The Boys in the Boat selected for Boone County reading program

By Kelsey Ligon

Readers throughout Boone County will learn about rowing and the Great Depression this fall as The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics has been selected for the 2015 United We Read Boone County program.

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown tells the story of the American rowing team competing in the Berlin Olympics during the Great Depression. It examines the larger issues of the time period and the more intimate details of the rowing team’s rise from nothing to greatness.

For the past few years, program organizers have selected books that are relatively unknown but still appeal to a wide audience. According to the library’s Assistant Department Head, Orty Ortwein, the United We Read program selected The Boys in the Boat before it became popular, as it recently skyrocketed to the No. 1 spot on the New York Times Bestseller list.

The library program spans the month of October and includes the following activities at the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library aimed at providing readers with experiences related to the book:

• Entire month of October – relive sports in the 1930s in Zionsville through displays placed throughout the library
• Oct. 5 – listen to banjo player Sam Bartlett playing tunes from the 1930s from 7 to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 6 – participate in a book discussion from 6 to 7 p.m. with light refreshments provided
• Oct. 13– Skype with writer Dr. Susan D. Bachrach about the 1936 Olympics from 6 to 8 p.m.
• Oct. 20 – listen to a presentation from 6 to 8 p.m. by Jennifer Floyd, who participated on the 2008 US Olympic Rowing Team

The Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Library has ordered 50 new copies of the book to check out in preparation for the program. The books become available on Sept. 1. Libraries participating in the program include the Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Library, the Thornfield Public Library, and the Lebanon Public Library.