A review by cbendixe
Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui

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!