Why We Swim

Name: Why We Swim
Rating: 4 (3 reviews)

Bonnie Tsui

Apr 2020 · Sold by Algonquin Books

3 reviews

Ebook

288

Pages

Eligible

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About this ebook

New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui dives into our love affair with the water—from evolution to mythology, from survival and well-being, from community swim clubs to competitive races—and travels around the world to explore its significance in many cultures.

“A fascinating and beautifully written love letter to water. I was enchanted by this book." —Rebecca Skloot, bestselling author of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

We swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. We swim for pleasure, for exercise, for healing. But humans, unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not naturalborn swimmers. We must be taught. Our evolutionary ancestors learned for survival; today, swimming is one of the most popular activities in the world.

Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s former palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck.

An immersive, unforgettable, and eye-opening perspective on swimming—and on human behavior itself.

New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui dives into our love affair with the water—from evolution to mythology, from survival and well-being, from community swim clubs to competitive races—and travels around the world to explore its significance in many cultures. “A fascinating and beautifully writ...

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Ratings and reviews

3 reviews

Ryan Hicks

February 6, 2021

I wish there was more science around why we do swim because the small nuggets of science that is included are great. There just isn't enough of it. This book isn't much what I thought it would be. It's all about effusive feelings and almost romantic notions of Earth's water. Of course there is some science and reality but it's minority of the whole.

Laura Milroy

February 13, 2021

Wonderful book! Couldn't put it down. Made me want to get back to swimming which was a large part of my youth. Well written and a joy to read.

About the author

Bonnie Tsui lives, swims, and surfs in the Bay Area. A longtime contributor to the New York Times and California Sunday Magazine, she has been the recipient of the Jane Rainie Opel Young Alumna Award from Harvard University, the Lowell Thomas Gold Award, and a National Press Foundation Fellowship. Her last book, American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods, won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller and Best of 2009 Notable Bay Area Books selection. Her website is bonnietsui.com.

Bonnie Tsui lives, swims, and surfs in the Bay Area. A longtime contributor to the New York Times and California Sunday Magazine, she has been the recipient of the Jane Rainie Opel Young Alumna Award from Harvard University, the Lowell Thomas Gold Award, and a National Press Foundation Fellowship...

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