Book Reviews › Motivation › The Amateurs
The Amateurs by David Halberstam — WisdomDeck honest review
Honest review · Motivation

The Amateurs

by David Halberstam

Four scullers compete for one Olympic single seat in 1984, for no money and little glory. A short book about why people suffer for excellence.

CLICK TO SEE

Read it if…

you want a pure story of amateur drive.

See the book →

Skip it if…

you want team sports.

Try instead: Leonardo da Vinci →

Three things you will actually use

  1. Excellence for its own sake.
  2. Suffering chosen.
  3. One seat.

Do this first

Read the chapters on Tiff Wood.

Our verdict

Four scullers.

See the book →

Check it out

CLICK TO SEE

Opens the book's page in a new tab.

Compare with other Motivation books

Leonardo da Vinci by Walter Isaacson — WisdomDeck review

Leonardo da Vinci

Walter Isaacson · Motivation

Rich and inspiring.

CLICK TO SEE
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough — WisdomDeck review

The Wright Brothers

David McCullough · Motivation

Warm and inspiring.

CLICK TO SEE
Bounce by Matthew Syed — WisdomDeck review

Bounce

Matthew Syed · Motivation

Lively and persuasive, with caveats.

CLICK TO SEE

Browse all Motivation book reviews or get the free Reality Code Cheat Sheet.

As an Amazon Associate, WisdomDeck earns from qualifying purchases. Links marked “Click to see” go to Amazon. We are not paid for opinions, prices and availability are not shown here and change on Amazon, and we never see your purchase details. Nothing here is medical, legal or financial advice.