Review of "Underwater"

There really is no good way to introduce the topic of this book, so I will just say that it was one of the toughest and saddest books I have read for this blog since starting it 11 years ago.  Here is my review of "Underwater." 

 Title/Author:

“Underwater:  The Greed-Soaked Tale of Sexual Abuse by USA Swimming and Around the World” by Irvin Muchnick

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

The sports world was shocked when the sexual abuse scandal in gymnastics, and especially by Larry Nassar, was exposed.  However, sadly, that is not the only sport with this issue – many young athletes in swimming have suffered the same fate.  It goes beyond sexual abuse of young female athletes.  Young male athletes have also been abused and the abuse for both sexes can also be emotional, to the point of coaches proposing marriage.  This isn’t new as well, as this book by Irvin Muchnick exposes the decades-long abuse of athletes.

I will note that the rating is not due to the subject, the amount of research (exhaustive and extensive) or the accuracy of the findings.  As a reader, I found this book very tough to read.  There are SO many names that are both victims and abusers that I have a very hard time keeping track of who was being investigated and who was covering up for who.  If nothing else, that shows the depth of how long this has been going on in USA Swimming and in many swim clubs.

 Of course, stories of the victims get to be very depressing to read as well.  Just like when exposing the abusers and the cover-ups, this was hard to follow as well. Again, not because of any poor writing or investigation, but strictly from the sheer numbers.  It boggles the mind to think that this has been going on for decades. 

Even big names, while not directly or even indirectly implicated, can somehow be linked to some of these scandals.  The biggest name amongst these is Michael Phelps and Muchnick does a nice job of balancing fairness to Phelps – after all, he didn’t commit any of these crimes – but still wonders how he could be attached to some of these atrocities. It's a very hard book to read but is one that is worthy of the time to illustrate just how badly some promising athletes have been treated.

I wish to thank ECW Press for providing a copy of the book. The opinions expressed in this review are strictly my own.

 

Link: Underwater: The Greed-Soaked Tale of Sexual Abuse in USA Swimming and around the Globe: Muchnick, Irvin: 9781770417755: Amazon.com: Books

Review of "Just Add Water"

Just in time for the Paris Olympics, swimming champion Katie Ledecky has published her memoir.  For someone who is only 27, it contained a lot of memorable material.  Here is my review of "Just Add Water."

 

Title/Author:

“Just Add Water: My Swimming Life” written and narrated by Katie Ledecky

Rating: 

5 of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

It isn’t often that I want to get a book immediately on the date of publication as I usually prefer to wait at least a couple weeks and see what the initial reviews look like.  But when it came time to get this memoir by Olympic and world swimming champion Katie Ledecky, something told me that I needed to read or listen to this ASAP.  And I am glad I did as it was a very enjoyable listen.

Something to note is that this memoir follows the tried-and-true format of talking about the author’s youth, their family and those who inspire them and their rise to the top of their sport or profession.  Ledecky talks in great detail about her family, especially in the early chapters.  Her brother Michael and she were both attracted to swimming early and while Michael hit the proverbial “wall” in his teens, Katie kept on swimming.  There are also chapters about her parents and grandparents.  The story of her grandfather who was from the Czech Republic was especially inspiring.

What made this memoir so good was the positivity expressed by Ledecky throughout the book.  This was quite refreshing when she talked about her experiences during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020 that led to the postponement of that year’s Olympic games in Tokyo.  Any disruption like that will lead to issues for Olympic athletes but between good fortune, good luck and a positive attitude, Ledecky was able to continue her training.  No matter the subject, even when it is a very hard training session, she keeps an upbeat vibe to the book.  One part of this attitude that I really enjoyed is when she was questioning why so many reporters were asking her about “disappointed” she was when winning a sliver medal in Tokyo instead of gold.  She asks how can one be disappointed when you realize you are the second-best athlete in this race in the world? 

I am glad that I listened to the audio version of this book instead of reading the physical copy or the e-book.  Hearing Ledecky’s story in her own voice was powerful, energizing and meant a great deal more than simply reading the text.  One will even learn more about the sport of swimming – great material for those who only follow the sport during Olympic years.

Link: Just Add Water by Katie Ledecky - Audiobook - Audible.com

Two for the price of one - short reviews of "Why We Swim" and "Mendoza's Heroes"

 This post is a deviation from my usual complete post as I have recently read two books that were not submissions for reviews - one was for an online non-fiction book club and one that I just wanted to try for something different and light.  Both of them were okay - three star reads and since they were not submitted to me for review, I decided to post a short, one paragraph review for each one.  They are listed below:

"Why We Swim" by Bonnie Tsui

This was an okay book. While I didn’t mind the writing style and felt it was more of a memoir, I just had a hard time picturing the author as a swimmer first with these amazing stories - instead I found myself thinking this is a journalist who happens to swim. Even if that is the wrong impression, it was how I felt when reading the book and as a result the stories lost some luster.  Even some of the more interesting stories that did grab my attention such as the swimming story from a service member in Iraq, did not seem to have the same luster for me that it did for other readers.  Maybe that doesn’t make sense to some, but that’s just how I felt - not a book I could connect with.  But the work is commendable and many readers have written glowing praise for it - I give it three stars out of five.  "Mendoza's Heroes: Fifty Batters Below .200" by Al Pepper Overall, this is a decent book that provides a short biography or at least career highlights of 50 major league players whose career batting average was below .200, commonly referred to as the "Mendoza line", which was made popular by broadcasters and named for former infielder Mario Mendoza, who spent nine years with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers hitting right around that magic figure. It should be noted that he finished his career above that threshold at .215.  As for the book, some of the stories are great, especially when Pepper writes about players who failed to get above .200 in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Finding that information took a good deal of research, but after those chapters, the book felt more like an encyclopedia instead of good reading.  That includes the sections on the status of the game during the time frame when again, the early chapters were good, but not as good as the book progresses.  It merits a three star rating out of five.

Review of "Golden Glow"

It isn't often that a book on a swimmer or Olympic swimming is available for review, so when I saw this one on Kaitlin Sandeno, who medaled in the 2000 and 2004 Games, I had to pick it up.  Here is my review of "Golden Glow"

Title/Author:

“Golden Glow: How Kaitlin Sandeno Achieved Gold in the Pool and in Life” by Dan D’Addona with Kaitlin Sandeno

Tags:

Swimming, Olympics, biography, women

 

Publish date:

July 2, 2019

Length:

160 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Kaitlin Sandeno proved to be one of the most versatile female swimmers in recent Olympic history by being part of a world-record setting relay team for the United States and medaling in three other strokes in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics – the first one coming when she was just 17 years old.  Now she is the national spokeswoman for the Jessie Rees Foundation addressing childhood cancer, and has also been a youth swimming coach.  Her swimming career and life outside the pool is captured in this short but very good book by Dan D’Addona, a noted writer on the sport.

The most notable aspect of this book that I found interesting was the format – instead of following the chronological order most biographies or memoirs do, the book started with one of Kaitlin’s visits to a children’s hospital, her work with the Jessie Rees Foundation and, in one of the most touching moments in the book, how she met Jessie and the inspiration she gave Sandeno.  This was a good way to introduce the reader to Kaitlin to describe what a positive and upbeat person that she is. 

While Sandeno’s work for the foundation is inspiring, so is the story of her career.  The youngest of three sisters, Kaitlin seemed to be born to live in a pool as she became a swimming prodigy very quickly.  When she qualified for the 2000 Olympics as a high school swimmer, that was when she started gaining world-wide attention and by medaling, she didn’t disappoint.  Her swimming continued at USC, where she won her events in the 2003 NCAA tourney, then capped it off with medals in the 2004 Olympics, including being the anchor on the world-record performance by the United States team in the 4x200 freestyle relay.  Any swimming fan, casual or serious, will enjoy reading about the rise of the friendly, outgoing Sandeno.

The writing overall is quite good – the only problem was an editing matter, in that quotation marks were either missing or put in the incorrect place, making it hard to determine who was providing the quote.  This will most likely be corrected in the final version.  There are other passages that seem to be incomplete.  One example – when Sandeno was struggling with her swimming at USC because she was living a very active social life, it was noted that later she curbed that by having a “long distance relationship” but there is no explanation of how that helped.  These are far and few, however, and the reader will get to learn how happy and outgoing a person Kaitlin is, in both her marriage and her life after her swimming career. Any reader who is a swimming fan is encouraged to pick up this book.

I wish to thank Rowman and Littlefield for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying Links:

https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Glow-Kaitlin-Sandeno-Achieved/dp/1538117037/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=golden+glow&qid=1559472133&s=books&sr=1-2

Review of "Waterman"

It is always great to read a book about a team, event or athlete about which I had little or no previous knowledge.  I had heard about Duke Kahanamoku during an Olympics broadcast and the announcers would talk about past American swimming champions. Beyond that, I knew nothing.  Thanks to this book, I know a lot more about this man and his story is one that should be read by all.  Here is my review of "Waterman"

 

Title/Author:

“Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku” by David Davis

Tags:

Swimming, surfing, biography, Summer Olympics, politics, race

Publish date:

May 1, 2018 (paperback) – first published October 1, 2015

Length:

354 pages

Rating: 

4 ½ of 5 stars (excellent)

Review:

Swimming is a sport that usually has the attention of the sporting world only once every four years during the Summer Olympics. Thanks to the television coverage of the Olympics, many fans are familiar with names like Mark Spitz, Janet Evans and Michael Phelps.  However, long before these swimmers gained fame there was a man who started in the backwaters in Hawaii when it was still an American territory to become the first true American superstar in the sport. Duke Kahanamoku’s story is told in this well-written, well-researched book by David Davis.

Duke’s life is covered from beginning to end, starting with his childhood in Hawaii when the Queen is overthrown and the islands become an American territory. His love of the water began at an early age, and he was determined to represent the United States in the Summer Olympics. This was despite poor treatment by many white Americans on the mainland as he endured the same racism as black Americans because of his darker complexion.  Nevertheless, Duke represented the country in three Summer Olympics, with his best showing coming in 1920 (the second of his three Olympics) by setting many records that lasted more than a decade. Especially interesting in Duke’s swimming career was the passing of the mantle of the best American swimmer from Duke to Johnny Weissmuller.  Instead of a rivalry, it started a long-time friendship between the two competitors.

While Duke didn’t surf competitively, he not only brought the sport popularity in his native Hawaii, he also brought surfing to the California Pacific coast, where his work on promoting and exhibiting surfing was very well received.  He considered California a second home and did pique his interest in acting.  He didn’t have the success in that career that other swimmers such as Weissmuller and Buster Crabbe had, but it is noted that he still enjoyed the experience.

While the passages about Duke’s swimming, surfing and Olympic feats were excellent, so were the pages about other aspects of his life. His many jobs in acting, politics (his best-known accomplishment was being elected as a local sheriff) and other business ventures helped the reader learn the complete man, who was always considered kind and thoughtful, even when political opponents would criticize him.  He married later in life and enjoyed that lifestyle in his later years.  These parts of the book are also well researched and are filled with many details that fully paint the picture of the Hawaiian legend.  This is a book that people interested in water sports or Hawaiian culture will want to add to their libraries.

I wish to thank University of Nebraska Press for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

Paperback

Buying Links:

http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/university-of-nebraska-press/9780803254770/

https://www.amazon.com/Waterman-Life-Times-Duke-Kahanamoku/dp/0803254776/ref=tmm_hrd_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr

Review of "Leap In"

Two reading goals I set for myself in 2017 were to read more books on female athletes or sports and to have a bigger variety of sports topics.  This book helped both of these goals as it is the story of a woman who decides to try the sport of open water swimming.  Here is my review of "Leap In".

Title/Author:

“Leap In: A Woman, Some Waves and the Will to Swim” by Alexandra Heminsley

Tags:

Swimming, memoir, endurance sports

Publish date:

July 4, 2017

Length:

336 pages

Rating: 

3 of 5 stars (okay)

Review:

Open water swimming is one of the fastest growing participation sports and is one of the few where both men and women compete against each other without separate categories. This book by Alexandra Heminsley chronicles her journey to be a competitor in that sport.

Having already conquered running and having written a similar book on that sport, Heminsley shares a story that is at times funny, inspiring, dramatic but most of all a simple feel-good story about what it takes to overcome the fear of trying something new.

The reader will learn much about her personal life as well as her struggles to become an open water swimmer. The best way I can describe the story is like some of the water in which she swam: choppy.  The topics seemed to go all over the place, from her discovery that the only way she and her husband could have children was in-vitro to her first open water swim in which she stayed near the end with two other women who were in her swimming classes.

This isn’t to say this book isn’t good, as the story is worth reading, but as a reader who is not a great swimmer, I found the sections on the history of the sport of open water swimming and some of the techniques used to be more interesting than that of her story.  Nonetheless, this book is recommended for readers who either read her first book on running and wish to know more about her or for people interested in the sport of open water swimming.

I wish to thank Pegasus Books for providing a copy of the book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book Format Read:

E-book (Kindle)

Buying links:

https://www.amazon.com/Leap-Woman-Some-Waves-Will-ebook/dp/B01NA74FRE/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1491674316&sr=1-1&keywords=leap+in+alexandra

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/leap-in-alexandra-heminsley/1125005889?ean=9781681774336

Review of "Iron Heart"

Even though some of the holidays have passed, we are still in the holiday season, so let me take this time to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season.   

I listened to this book on a long drive recently and finished up during an evening commute and was inspired by this story of a young man who not only survived a horrific car accident, he went on to become an even better athlete than he was before the wreck.  Here is my review of "Iron Heart." 

Title/Author:

“Iron Heart: The True Story of How I Came Back from the Dead” by Brian Boyle, narrated by Robin Bloodworth

Tags:

Memoir, Triathlon, swimming, inspiration

Publish date:

October 1, 2009

Length:

256 pages

Rating: 

4 of 5 stars (very good)

Review:

Brian Boyle was a high school athlete who competed on the school swimming and track teams.  He was an accomplished swimmer – accomplished enough to earn a scholarship to a local college.  He also dreamed of one day competing in a triathlon.

Those dreams seemed to have died off on July 6, 2007 when he was severely injured in an automobile accident. There is no need to list all of the injuries suffered here, as Brian does that during this account of his story.  He tells of those believing he has no chance for survival, but through his will to live, unlimited parental support and the care and guidance of many medical professionals, he will not only survive, but be able to walk again and carry out daily functions.

The story of his recovery took a larger portion of the book than I had anticipated, as the title might suggest.  The synopsis talks about his determination to compete in a triathlon – and not just any triathlon – it is the Kona Ironman triathlon, one of the toughest courses.   After Brian has regained enough strength to do some jogging and gets back in the pool, he decides to train for this.  A production crew from NBC follows him and his training for first a half-triathlon in Michigan before the Kona Ironman.  The short amount of time he had for this seems incredible, but being able to finish these races is a testament to his determination and is an inspiring story for all of us.

What I liked best about the book is that it takes the reader into the mind of an athlete. This is evident even while Brian is in the hospital, as he talks at times about his scholastic swimming and field events like the discus and shot put. Then, during not only his training for the triathlon, but also during his recovery, physical therapy and even bodybuilding (he did that before training for the triathlon), Brian talks about what he is thinking while in this phase. He has his doubts, his highs and lows, and many adventures along the way.  These are interspersed throughout the passages, making the reader keenly aware of what he is thinking about as well as what he is physically doing in order to make this dream a reality.

This book was a good choice to listen to as well as the narrator did a very good job of reflecting the feelings behind Brian’s thoughts as well.  I felt these came out better on audio than they would have if I read the printed version.  It is a well-written memoir that people will enjoy if they like inspirational stories.

Pace of the book: 

For the most part, Brian’s story moved along at a good pace.  Not being a triathlete, the sections when he listed what exercises were in his daily training regiment, I admit to skimming over these by fast forwarding to the next section.   

Do I recommend? 

For an inspirational story or for a story where a seemingly impossible goal can be achieved, this book delivers on both of those accounts. However, if the reader wants to learn what goes on in the mind of an athlete, this book does well for that as well.

Book Format Read:

Audio book

Buying links:

http://www.amazon.com/Iron-Heart-True-Story-Came-ebook/dp/B004N84I6W/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1419778379&sr=1-1&keywords=iron+heart

http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/iron-heart-brian-boyle/1016200775?ean=9781616083601

Review of "Tri-Mom"

I stumbled across this title online, and was intrigued by the title - what the heck is a Tri-Mom? After a couple of emails to the author, I was given a copy to review. This was a quick and enjoyable read. Here is my review of Tri-Mom: 

Title/Author: 
“Tri-Mom: Swimming, Biking and Running Through Motherhood” by Debra Hodgett with contributions by Lindsay Zucco, Carla Hastert, Jennifer Garrison, Christine Palmquist, Elizabeth Waterstraat, and Jennifer Harrison 

Tags: 
Running, biking, swimming, women, memoir, advice 

Publish date: 
April 15, 2013 

Length: 
222 pages 

Rating: 
4 of 5 stars (very good) 

Review: 
When an athlete in any sport undergoes a major lifestyle change such as getting married, having a child or undergoing a career change, this will also change how that athlete trains and competes. Debra Hodgett shares her tales of what it takes to balance family life and her athletic goals in this quick and easy read. 

The book is targeted to women who are training and competing in triathlete events while trying to also be a wife, mother and friend. It is not an easy balance to maintain, and Hodgett’s stories about some of her adventures with her husband and sons will leave the reader laughing out loud. I especially loved the story about the shark bites while she was swimming and had to bring her sons to the training session. That was one of the many times I was laughing out loud while reading this book. The humor of Hodgett and her co-authors make this book fun to read.

There are many practical tips that can be adapted by any woman who is trying to balance various aspects of her life with something else, not just being a triathlete. The stories and sections that describe the triathlete lifestyle are very good, as the reader can feel that he or she is in the pool or on a bike alongside the athlete. 

Not all of the stories are Hodgett’s experiences. Six other female triathletes shared their stories of balancing training, competing and family life as well and the common bonds all of these ladies share in addition to being athletes was intriguing. This was the only section of the book where I had trouble while reading. The reader has to be careful and realize when one of the co-authors is now speaking and not get caught thinking that it is a story of Hodgett’s. She tells a brief story about each of her co-authors before their contributions. All of the other contributors’ stories are toward the end of the book, so that is where the reader will need to be on his or her toes to realize that this story is a little different perspective. 

By the end of the book, I realized what these amazing women have done and had nothing but admiration and respect for what they accomplished. This book is highly recommended for any woman who is looking for a way to balance participating in a sport and her family. 

I wish to thank Ms. Hodgett for providing a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. 

Did I skim? 
No. 

Pace of the book: 
Very good. No chapter or story is very long and the writing style is such that the reader will not get bogged down in too many details. 

Do I recommend? 
Yes, if the reader is looking for a book of not only what it takes to be a triathlete, but also what some great stories about everyday situations that you make you laugh, then pick up this book.

Book Format Read: 
Paperback

Buying Links:

http://www.amazon.com/Tri-Mom-Swimming-Running-Through-Motherhood-ebook/dp/B00CDWM1OG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1397217473&sr=8-1&keywords=tri+mom