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Book Reviews

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Feature
Book Review: 'Body of Water' by Dan Boyne

May 26, 2023

After former coxswain Finley Sparks is found floating in the Charles, questions (and suspects) multiply in author Dan Boyne's entertaining murder mystery. more

Feature
Book Review: The Hammers - The Story of Harvard's Underdog and Undefeated 1976 Crew, by Hovey Kemp

March 1, 2022

Rowing historian and writer Peter Mallory reviews The Hammers by Hovey Kemp, who rowed four years (1972-1976) at Harvard. more

Feature
Book Review: 'Learnings from Five Olympic Games' by Frances Houghton

July 2, 2021

Five-time GB Olympic rower Frances Houghton weighs in on the topics of teams, training, mindset, injuries, and more in her fine new book "Learnings from Five Olympic Games." more

Feature
Book Review: Phil Stekl's 'The Wondrous Sport of Rowing'

January 27, 2021

Phil Stekl's new coffee table book "The Wondrous Sport of Rowing" clearly means to remind us of all of the things we love about rowing, the deep pull of gliding along on the water. more

Feature
Book Review: Maureen McCauley's 'Falling Out of the Boat'

January 13, 2021

A late addition to the 2020 batch of personal rowing books is Maureen McCauley's memoir "Falling Out of the Boat." more

Feature
Book Review: 'Better Great Than Never' by Lindsay Shoop

December 2, 2020

Lindsay Shoop's outstanding new book retraces her steps from college walk-on to Olympic champion, and closely examines the mindset and commitment that guided her along her path. more

row2k Book Review
Book Review: 'Mind Games' by Annie Vernon

November 2, 2020

In her new book "Mind Games," former GB rower and psychologist Annie Vernon has added a useful and readable addition to the canon of sports books, and it's worth reading for athletes and coaches alike; anyone interested in learning more about confidence, competitiveness, athlete development, race day nerves and more will be rewarded. more

row2k Book Review
Book Review: Arshay Cooper's 'A Most Beautiful Thing'

June 29, 2020

Arshay Cooper's memoir "A Most Beautiful Thing," the true story of America's first all-Black high school rowing team, seems to be made for the present moment. more

Books about Rowing
Rediscovering 'The Red Rose Crew'

June 1, 2020

It's surreal to think that 20 years have passed since the publication of Dan Boyne's 'The Red Rose Crew.' Now, with the recent announcement hat Sports Illustrated Studios is the process of developing a film based on the book, the story of the 1975 US Women's Eight deserves another look. more

Feature
The Full Story of 'The Kiwi Pair'

May 6, 2020

Co-written with NZ sports journalist Scotty Stevenson, 'The Kiwi Pair' by Hamish Bond and Eric Murray is a ripping read. more

row2k Book Review
'Thor Nilsen: Rowing's Global Coach'

January 28, 2020

Norwegian rowing coach Thor Nilsen may be the most important rowing coach you've barely (or never) heard of. Chris Dodd's most recent book aims to remedy that. more

row2k Book Review
'More Power: The Story of Jurgen Grobler'

January 22, 2020

Just in time for the ramp towards the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo, Chris Dodd and High Matheson's book looks at a coach who has massively impacted the global rowing world; this is not an understatement, for we are talking about the GB's Jurgen Grobler. more

row2k Book Review
Rowing Lessons, Simply Told

September 25, 2019

Fred Borchelt's new eBook, "Another Power 10," devotes 10 chapters to technique, training, psychology and all-around advice for rowers and coaches. more

row2k Book Review
Andy Larkin's Life in Boats

November 20, 2018

Andy Larkin's rowing memoir, 'My Life in Boats, Fast and Slow' is anchored by the intriguing, seldom-told tale of Harvard's 1968 varsity, the US Olympic crew, and its role in the Olympic Project for Human Rights. more

New Book by Toby Ayer
The Sphinx of the Charles, re-examined

March 14, 2017

In 50 years of coaching at Harvard, from 1963 until his death in June of 2013, Harry Parker left a trail of myth and legend alongside a long list of accomplishments. Toby Ayer's new book takes another look at both the myths and the man. more

New Book by Dotty Brown
Boathouse Row: Waves of Change in the Birthplace of American Rowing

December 16, 2016

Boathouse Row is a Philadelphia landmark famous for the lights that welcome travelers and tourists at night and is synonymous with the origins of American rowing. But the story behind the structures and people is more than tale of athletes and boat clubs, and Dotty Brown's "Boathouse Row: Waves of Change in the Birthplace of American Rowing" captures those stories. more

Carlo Zezza's Racing Guide
'Winning Head Races'

September 23, 2015

As we roll into the fall season, rowers and coaches have an added resource for their "Rowing How-to" libraries this year. more

New Book by Ginny Gilder
Course Correction

June 9, 2015

As rowers we know that often rowing mirrors reality – the camaraderie and joy, right along with pain and heartache. In Course Correction, Ginny Gilder's debut book, she reminisces about the intersection of life and rowing. more