Book Review: The Amateurs

David Halberstam's The Amateurs chronicles the quest of young rowers in the late 1970's and early 80's. The book provides an interesting perspective on a sport that often goes unrecognized even as part of the olympics.

The book depicts the life of an amateur rower. There is no professional rowing circuit. For these young men the Olympic Games are the pinnacle of the sport. The Amateurs is an interesting look into both privelege and sport. I say privelege because most of the men that participate in rowing come from backgrounds that lead them to Harvard, Yale, or another Ivy League school. Their legacy status gives them a chance where many others would be ruled out without a chance.

The book is interesting on the level that all of these men had privelege, but because of their passion for the sport they put off, careers, family, and regular life in order to pursue their dream. Rowing is an intense and specialized sport. Every workout is demanding and the physical needs of a competitive rower are extensive. While some of the rowers in the story were granted with a powerful physical nature, others had an intense capacity to push themselves mentally that made up for whatever they were lacking physically.

Halberstam goes into great detail to show the backgrounds and the "rowing culture" of these young men. The social relationships held between rowing teams, and their coaches are interesting and very dynamic. It is a competitive world driven by the egos of young men who ultimately think they are the best. In the end there can only be one man to race in the American single boat, and the battle for that spot is rather engrossing.

Other aspects of the sport are, seemingly, more art than science. Rowing, or crew, is a matter of finding that team dynamic and stroke that can make an okay single rower into a great team rower. A good quad set of rowers, for instance, is not just the sum of its parts. When everything is clicking a good team of rowers can reach levels that are much greater than if you look at each rower seperately.


The Amateurs is an interesting depiction of just how goal driven people can be. It is a testament to sacrifice and hardwork. Further, the book speaks to just how bad we all want an identity that gives our life meaning. The desire to be an "Olympic Rower" was so powerful for these young men. The book provides an in depth look at a sport that often goes overlooked. Finally, it is a testament to the fact that if you want something bad enough you just have to go out and work for it believing the whole time that you will find a way to make it happen.