A Most Beautiful Thing

The moving true story of a group of young men growing up on Chicago’s West Side who form the first all-Black high school rowing team in the nation and in doing so transform not only a sport but their lives. 

Growing up on Chicago’s West Side in the ’90s, Arshay Cooper knows the harder side of life. The street corners are full of gangs; the hallways of his apartment complex are haunted by drug addicts he calls “zombies” with strung-out arms, clutching at him as he passes by. His mother is a recovering addict, and his three siblings all sleep in a one-room apartment, a small infantry against the war zone on the street below.

Arshay keeps to himself, preferring to write poetry about the girl he has a crush on, and spends his school days in the home-ec kitchen dreaming of becoming a chef. And then one day as he’s walking out of school he notices a boat in the school lunchroom and a poster that reads “Join the Crew Team”.

Having no idea what the sport of crew is, Arshay decides to take a chance. This decision to join is one that will forever change his life and the lives of his fellow teammates. As Arshay and his teammates begin to come together to learn how to row – many never having been in water before – the sport takes them from the mean streets of Chicago to the hallowed halls of the Ivy League. But Arshay and his teammates face adversity at every turn, including racism, gang violence, and a sport that has never seen anyone like them before.

A Most Beautiful Thing is the inspiring true story about the most unlikely band of brothers that form a family and forever change a sport and their lives for the better.

Boston Globe Best Books of the Year – 2020

Amazon.com Best Books of the Year – 2020

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books

“I was immediately captivated. Arshay’s writing evoked the emotional angst of teens growing up in the inner city of Chicago…. I wholeheartedly recommend Arshay’s book and look forward to his future projects.” (Ron Stallworth, number one New York Times best-selling author of Black Klansman)

“This is the story of rising from the ashes stronger, faster, and focused – not in spite of the circumstances of birth but because of them. Arshay’s refusal to let his life story be written for him is a testament to the resilience and beauty of the human spirit, and his eagerness to succeed, on the water and in life, is an inspiration.” (Elizabeth Gilbert, New York Times best-selling author of Eat, Pray, Love and Big Magic)