Books like The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

01

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption

Laura Hillenbrand · Biography

Unbroken follows Louis Zamperini from his juvenile delinquency in Depression-era California to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where he ran the 5,000 meters at nineteen and briefly caught Hitler's attention.

A kindred history read.

02

Seabiscuit: An American Legend

Laura Hillenbrand · History

Seabiscuit is the story of the undersized, knobby-kneed racehorse who became the most celebrated American athlete of the late 1930s — drawing larger newspaper audiences than Franklin Roosevelt or Joe DiMaggio at his peak.

Shares perseverance and depression-era america with The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

03

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage

Alfred Lansing · History

In 1914, Ernest Shackleton led twenty-seven men into the Weddell Sea on a ship called the Endurance with the goal of crossing Antarctica on foot.

Both dig into teamwork.

04

Born to Run

Christopher McDougall · Health

Born to Run begins as a personal injury investigation.

A kindred history read.

05

Into Thin Air

Jon Krakauer · Memoir

Into Thin Air is Jon Krakauer's firsthand account of the May 1996 Everest expedition that killed eight climbers in a single afternoon.

A kindred history read.

06

1776

David McCullough · History

David McCullough's 1776, published in 2005, covers a single year of the American Revolution — from the winter siege of Boston through Washington's crossing of the Delaware and the surprise victory at Trenton.

Both dig into perseverance.

07

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

Angela Duckworth · Psychology

Duckworth's central claim is that talent is overrated.

Both dig into perseverance.

08

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis

J. D. Vance · Memoir

Hillbilly Elegy is J.

Both dig into class.

09

Homage to Catalonia

George Orwell · Memoir

Homage to Catalonia is George Orwell's firsthand account of fighting in the Spanish Civil War, which he joined in late 1936 as a volunteer with the POUM militia — a Trotskyist revolutionary organization that was later suppressed by the Soviet-backed Stalinist wing of the Republican forces.

Both dig into class.

10

Little Fires Everywhere

Celeste Ng · Contemporary fiction

In Shaker Heights, Ohio — a meticulously planned, deliberately integrated suburb — two families collide.

Both dig into class.

11

Results Without Authority

Tom Kendrick · Business

Results Without Authority addresses a challenge that most project managers and team leads face but few management books deal with directly: how to get work done when you have responsibility but no real authority over the people doing the work.

Both dig into teamwork.

12

Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike

Phil Knight · Memoir

Shoe Dog is Phil Knight's account of the first two decades of Nike, from the $50 loan he borrowed from his father in 1964 to fund his first shipment of Japanese running shoes to the company's IPO in 1980.

Both dig into perseverance.