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seaphotog's review against another edition
4.0
Wonderful history. Gets a little "into the weeds" with race times and such, but if you were every a competitive swimmer, you'll get it.
Wonderful to get a glimpse of Hawaii pre-WWII
Wonderful to get a glimpse of Hawaii pre-WWII
jilljaracz's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting story, sometimes lost in it's own details.
lilyaronovitz's review against another edition
3.0
I actually enjoyed this book a little more than I thought I would, and I was finding myself very interested in the story and the two main characters in the beginning of the book. I definitely thought the story was very inspiring, and had I not known it was based off a true story, I definitely would've thought that this story was a little unrealistic. I was amazed at how Sakamoto grew as a coach, and the way his knowledge of swimming and workouts evolved. The intensity of their workouts blew me away, and I was also really impressed at how much they knew about swimming way back then. I didn't know how advanced the olympics were, and thought the sport was much more basic in the 1940s. Towards the middle end, I felt like the story line got a little mixed up, a lot more characters were added in that I couldn't keep track of, the two main characters left the story, everything went downhill and I just wasn't enjoying the book anymore. It stayed that way through the rest of the book. This was a much different story than I expected it to be, in terms of where they started, and where the story went. I also don't think I would've enjoyed this book as much if I hadn't been a swimmer myself, because I wouldn't have been able to relate to the story, and I probably wouldn't have known as much of what is going on.
haysx5's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
beththebookdragon's review against another edition
2.0
Note: I read an advance reader copy Interesting bit of little-known "shadow history" from Hawaii in the first half or so of the 20th century. Writing was a bit sloppy (several hackneyed phrases and awkwardness) but that might have been cleared up in the final edition that went to press. I got about one-third of the way through and my interest lagged so I decided not to finish
Of interest to those who want to read about people succeeding against the odds, competitive swimming, or finding out more about the history of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii.
Of interest to those who want to read about people succeeding against the odds, competitive swimming, or finding out more about the history of Japanese-Americans in Hawaii.
martha_schwalbe's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't want this book to end! I cried twice which rarely happens when I read a book.
The journey and courage of the coach and the athletes is inspirational today! Soichi Sakamoto made so many contributions to the sport of swimming, yet I had never heard his name until this book.
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to swim, readers who are interested in history, and of course, Olympic junkies.
The journey and courage of the coach and the athletes is inspirational today! Soichi Sakamoto made so many contributions to the sport of swimming, yet I had never heard his name until this book.
I'd recommend it to anyone who loves to swim, readers who are interested in history, and of course, Olympic junkies.
matthew_p's review against another edition
1.0
An interesting story with all the elements of a great sports saga blunted by florid, almost purple, writing. I slogged brought because I cared, but the writing style was distracting.
cambam37's review against another edition
4.0
Swimming AND history?! I had to pick it up when I saw it at the library. The author does a great job giving enough information for context, but not boggling you down with unimportant and confusing facts. I also think you’d be able to understand things if you don’t know swimming jargon (which thankfully I do know).
I learned a lot and it was so interesting to me to learn more about the Olympics - especially in my favorite event other than synchro. It was amazing to see how the members of the Three Year Swim Club transformed the sport as a whole. The swimmers of the 3YSC deserve far more recognition than they’re given, so I’m glad this book exists.
I learned a lot and it was so interesting to me to learn more about the Olympics - especially in my favorite event other than synchro. It was amazing to see how the members of the Three Year Swim Club transformed the sport as a whole. The swimmers of the 3YSC deserve far more recognition than they’re given, so I’m glad this book exists.