It’s time for the Big Reveal for Milton Reads’ 2015 book selection:

This year the entire town of Milton will be reading The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown.

A current non-fiction best seller, The Boys in the Boat tells the story of the men who rowed crew for the 1936 US Olympic team in the Games of the XI Olympiad. The individual stories of each man on the crew and their composite team strength is set against the backdrop of World War II.

“This book is one of our most requested and most popular,” says Sally Lawler, part of the Library staff and a member of the Milton Reads committee. “And Milton loves the sport of rowing!” Library director Will Adamczyk explains, “the many themes, the terrific story, and the timeliness all make this book engaging reading, and it’s the best of sports writing.”

The United States almost didn’t compete in the controversial 1936 Olympics held in Nazi-ruled Berlin, because the games were positioned by that government to demonstrate ideological and real power. The games were boycotted by some countries. In the United States, some Jewish organizations recommended boycotting and African American groups favored going for the gold to prove a point. That’s the same Olympics where Jesse Owens won four gold medals in track events.

During March, a variety of fun programs for all ages and interests will be part of Milton Reads.

And what happened to those 9 men in their boat? Well… get over to the library and check out the book. Multiple copies of The Boys in the Boat is available to check out at the library; it is also a terrific audio book. Milton Reads is sponsored by the Friends of the Milton Library.