danced around the boat. It was just a day, like any other, but at some point in the future she sensed it would rise up and stand much higher than all the rest. Like a mountain in her life. [re: the day of the competition - reflections after the race]
7h07:30 (96% - Epilogue) The U.S. men's coach, Al Rosenberg, had talked eloquently about the unfortunate reality that a man could never *prove* himself as the best doctor or lawyer in the world. But that in rowing they had the opportunity to do so. Women just wanted to be able to *be* a doctor or lawyer or rower - or have a hot shower if they felt like it. [shower is re: terrible facilities for some women's collegiate rowing teams] And for those members of the Red Rose Crew who were returning to college rowing programs, the medal - and what lay behind it - finally gave them validation in the eyes of male rowers. Or, more importantly, the self-confidence to assume their *own* validation as serious athletes and human beings. [emphasis mine - Proving's / a human invention]
May 1, 2011
Growing up in the post-Title IX world and having gone to an all-girls high school, I am naive enough to have never really thought about female athletes being mistreated. And in the elite, often snobbish, certainly male-dominated world of rowing, saying that the first women rowers were "mistreated" is like saying that a 1000 meter race is "only" 4 minutes. (For the record, the women of the red rose crew rowed 1000m in more like 3:21.) Lots of sports cliches come to mind- the team's indomitable spirit, an enigmatic coach, the fearlessness that comes with being an underdog. But somehow, the story doesn't feel like a cliche. The ladies were driven but not perfect. They are athletes but they are also human. You don't have to be a rower to understand the struggles that these women overcame, and if you are looking for an inspirational, true story, pick this one up. As a woman, I am exceptionally grateful for the athletic legacy that this group of women have left. As a rower, I am motivated to work harder, to be stronger- not just on the water, but in everything I do.
May 21, 2016
This is a re-read for me but I enjoyed it as much the second time as the first. Hard for me to imagine that, within my lifetime, this is the way women athletes were treated. It's obviously still not equal (see US Women's Soccer team), but we have made some progress, and it's a lot thanks to women like the Red Rose Crew.
November 27, 2022
reading this book is a requirement for anyone who does crew (im talking to you olivia)
March 10, 2021
The is book was originally published in 2000, but I caught sight of a mention in NYT Book review from 3/7/21, and was delighted to see the audio was on Hoopla. Only 1 library in our consortia still has it, but I've already finished the listen - in one day. I don't see everyone being riveted to this book, but I've always had a fascination with rowers, and this book did a great job of explaining all the different kinds of rowing.
The other reason why this book resonated with me, was as a woman growing up under Title IX. I was 8 years old in 1972, part of the the first group of women this legislation would impact. It was enlightening to see the attitudes of both men and general society toward women athletes, esp. in sports thought of as men's sports. Rowing is also interesting because of how it's history is embedded in the east coast and the ivy league. Yale, in particular, (esp. the men's rowing team) are not shown in a good light. Even after members of the Women's National team who were also on the Yale team had won a National Championship, the women were not given a place to shower or change clothes after their grueling workout in the cold. The men on the team did not advocate for these women either. Finally in a move of frustration, the women went to the Athletic director's office, with a "nude in" having written "Title IX" on their backs. It worked and they got their showers (albeit a temporary trailer).
I enjoyed hearing about the Wisconsin team, and how they were an important force in the early days of women's crew.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it for anyone interested in Women's History, Women in Sports, or underdog stories.
The other reason why this book resonated with me, was as a woman growing up under Title IX. I was 8 years old in 1972, part of the the first group of women this legislation would impact. It was enlightening to see the attitudes of both men and general society toward women athletes, esp. in sports thought of as men's sports. Rowing is also interesting because of how it's history is embedded in the east coast and the ivy league. Yale, in particular, (esp. the men's rowing team) are not shown in a good light. Even after members of the Women's National team who were also on the Yale team had won a National Championship, the women were not given a place to shower or change clothes after their grueling workout in the cold. The men on the team did not advocate for these women either. Finally in a move of frustration, the women went to the Athletic director's office, with a "nude in" having written "Title IX" on their backs. It worked and they got their showers (albeit a temporary trailer).
I enjoyed hearing about the Wisconsin team, and how they were an important force in the early days of women's crew.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it for anyone interested in Women's History, Women in Sports, or underdog stories.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 30, 2021
Enjoyable quick read telling a legitimately interesting story, and Boyne does a great job for the most part in describing both the backgrounds' of the women and the scene of the rowing world at the time - especially of women's rowings beginnings. It outlines impressively just how difficult the conditions for many women's rowing programs - even post-Title-IX - were, and just how strong the sentiments of sexism existed. Unfortunately, most of the account remains fairly surface level. When talking about the forces that push competitors to embrace the pain of rowing, Boyne frequently refers to them "battling their demons" - but never provides insight as to what personal battles these women are struggling with, what demons it is that they are battling and trying to escape, which makes it harder for readers to fully grasp what goes through their minds. It talks about the women fighting for their own inclusion, while never mentioning the impact race nor class had amongst these women's ability to participate and compete. It talks about engineering projects, such as the damming of the Boston Basin, as marvels of man while doing nothing to assure the reader of their environmental impacts. It talks about women rowing a 1k course while men row the 2k, but provides no analysis of this beyond accepting that to be 'the way it was' for women's rowing, good nor bad, right nor wrong. I had to check the year of publishing, expecting it to be from the late 80s, and was stunned to find the year 2000 listed.
October 28, 2017
I had previously read another rowing book entitled The Boys in the Boat about the 1936 coaxed eight crew from The University of Washington, called The Husky Clipper, who went to the Berlin Olympics and along with Jessie Owens humiliated Hitler's super athletes. They had the courage to challenge the Ivy League elite rowers. Red Rose crew outlines the prejudice and biased afforded women's athletics especially those who had the audacity to compete in crew, rowing to us mortals. The had to deal with hand me downs and cast off equipment while the men's crew got the best of everything. Then came Title IX and the game changed. Surprisingly two rowers from The University of Wisconsin were the driving force behind women's rowing. The result is an entire new class of athletes who can go head to head with any team. In addition it is a great story about accomplishments and breaking down barriers.
June 6, 2019
This book tells the story of the insane grit female athletes have highlighting female rowers and their fight for equality. This story is about the pioneers of women's rowing who said "no" to sexist standards and gender related double standers. Without these women rowing would not be the sport it is today, they have paved the way for thousands of women to fall in love with the sport. This is a story about never giving up and redefining the words determination and dedication.
December 27, 2024
Perhaps would have liked this book more had I not already read Boys in the Boat and A Most Beautiful Thing. There's just not that much more to say about rowing and putting together a team. While I applaud the pioneering women of the sport, and am grateful for their contributions to women's athletics, I think the story of the Red Rose Crew would have been just as powerful as a long-form magazine piece.
July 23, 2025
Written before Boys in the Boat but takes place in the 1970s. Very similarly written, showing the paths of two headstrong women and their challenges of getting women in sports. The author does tend to go on and on about the scenery and beauty of Henley, England. More filler than necessary IMHO. Loved the Epilogue and what happened to each woman from that boat. Some very smart, talented women who most of us never heard of.
January 3, 2021
Wonderful account of the first international women’s crew team from the United States. Loved the rowing insights and the determination of these women. It’s amazing the difficulties that they went through when Title IX had only recently been enacted. Lots of reluctance to fund an "unladylike" sport and plenty of resistance from some of the men crew teams. The women from Yale were treated particularly badly there.
January 30, 2025
I might have given this an additional star if I hadn’t read Boys in the Boat first. The story is compelling and incredible, but the book reads like a research project. There are SO MANY facts and figures about SO MANY subjects that touch the main story, that I felt bogged down by the information, and found it distracted from the storytelling.
November 30, 2025
Excellent read
This is an incredible story and I enjoyed the book tremendously, however, it is not written very well. There is a lot of unnecessary repetition and some characters were underdeveloped. There were also a lot of typos. Overall, great book, but desperately needs a good editor.
This is an incredible story and I enjoyed the book tremendously, however, it is not written very well. There is a lot of unnecessary repetition and some characters were underdeveloped. There were also a lot of typos. Overall, great book, but desperately needs a good editor.
November 12, 2018
Great insights to the process of achieving greatness
Very well written book that I couldn’t put down. For anyone looking to be inspired by those who give everything they’ve got to achieve what they love the most. And for anyone who loves rowing.
Very well written book that I couldn’t put down. For anyone looking to be inspired by those who give everything they’ve got to achieve what they love the most. And for anyone who loves rowing.
July 21, 2020
It's like Boys in the Boat, but with badass women rowers. Actually, I wish this book would have delved even more into the personal lives of the rowers. The focus is more on the team as a whole, as they fought to become the first international women's rowing team in the 1970's. Still, it is an interesting piece of history, an engaging read, and (like most books about rowing)...inspirational.
October 12, 2020
Interesting and entertaining look at the 1975 women's winning team of crew -- the first women to row crew in the Olympics. Good example of building story with a close look at the coach and women who fought prejudice to change women's sports (and get funding at Yale, Harvard etc.).
March 25, 2021
The end was exciting but I am personally not a fan of rowing or sport novels, I find that they are often written in a way that I do not find engaging. However, this was one of the better ones that I've read and I'm glad that I finally finished it.
August 26, 2021
It was interesting to learn about these women who led the charge to get women’s crew going in the US, but I wish there were more stories and direct quotes from the interviews of these women and less technical jargon about crew itself. It was interesting, but I wouldn’t recommend it.
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July 16, 2023Sure, it's an amazing story when you think about it in context, especially when Title IX wasn't all that long ago... but it would have been EVEN MORE AMAZING had the women been the ones telling their collective story. It was just lukewarm and disappointing in this guy's hands.
July 24, 2023
5/5 - LOVED this book, read it again a few months later. Really interesting true story about the first US womens 8, and all of the challenges they had to overcome as women in rowing at the time. Better than Boys in the Boat.
April 10, 2024
They fought the weather, battled the East Germans and other paid athletes and challenged their own physical stamina and mental resolve. But the biggest obstacle was an antiquated male dominated educational hierarchy that questioned their ability to even compete. Questions answered!
August 6, 2024
A great sports book, a great thriller, a great historical read, an amazing biographical account. Introduces crew even to a layman and captures the individual stories of some of the women who paved the way to an equal and international standing for all American women in sports.
April 14, 2025
The most nostalgic book. It had me looking up people and places during the read which I really enjoyed.
Makes me wonder how much my own coach knows about Harry Parker since everything he did coaching-wise is what I did at Dayton.
Makes me wonder how much my own coach knows about Harry Parker since everything he did coaching-wise is what I did at Dayton.
June 23, 2025
As a former rower, I really enjoyed reading about this crew. The book was a little plodding at times but it's an incredible story of tough-as-nails, brave, and pioneering women in sports. It's a relevant story then and now!
April 9, 2018
I found the book as a whole to be a little dry, but I loved the references to rowing and all that I learned about rowing from reading it! For that, I would give it five stars!
July 11, 2018
Interesting story about a girls crew team. Written didactally so somewhat boring. Learned a lot about crew, being girls in a mans sport, and the camaraderie.
August 29, 2018
Liked it, I like books like this!!
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