Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.24 AVERAGE
4.24 AVERAGE
Great book, but I wasn't a huge fan of how the writing flowed. However I really loved the story and it was worth a read.
Really well written memoir. The writer really shows how his inner life changed over time
I'm not sure what it is for me and my draw to memoir audiobooks over the past year. A Most Beautiful Thing is definitely one of the top. I love Chicago so a little modern history is intriguing. A bit of suspense. Lots of team dynamics. And more insight into the plight of marginalized.
Personally, a gut punch with an explicit reminder of just how white my alma mater, University of Wisconsin, really is. The team visited UW to meet with the rowing team. Subsequently, they met with the Philly rowing team. Arshay points out just how diverse Philly was in comparison to UW. In my personal history, I recall companies threatening to withdraw recruiting efforts from UW when I attended because the graduates just weren't diverse enough. The truth hurts but planted a seed for my incessant need for diversity in my and my children's lives.
Personally, a gut punch with an explicit reminder of just how white my alma mater, University of Wisconsin, really is. The team visited UW to meet with the rowing team. Subsequently, they met with the Philly rowing team. Arshay points out just how diverse Philly was in comparison to UW. In my personal history, I recall companies threatening to withdraw recruiting efforts from UW when I attended because the graduates just weren't diverse enough. The truth hurts but planted a seed for my incessant need for diversity in my and my children's lives.
Empowering and inspiring! Very well written and engaging. I read this book very quickly - couldn’t put it down. The style of writing kept me interested. The message is so powerful.
“In crew you move ahead by looking in the opposite direction. I learned that it's okay to look back, as long as you keep moving forward.” —A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team, Arshay Cooper
I knew nothing about the first all Black High School Rowing team in Chicago until a post from @thatgoodgoodbook @never_withouta_book
As I read about how Arshay Cooper was introduced to a sport he never considered, because I never considered it either, I was reminded of the few years my cousin and I were in high school together. He didn't try out for basketball or football. His sport, soccer. I was like cuz, Black people don't do soccer but I was so naive and inexperienced at that age. My cousin was really good at soccer and even got a scholarship to play in college.
Cooper's story reminds me of all that is possible and what being great looks like. Even when others might jeer or laugh, we are great.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
I knew nothing about the first all Black High School Rowing team in Chicago until a post from @thatgoodgoodbook @never_withouta_book
As I read about how Arshay Cooper was introduced to a sport he never considered, because I never considered it either, I was reminded of the few years my cousin and I were in high school together. He didn't try out for basketball or football. His sport, soccer. I was like cuz, Black people don't do soccer but I was so naive and inexperienced at that age. My cousin was really good at soccer and even got a scholarship to play in college.
Cooper's story reminds me of all that is possible and what being great looks like. Even when others might jeer or laugh, we are great.
Some of my favorite quotes from the book:
A cool story about how rowing crew on the West side of Chicago helped change a Black boy's life. This was definitely more memoir than general nonfiction which is fine just oddly marketed. Definitely a very interesting book and Cooper overcame a lot in his life, this book was originally self-published and some of that comes through in the writing but it's still worth reading!
A really interesting, and well written story about the first all-Black high school rowing team. I was captivated the entire time, and was shocked that it was as recent as the 1990s.
Highly recommend this one.
Highly recommend this one.