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I try and read non-fiction as well as my favorite "fluffy" fiction and beach reads. This was absolutely riveting: it deals with the 1936 Olympics and the Washington University team that was selected to represent the US. GREAT background on the Great Depression and Hitler's 1936 Olympics. The author does a great job discussing rowing: the various positions in an 8-man boat, the kinetics of rowing, the physical toll, etc.

Probably one of the best non-fiction books I've read since Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken (which I also recommend).

OK--anyone else read it or have something in the non-fiction genre to recommend?

Cat

Excellent! I've added that one to my list. Prior to Dday I read a lot of non-fiction. I'm still 2.5 years out but am not back there yet - I either read fluffy fiction or non-fiction related to infidelity, mental health, meditation, etc. - it's an odd mix....

But here are two really good non-fiction books that I recommend:

Blind Descent - The quest to discover the deepest place on Earth by James M. Tabor. I read this a few years ago after hearing an interview with the author on the radio. It follows two teams - an American team and a Ukrainian team - in the early 2000s, both of who are trying to find the deepest cave in the world. It gives a fascinating overview of supercaving (exploration of caves that often go down thousands of feet) and the dangers and difficulties included in supercaving. It was truly a fascinating story - the type of non-fiction that reads like fiction.

Strangers Drowning: Grappling with Impossible Idealism, Drastic Choices, and the Overpowering Urge to Help by Larisa MacFarquhar. I also read this one after a radio interview with the author (and now that I think about it, maybe the reason I am not reading much non-fiction after Dday is because I all but stopped listening to the radio....). It's a fascinating book that talks about extreme do-gooders. It profiles about 10 or so people who have really dedicated their lives to helping others. Some were quite extreme like the couple who adopted 22 children or a man in India in the early 1900s who founded a leper colony, while others seemed more relatable like a man who donated a kidney to a stranger and a couple struggling with how much money they could donate while still leading an enjoyable life. It was a really compassionate and thought-provoking look into a group of people struggling how to balance living their own lives with the commitment they feel they need to make to humanity.

I read it a few years ago and LOVED it. I like anything by Erik Larson or Laura Hildebrand -- if you haven't read Seabiscuit by her, it's also very good though Unbroken was even better. I also like Jon Krakauer's books.

I've read Seabiscuit. It was very good. Someone asked Laura Hillenbrand if she would write a book about the 1924 Kentucky Derby winner Black Gold, and she said she couldn't, as the story was just too sad. I wish she would reconsider.

I've read a lot of Jon Krakauer as well. Under the Banner of Heaven was a really interesting read. Into Thin Air gives me the chills--literally and figuratively.

I’ve read these as well- all great books. Currently reading Bad Blood by John Carreyou about Theranos… very good so far.