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The Amateurs
In The Amateurs, David Halberstam once again displays the unique brand of reportage, both penetrating and supple, that distinguished his bestselling The Best and the Brightest and October 1964. This time he has taken for his subject the dramatic and special world of amateur rowing. While other athletes are earning fortunes in salaries and-or endorsements, the oarsmen gain fame only with each other and strive without any hope of financial reward.
What drives these men to endure a physical pain known to no other sport? Who are they? Where do they come from? How do they regard themselves and their competitors? What have they sacrificed, and what inner demons have they appeased?
In answering these questions, David Halberstam takes as his focus the 1984 single sculls trials in Princeton. The man who wins will gain the right to represent the United States in the 84 Olympiad; the losers will then have to struggle further to gain a place in the two- or four-man boats. And even if they succeed, they will have to live with the bitter knowledge that they were not the best, only close to it.
Informative and compelling, The Amateurs combines the vividness of superb sportswriting with the narrative skills of a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent.
What drives these men to endure a physical pain known to no other sport? Who are they? Where do they come from? How do they regard themselves and their competitors? What have they sacrificed, and what inner demons have they appeased?
In answering these questions, David Halberstam takes as his focus the 1984 single sculls trials in Princeton. The man who wins will gain the right to represent the United States in the 84 Olympiad; the losers will then have to struggle further to gain a place in the two- or four-man boats. And even if they succeed, they will have to live with the bitter knowledge that they were not the best, only close to it.
Informative and compelling, The Amateurs combines the vividness of superb sportswriting with the narrative skills of a Pulitzer Prize-winning correspondent.
221 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1985
171 people are currently reading
2244 people want to read
About the author
David Halberstam
97 books858 followersDavid Halberstam was an American journalist and historian, known for his work on the Vietnam War, politics, history, the Civil Rights Movement, business, media, American culture, and later, sports journalism. He was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting in 1964.
Halberstam graduated from Harvard University with a degree in journalism in 1955 and started his career writing for the Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writing for The Tennessean in Nashville, Tennessee, he covered the beginnings of the American Civil Rights Movement.
In the mid 1960s, Halberstam covered the Vietnam War for The New York Times. While there, he gathered material for his book The Making of a Quagmire: America and Vietnam during the Kennedy Era. In 1963, he received a George Polk Award for his reporting at the New York Times. At the age of 30, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the war. He is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film on the Vietnam War entitled In the Year of the Pig.
Halberstam's most well known work is The Best and the Brightest. Halberstam focused on the paradox that those who shaped the U.S. war effort in Vietnam were some of the most intelligent, well-connected and self-confident men in America—"the best and the brightest"—and yet those same individuals were responsible for the failure of the United States Vientnam policy.
After publication of The Best and the Brightest in 1972, Halberstam plunged right into another book and in 1979 published The Powers That Be. The book provided profiles of men like William Paley of CBS, Henry Luce of Time magazine, Phil Graham of The Washington Post—and many others.
Later in his career, Halberstam turned to the subjects of sports, publishing The Breaks of the Game, an inside look at the Bill Walton and the 1978 Portland Trailblazers basketball team; an ambitious book on Michael Jordan in 1999 called Playing for Keeps; and on the pennant race battle between the Yankees and Red Sox called Summer of '49.
Halberstam published two books in the 1960s, three books in the 1970s, four books in the 1980s, and six books in the 1990s. He published four books in the 2000s and was on a pace to publish six or more books in that decade before his death.
David Halberstam was killed in a car crash on April 23, 2007 in Menlo Park, California.
Halberstam graduated from Harvard University with a degree in journalism in 1955 and started his career writing for the Daily Times Leader in West Point, Mississippi. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, writing for The Tennessean in Nashville, Tennessee, he covered the beginnings of the American Civil Rights Movement.
In the mid 1960s, Halberstam covered the Vietnam War for The New York Times. While there, he gathered material for his book The Making of a Quagmire: America and Vietnam during the Kennedy Era. In 1963, he received a George Polk Award for his reporting at the New York Times. At the age of 30, he won a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting on the war. He is interviewed in the 1968 documentary film on the Vietnam War entitled In the Year of the Pig.
Halberstam's most well known work is The Best and the Brightest. Halberstam focused on the paradox that those who shaped the U.S. war effort in Vietnam were some of the most intelligent, well-connected and self-confident men in America—"the best and the brightest"—and yet those same individuals were responsible for the failure of the United States Vientnam policy.
After publication of The Best and the Brightest in 1972, Halberstam plunged right into another book and in 1979 published The Powers That Be. The book provided profiles of men like William Paley of CBS, Henry Luce of Time magazine, Phil Graham of The Washington Post—and many others.
Later in his career, Halberstam turned to the subjects of sports, publishing The Breaks of the Game, an inside look at the Bill Walton and the 1978 Portland Trailblazers basketball team; an ambitious book on Michael Jordan in 1999 called Playing for Keeps; and on the pennant race battle between the Yankees and Red Sox called Summer of '49.
Halberstam published two books in the 1960s, three books in the 1970s, four books in the 1980s, and six books in the 1990s. He published four books in the 2000s and was on a pace to publish six or more books in that decade before his death.
David Halberstam was killed in a car crash on April 23, 2007 in Menlo Park, California.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
August 4, 2017
This is a bit outside my usual reading, but back in another life, when I was a collegiate rower and perpetually sore, tired, beleaguered, and intensely happy, this was the book we'd pass among ourselves and pore over with the same monkish devotion we had to our sport. It was the closest thing we had to an answer to the question "why" that we'd often ask ourselves at 5 am, in those hushed pre-dawn hours when we'd sit and sway in a rickety bus on our way to the most physically punishing workout any of us had ever known--or would ever know.
August 10, 2014
I'm not much for long reviews but I was a little disappointed in this, maybe because I had recently read The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, which I found to be a much more interesting and detailed look at the sport and the back stories of the rowers. Perhaps I'm being overly harsh on this because I'm comparing The Amateurs to that. Both are great looks at a sport which I think I would have loved had I gotten into when I was young.
March 3, 2024
História antiga sobre a qualificação americana de remo para o jogos olímpicos de 1984. Mostra bem a maluqueira de quem faz desporto amador: o empenho, o imenso foco, a disciplina, a vontade de vencer. Mas também as desilusões de quem não vence as principais provas mas ganha em determinação que fica para toda a vida. Quem passou por isto a qualquer nível, percebe. Quem nunca passou, dificilmente será capaz de compreender o que nos move, seja no remo, triatlo ou atletismo. Mesmo depois de velhos somos capazes de ter a mesma determinação só para nos mantermos saudáveis.
Não ajuda nada a quem nunca competiu, compreender esta doença, mas a quem o fez, é uma confirmação de que estamos juntos nesta vida.
Não ajuda nada a quem nunca competiu, compreender esta doença, mas a quem o fez, é uma confirmação de que estamos juntos nesta vida.
September 13, 2010
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 Princeton. The man who wins will gain the right to represent the United States in the '84 Olympics; the losers will then have to struggle further to gain a place in the two- or four-man boats. And even if they succeed, they will have to live with the bitter knowledge that they were not the best, only close to it.
Halberstam combines the vividness of his sports journalism with narrative skills that wouldn't be out of place in a famous fictional novel.
I love rowing and this story was a good read for me.
If you enjoy sport (in particular rowing), and the supreme test it has over the human body and mind, this book will intrigue you. Just the answer to the following question will captivate people as it did for me; what drives these men to endure a physical pain known to no other sport?
The books shows what/why people put themselves under such extreme stress and pressure just for inner satisfaction, this is a great lesson for us all.
Have a read of this yourself and you won't regret it.
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 Princeton. The man who wins will gain the right to represent the United States in the '84 Olympics; the losers will then have to struggle further to gain a place in the two- or four-man boats. And even if they succeed, they will have to live with the bitter knowledge that they were not the best, only close to it.
Halberstam combines the vividness of his sports journalism with narrative skills that wouldn't be out of place in a famous fictional novel.
I love rowing and this story was a good read for me.
If you enjoy sport (in particular rowing), and the supreme test it has over the human body and mind, this book will intrigue you. Just the answer to the following question will captivate people as it did for me; what drives these men to endure a physical pain known to no other sport?
The books shows what/why people put themselves under such extreme stress and pressure just for inner satisfaction, this is a great lesson for us all.
Have a read of this yourself and you won't regret it.
March 6, 2010
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 it up without a second thought--even though the book was on rowing.
In this book, Halberstam chronicles a bunch of U.S. Rowers such as Tiff Wood, Brad Lewis, Joe Bigalow and Joe Bouscaren as they train for a chance to be either a single sculler (one person rowing) or a part of a rowing team (2 or 4) at the 1984 Olympic games held in Los Angeles. In a sense, this book is Chariots of Fire for rowers. Halberstam chronicles how rowers get little to no attention and how their only fame comes in a 15 minute period at the Olympic games.
The book takes place mostly on the East Coast, as some of the better rowing colleges are Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Lewis is the odd man out being from California.
I won't tell you who wins, but this book, which is pretty small at around 200 pages, is a good read. I'm not about to go out and join a rowing club, but thanks to Halberstam, I plan on watching the event more in 2012. The book itself is pretty good, but without Halberstam I don't see myself ever picking this one up. If you are a fan of Halberstam, the Olympics or rowing you will like this read. Otherwise, probably skip it.
By finishing this book, Halberstam joins a rare club with me. He is only the third author where I have now read 10 or more books by him. The two others for me are Dean Koontz and John Feinstein.
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 it up without a second thought--even though the book was on rowing.
In this book, Halberstam chronicles a bunch of U.S. Rowers such as Tiff Wood, Brad Lewis, Joe Bigalow and Joe Bouscaren as they train for a chance to be either a single sculler (one person rowing) or a part of a rowing team (2 or 4) at the 1984 Olympic games held in Los Angeles. In a sense, this book is Chariots of Fire for rowers. Halberstam chronicles how rowers get little to no attention and how their only fame comes in a 15 minute period at the Olympic games.
The book takes place mostly on the East Coast, as some of the better rowing colleges are Harvard, Princeton and Yale. Lewis is the odd man out being from California.
I won't tell you who wins, but this book, which is pretty small at around 200 pages, is a good read. I'm not about to go out and join a rowing club, but thanks to Halberstam, I plan on watching the event more in 2012. The book itself is pretty good, but without Halberstam I don't see myself ever picking this one up. If you are a fan of Halberstam, the Olympics or rowing you will like this read. Otherwise, probably skip it.
By finishing this book, Halberstam joins a rare club with me. He is only the third author where I have now read 10 or more books by him. The two others for me are Dean Koontz and John Feinstein.
March 31, 2021
Leuk boekje voor roeiers. De schoonheid van roeien en hoe het voelt als het minder goed gaat komen mooi naar voren. Ook hoe het is om met zoveel verschillende karakters samen te werken of te strijden.
April 7, 2024
Very accurate portrayal of the beauty, cunning, grit and cultiness of rowing. Would have devoured this book freshman or sophomore year of college.
June 23, 2024
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.
February 15, 2018
An interesting accounts of the 1984 American men’s rowing team. Also some great insights about what it takes to be an Olympian.
August 26, 2023
Good insight into a highly competitive bubble and personalities
August 13, 2015
Like so many, I read this book shortly after having read Boys in the Boat. It is the "other-side-of-the-coin" book to the romantic depiction of rowing described in BITB. Gone is the drama (in the 1930s, stories of rowers made the front pages of newspapers all over the world, and people cared about the sport... by contrast in the 1980s, rowing has become a little-known amateur sport barely hitting the radar of any sports enthusiast in this country), the camaraderie (these are the loners... the scullers... not the sweep teams), and the glory (the competition for Olympic spots is fierce, and not everyone wins... despite immense sacrifices for the sport). It is really more of a tragedy than a hero's tale... be prepared.
January 3, 2021
How does a world-class, gold medal winning Olympic rower get his fifteen minutes of fame? Stand behind the gymnasts, wherever they go, counsels Brad Lewis (1984 Double champ with partner, Paul Enquist), that’s where the cameras will always be! David Halberstam did it again ... capturing the real pain, complete commitment, the competition and camaraderie among America’s best rowers in the events leading towards selection of the 1984 U.S. Olympic Rowing Team and through the competitions. Each of the principals receives personal care in Halberstam’s hands, as do their coaches and the relationships among them all. Well-told, engaging, awe-inspiring. A pleasure!
August 20, 2016
Oh my. This is the longest short book I have ever read. How is it possible to make the story of world class athletes competing for placement on an Olympic racing team so mind numbingly boring?? By the time the author finally wound his meandering way to the olympics, I truly didn't care who ended up on the team and who won. I didn't care what happened to them after the race. I hope I never have to hear another word about the rowers, their families or their coaches. Skip this one and read the label on a cereal box. It has more useful and inspiring information than this book.
May 16, 2020
It the story of four rowers who wanted to go to the Olympics. I imagine if you are familiar with the sport (I don't think I even call it by the proper name, maybe crew, or maybe crew is a different sport from skulling?), and/or the people involved, it would be a very interesting book. I had a hard time keeping track of the people, so the excitement was missing. But I finished the book. It wasn't a DO NOT FINISH type of book. The ending was a little bland.
May 24, 2020
This was on my shelf, published in 1985 and signed on inside front cover by someone whose name I don't recognize (not the author) in 1997, and i have no idea how it got there. Mysterious. Maybe I picked it up at a used book swap at work and then didn't read?
anyway, however it got there, I'm glad I found it. The time frame (run up to qualifying for 1984 Olympics in rowing) is from my heyday -- I even overlapped with a couple of the protagonists in college, though I don't know any of them. And I have little enough involvement in rowing (does maybe 10 indoor rower workouts in my whole life make me an insider?) that I don't remember what happened, so I was unspoiled.
Author must have had good access -- does a good job of characterizing not just their physical preparation, but the emotional and interpersonal struggles of competing at a sport that is delaying your entry to the "real world" after college in exchange for close to nothing in terms of attention or material rewards. The cut-throat nature of the competition (there's going to be one single sculler, the slot apparently most coveted by all; then a double and a quad, and that's it -- 7 total are going to the Olympics, and everyone else is out) makes for complicated relationships among the rowers, between them and the coach selecting the team, etc.
It was striking to me how much, at least in this telling, the coach's personality and perceived favoritism factor into the story. Especially in singles, it would seem to be the ultimate meritocracy -- if you get to the finish line faster, you're in, no matter what the coach thinks of your form, your training dedication, your personality, etc. But I guess particularly for the doubles/quads, you can always say you weren't paired with the right other people, or at least not often enough, or...... Moral of the story: politics and group dynamics affect even workplaces with exquisitely objective performance measures!
Story bogs down a bit [for me] in some of the background profiles -- any one of them is a life no doubt fascinating to live, but strung together they started to blur for me. It's not the most diverse sport -- lots of white guys from [mostly] well to do families, with ambivalent relations with their Type A dads who sent them to [mostly] boarding prep schools before sending them to same college Dad attended, etc.
anyway, however it got there, I'm glad I found it. The time frame (run up to qualifying for 1984 Olympics in rowing) is from my heyday -- I even overlapped with a couple of the protagonists in college, though I don't know any of them. And I have little enough involvement in rowing (does maybe 10 indoor rower workouts in my whole life make me an insider?) that I don't remember what happened, so I was unspoiled.
Author must have had good access -- does a good job of characterizing not just their physical preparation, but the emotional and interpersonal struggles of competing at a sport that is delaying your entry to the "real world" after college in exchange for close to nothing in terms of attention or material rewards. The cut-throat nature of the competition (there's going to be one single sculler, the slot apparently most coveted by all; then a double and a quad, and that's it -- 7 total are going to the Olympics, and everyone else is out) makes for complicated relationships among the rowers, between them and the coach selecting the team, etc.
It was striking to me how much, at least in this telling, the coach's personality and perceived favoritism factor into the story. Especially in singles, it would seem to be the ultimate meritocracy -- if you get to the finish line faster, you're in, no matter what the coach thinks of your form, your training dedication, your personality, etc. But I guess particularly for the doubles/quads, you can always say you weren't paired with the right other people, or at least not often enough, or...... Moral of the story: politics and group dynamics affect even workplaces with exquisitely objective performance measures!
Story bogs down a bit [for me] in some of the background profiles -- any one of them is a life no doubt fascinating to live, but strung together they started to blur for me. It's not the most diverse sport -- lots of white guys from [mostly] well to do families, with ambivalent relations with their Type A dads who sent them to [mostly] boarding prep schools before sending them to same college Dad attended, etc.
October 17, 2020
Mostly focused on the quirky personalities of the rowers. Reads like a neurotypical person is trying to describe people on the autism spectrum. Biglow most of all.
Biglow, described as "lacking in social grace" and "mildly irritating," was also a nonstop question-asker. One day the sophomore coach (Tony Johnson, also mentioned in Course Correction by Ginny Gilder) limited him to one question per day. Despite all that, Biglow wasn't generally a problem for the coaches, since he never broke rules and "was an enforcer who helped the coach."
In general, people couldn't figure him out, since "at certain moments he could become exceptionally articulate, making it abundantly clear that he paid attention to everything with an almost cold-blooded eye. Yet a moment later he would revert to being the innocent hick again, wanting to know everything, wanting to be helped." Another rower on the U.S. Olympic team, Tiff Wood, described him as having "artificial innocence."
Biglow has such a flat affect that the other college rowers think he's not pulling hard. Then when he beats them all by 10% on the erg test, they say he must be unintelligent to show no signs of distress. This seems typical of an autistic person's dilemma in a group of neurotypical people: damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that rowing would draw particular personalities, and especially sculling, which appeals to people who don't like to work in a team: it can be done solo and so you don't have to coordinate with 7 other people and a cox. Rowing at the competitive level requires hours a day of practice, causes more pain than other sports (due to higher lactic acid buildup), is very repetitive, and is lacking in glory except for the satisfaction of having beat someone else by as little as a few seconds. There seem to be 2 kinds of people who would do that: hyper-competitive jerks, and Aspie people.
Biglow, described as "lacking in social grace" and "mildly irritating," was also a nonstop question-asker. One day the sophomore coach (Tony Johnson, also mentioned in Course Correction by Ginny Gilder) limited him to one question per day. Despite all that, Biglow wasn't generally a problem for the coaches, since he never broke rules and "was an enforcer who helped the coach."
In general, people couldn't figure him out, since "at certain moments he could become exceptionally articulate, making it abundantly clear that he paid attention to everything with an almost cold-blooded eye. Yet a moment later he would revert to being the innocent hick again, wanting to know everything, wanting to be helped." Another rower on the U.S. Olympic team, Tiff Wood, described him as having "artificial innocence."
Biglow has such a flat affect that the other college rowers think he's not pulling hard. Then when he beats them all by 10% on the erg test, they say he must be unintelligent to show no signs of distress. This seems typical of an autistic person's dilemma in a group of neurotypical people: damned if you do, damned if you don't.
I suppose it shouldn't be a surprise that rowing would draw particular personalities, and especially sculling, which appeals to people who don't like to work in a team: it can be done solo and so you don't have to coordinate with 7 other people and a cox. Rowing at the competitive level requires hours a day of practice, causes more pain than other sports (due to higher lactic acid buildup), is very repetitive, and is lacking in glory except for the satisfaction of having beat someone else by as little as a few seconds. There seem to be 2 kinds of people who would do that: hyper-competitive jerks, and Aspie people.
August 21, 2019
A good read about the lead up to the 1984 Olympic sculling events. Focuses on 4 scullers as well as the coach. Lots of personality there (particularly involving east coast vs. west coast and elite vs. non-elite). Lots of drama at the training camp. The book is organized in a present-day then flashback sequence. For example, Halberstam might start a chapter off at pre-trials training in Boston and then give some biographical sketch of one of the rowers. Then the next chapter might start with the single scull trials and then flashback for another rower. The organization keeps the reader interested, but because rowing is a small community and because most of the rowers went to Harvard or Yale, some of the "flashback" parts overlap and are somewhat repetitive (though not oppressively so). He touches on the various training philosophies of rowing, pitting those who focus on form against those who focus on strength and power. There's definitely a romanticism about the amateur athlete portrayed in this book. Halberstam certainly catches the nuances of sculling and the pain involved, though I think what he describes as rowers' general unwillingness to comment on the pain either didn't actually exist then or the culture of rowing has changed such that pain (rather than grace or coordination) is the first descriptor rowers will use to describe the sport.
One thing to note about this book as well as other sports writing: Halberstam (as well as his subjects) uses the term courage to describe some of the various athletic feats mentioned in the book. No doubt those feats require overcoming mental blocks and physical pain, but I do absolutely loathe descriptions of these events as courageous. It shows an impressive internal drive and will-power, but... courage? Let's save that term for those instances for which it actually applies.
One thing to note about this book as well as other sports writing: Halberstam (as well as his subjects) uses the term courage to describe some of the various athletic feats mentioned in the book. No doubt those feats require overcoming mental blocks and physical pain, but I do absolutely loathe descriptions of these events as courageous. It shows an impressive internal drive and will-power, but... courage? Let's save that term for those instances for which it actually applies.
April 18, 2020
I misunderstood the book. This is what I thought the book would be about. A bunch of amateurs in rowing somehow getting to the Olympics.
Maybe the definition of “amateurs” in the title works in the most literal sense, meaning that “a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid rather than a professional basis.” is correct, but I bet a lot of athletes going into the Olympics, especially in more niche sports, are like that. They were basically rich white kids who were doing rowing in privileged upper universities in USA. It’s not like they were just some random kids who stumbled their way into the Olympics due to their handwork. They had expensive rowing equipment at their schools, had personal experience rowing equipment, had dedicated couches to help them, and went they dedicated their time to practicing, they didn’t have to worry about sustaining a job at the same time.
I did enjoy the book, and I do love how much effort athletes put in their sports. There is something fascinating about the grim, repetitive, routine dedication they have to get slightly better than the previous time they practiced. But the way the author constantly tries to present them as some sort of underdogs or out of place in the Olympics world is irritating.
Maybe the definition of “amateurs” in the title works in the most literal sense, meaning that “a person who engages in a pursuit, especially a sport, on an unpaid rather than a professional basis.” is correct, but I bet a lot of athletes going into the Olympics, especially in more niche sports, are like that. They were basically rich white kids who were doing rowing in privileged upper universities in USA. It’s not like they were just some random kids who stumbled their way into the Olympics due to their handwork. They had expensive rowing equipment at their schools, had personal experience rowing equipment, had dedicated couches to help them, and went they dedicated their time to practicing, they didn’t have to worry about sustaining a job at the same time.
I did enjoy the book, and I do love how much effort athletes put in their sports. There is something fascinating about the grim, repetitive, routine dedication they have to get slightly better than the previous time they practiced. But the way the author constantly tries to present them as some sort of underdogs or out of place in the Olympics world is irritating.
September 17, 2019
Rowing has never been one of the most popular sports, and to be honest, I had never thought twice about it. In this book, the author tells us of the struggle of 4 young men to win a place in the Olympics in 1984. Their situations are different; for example for one of them, this is his last chance, after losing hiss opportunity when there was a boycott to the Games and he could not go. The four of them will compete to win the place as the single sculler, and this battle will be fierce among them. In this book, we learn of the terrible training sessions they have to endure, the crippling pain they feel during races, always feeling they will never do it. This sport is so demanding that those who pursue it must really feel deep love for it and be willing to sacrifice their personal and social life. This book was an eye-opener. I would have never imagined everything involved in this sport. It is always interesting to learn something new, and the author managed to convey it in this extraordinary book through these amazing athletes. A true story.
January 30, 2020
My personal experience with rowing has been limited to the indoor ergometer (Concept2) The exercise stimulus is something I have integrated into my routine since I was first introduced to the unit in the early '80s.
I can confirm that rowing a prescribed distance as fast as possible is simply one of the most intense physical events anyone can undertake. Your entire body is awash with lactic acid and the residual effects can be felt days later. It is one of the most challenging things one can do and to make a career of it takes a special kind of personality.
It is important to grasp this intensity part to appreciate this story. The story of four true amateurs postponing or even passing on more lucrative options in an attempt to make the 1984 Olympic team in rowing.
If you are not familiar with high-intensity athletic endeavors find a Concept2 rowing ergometer and row as fast as you can for 2000m and then read this story.
I can confirm that rowing a prescribed distance as fast as possible is simply one of the most intense physical events anyone can undertake. Your entire body is awash with lactic acid and the residual effects can be felt days later. It is one of the most challenging things one can do and to make a career of it takes a special kind of personality.
It is important to grasp this intensity part to appreciate this story. The story of four true amateurs postponing or even passing on more lucrative options in an attempt to make the 1984 Olympic team in rowing.
If you are not familiar with high-intensity athletic endeavors find a Concept2 rowing ergometer and row as fast as you can for 2000m and then read this story.
February 21, 2018
"...he told himself that the important thing was to deal with his disappointment as a man, to be graceful and generous. That was what rowing was all about. It demands so much in preparation that even if he fell short of his goals, he was not diminishes as a person..."
There's not a better quote to summarize this great story of four men and their quest for an Olympic Medal.
This book is not solely about rowing (although it does a good job explaining its basics), it is about the struggles and sacrifices every amateur athlete has to make in order to fulfill his ultimate dream of becoming a better version on himself.
As David Halberstam, one of the best sport writers, puts it: "Perhaps in our society the true madness in the search for excellence is left for the amateur."
Takes one day to read it. Makes appreciate athletes forever. A must read for every sport fan.
There's not a better quote to summarize this great story of four men and their quest for an Olympic Medal.
This book is not solely about rowing (although it does a good job explaining its basics), it is about the struggles and sacrifices every amateur athlete has to make in order to fulfill his ultimate dream of becoming a better version on himself.
As David Halberstam, one of the best sport writers, puts it: "Perhaps in our society the true madness in the search for excellence is left for the amateur."
Takes one day to read it. Makes appreciate athletes forever. A must read for every sport fan.
September 4, 2021
Detailed and comprehensive
This is a detailed, comprehensive, and lengthy book about a group of young men with passion for a relatively obscure sport and Olympic aspirations. It does jump around a bit, as the author takes time to give background on early life, successes and challenges, family history, and other details on this varied group of complex young men and the men who coached them. But as contrasted to current day sports prima donnas, the dedication to their sport of these athletes is fascinating and at times curious.
This is a detailed, comprehensive, and lengthy book about a group of young men with passion for a relatively obscure sport and Olympic aspirations. It does jump around a bit, as the author takes time to give background on early life, successes and challenges, family history, and other details on this varied group of complex young men and the men who coached them. But as contrasted to current day sports prima donnas, the dedication to their sport of these athletes is fascinating and at times curious.
October 5, 2021
Very good insight into the mind of great rowers
This book was a story of amateurs struggles for making it to the Olympics and goals of winning. Many of these rowers had a common drive and arrived to be the best and pushed themselves to points past when most people would quit. It didn't focus on this, but I found it interesting that most of these rowers wer highly successful doctors and professionals after rowing and that many kept up with rowing and fitness even after their glory days.
This book was a story of amateurs struggles for making it to the Olympics and goals of winning. Many of these rowers had a common drive and arrived to be the best and pushed themselves to points past when most people would quit. It didn't focus on this, but I found it interesting that most of these rowers wer highly successful doctors and professionals after rowing and that many kept up with rowing and fitness even after their glory days.
May 30, 2023
This book follows a group of amateur rowing athletes as they prepare for the 1984 Olympics. The author delves into the differences between rowing and more commercialized Olympic sports, exploring the personality traits that drive rowers in the face of goals that will never make them famous or rich, and that require year-round training for the best-case result of a victory that means little outside of their small circle of peers.
The writing is concise and compelling. I very much enjoyed and recommend this book.
The writing is concise and compelling. I very much enjoyed and recommend this book.
October 29, 2017
A rower is a rower for life
I really couldn't put this down. It is so well written as you grow to know these men, rowers and relate them back to yourself. My life experience as a rower was eerily similar and I found myself nodding and laughing out loud throughout, even though I never reached such heights. This level of commitment to things so internally driven at such high cost, has been something that I've always struggled to explain to others and that the world largely fails to understand. This book illuminates that drive for all readers whether they've stepped into a boat or not, and provides an inspiring cast that is motivated internally not so much about the results but the pursuit and knowledge in life that you left nothing on the table and realized your best self in a triumph of will and persistence.
I really couldn't put this down. It is so well written as you grow to know these men, rowers and relate them back to yourself. My life experience as a rower was eerily similar and I found myself nodding and laughing out loud throughout, even though I never reached such heights. This level of commitment to things so internally driven at such high cost, has been something that I've always struggled to explain to others and that the world largely fails to understand. This book illuminates that drive for all readers whether they've stepped into a boat or not, and provides an inspiring cast that is motivated internally not so much about the results but the pursuit and knowledge in life that you left nothing on the table and realized your best self in a triumph of will and persistence.
December 26, 2017
I got this book because I loved Boys in the Boat so much, but I found this book really paled in comparison in terms of storytelling and general writerly ability. The pacing was good but the flipping around in timelines was unclear, and I didn't really learn as much about each rower as I wanted to and as I felt the author wanted me to. The whole time I read this book (which is a quick read), I kept thinking, "I really want to reread Boys in the Boat!"
June 23, 2025
Halberstam is a terrific author but this story was disjointed and fizzled out at the end. The premise though - about the ultimate athletes who push themselves to the limit without promise of fame, glory, or money - is powerful and meaningful. He does a good job of explaining the sport of rowing and the toll it takes on the human body and the lives of those who perform at a high level, but it was not his best work.
January 24, 2020
I think the original copy of this classic from my college rowing days—dogeared, underlined and highlighted—ended up in the hands of one of the enthusiastic, college rowers I ended up coaching myself after graduation.
It still holds its value as an inspirational and insightful look into the world of amateur athletics and rowing in particular.
It still holds its value as an inspirational and insightful look into the world of amateur athletics and rowing in particular.
March 6, 2020
The journey of four distinguished achievers, all made a dent in their universe more with their will and brawn rather than genetically blessed talent. Must read . The difference between exceptional and amateurs is the life long period of deliberate practice to improve performance in a specific chosen domain.
My favorite quote is ' NO ONE CAN BEAT US' and "Stay hungry'
My favorite quote is ' NO ONE CAN BEAT US' and "Stay hungry'
June 28, 2022
The Amateurs was solid from start to finish but lacked the flair that made me love Summer of ‘49 so much. My principal complaint was that it profiled so many rowers and seemed to jump from character to character unpredictably and often confusingly. I am glad I read it, but I think it could have been far more entertaining with better pacing and stronger narrative discipline.
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