A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team

A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team is a 2020 sports memoir by Arshay Cooper. The book chronicles the formation and first two seasons of the crew team at Manley Career Academy High School on the West Side of Chicago in the late 1990s. Throughout the book, three primary themes emerge: The Role of Education and Personal Growth in Overcoming Adversity, The Importance of Diversity and Representation in Sports, and The Transformative Power of Sports. In 2020, the book was adapted into an award-winning documentary film narrated by the Grammy Award-winning musician Common and directed by former US Olympic rower Mary Mazzio.

Cooper’s memoir was originally published in 2015 under the title Suga Water but was republished by Flatiron Books with its new title in 2020. This study guide reflects the latter edition.

Summary

In the fall of 1997, the Chicago Bulls had just won their fifth NBA title, and Cooper’s mother, Linda, had just graduated from a Christian-based drug treatment program. When Cooper attends school one day, he sees a rowing

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