“The Boys in the Boat”— a Daughter Remembers event comes to Pub Night Talks

Daughter of 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic rowing team explains books genesis.

“The Boys in Boat,” the critically acclaimed non-fiction novel by Daniel James Brown, celebrates the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic eight-oar rowing team. The crew included nine working-class boys from the UW who stormed the rowing world, transformed the sport and galvanized the attention of millions of Americans.

UW Bothell Pub Night Talk at McMenamins will a talk on the explanation of the book’s genesis and for stories from Judy Willman, the daughter of Joe Rantz who was one of those working-class boys who made history. Willman will also autograph any books brought to the event by audience members.

Judy Rantz Willman is the daughter of Joe Rantz, a member of the 1936 U.S. men’s Olympic eight-oar rowing team. A graduate from the University of Washington with a bachelor of science in Home Economics Education, Willman writes short stories and essays and has been published in several national magazines. She also won awards in international writing competitions.

The event is free and open to the public and is set for Tuesday, Aug. 28 at 7-8:30 p.m. at Hayne’s Hall, McMenamins Anderson School, 18607 Bothell Way NE, Bothell.