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cbendixe's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars! Perhaps if my neighborhood pool had been open the last year and a half, this book might not have meant so much to me. The perfect form of exercise, where sweat doesn’t drip down your face, and yet your whole body works….how I’ve missed it! Bonnie Tsui perfectly captures that emotion in this nonfiction gem, but also the various ways swimming fulfills a human need (whether for survival, community, etc.). She touches on various topics: history of public pools, benefits of open water swimming, how do the great Olympic swimmers do it, her family’s bonds of being in the water together, and so on. And yet, it all flows perfectly. I need to own this book so I can mark my favorite parts, and figure out how Tsui put all the pieces together!
themis_biblos's review
4.0
This was a very thoughtful and interesting look at why we swim. It makes you wanna get right in there and changed my view on swimming in cold water a little bit, so maybe I'll be more brave about that particular activity.
The most enticing part was the chapter about achieving flow during a swim. What I couldn't get anything out of though (other than mild stress) was the chapter about competition.
The most enticing part was the chapter about achieving flow during a swim. What I couldn't get anything out of though (other than mild stress) was the chapter about competition.
jleeanderson's review
inspiring
4.5
I can't believe I cried while listening to a book about swimming but I thought this book was so amazing and told so many wonderful stories about people and water and connection. I never had someone else put into words how I feel about swimming, the draw of water, ms bonnie is amazing
arielamandah's review
4.0
3.5 stars. This was... fine. Some of the author’s stories and anecdotes were fascinating. The science around cold water swimming was so, so interesting, as were the stories of some of the people she profiled. But the book fades out in the last half, I feel. Maybe this is better-suited for a few, really strong essays than a cohesive book?
nightpath's review
3.0
Unfortunately I did not enjoy this book as much as I thought I would. It felt like flat pop journalism; interesting information recounted in a fragmented and boring way. I just didn’t feel captivated by it. A lot of the book was too much talk and not enough evidence-based data to get to the gritty science of swimming. The parts that did skirt around the edges of actual data, didn’t go much further into any real analysis. I had a similar experience trying to read Phosphorescence by Julie Baird.
I would imagine that the audience of this book would be primarily swimmers, but it didn’t feel like Tsui had taken that into account because a lot of the ideas discussed felt like things I already knew. This book didn’t feel novel, it just felt like a spouting out of bits of history and facts in a non-inspirational way. Each chapter also ended with a little box of fact snippets which were odd and not very interesting, except maybe to a child? One of the boxes was just a list of animals used in swim team names and a some fun facts about the animals. I guess it’s subjective, but I just skimmed/skipped those boxes.
I did enjoy the discussion about Nihon Eiho, as well as the chapters about Lynn Cox and other swimmers who push the limits.
I would imagine that the audience of this book would be primarily swimmers, but it didn’t feel like Tsui had taken that into account because a lot of the ideas discussed felt like things I already knew. This book didn’t feel novel, it just felt like a spouting out of bits of history and facts in a non-inspirational way. Each chapter also ended with a little box of fact snippets which were odd and not very interesting, except maybe to a child? One of the boxes was just a list of animals used in swim team names and a some fun facts about the animals. I guess it’s subjective, but I just skimmed/skipped those boxes.
I did enjoy the discussion about Nihon Eiho, as well as the chapters about Lynn Cox and other swimmers who push the limits.
mkf_123's review
5.0
Interesting, unexpected, fun & thoughtful. Felt closer to water and closer to humanity’s connection to it. Really enjoyed!!
ngreader's review
4.0
4.5 stars
I loved this book - quick read, but very deep. It made me want to swim, especially in open water.
I loved this book - quick read, but very deep. It made me want to swim, especially in open water.