Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Read, But...
Review: Just zoomed through Lynne Cox's "Swimming To Antarctica", a book that I had been looking forward to since I saw a profile of Cox on one of the television news magazines."Swimming..." is a well written and easy to digest first person account of Cox's development and achievements as a world-class, open ocean swimmer. She uses colorful and vivid imagery to describe the specific conditions, feelings and hazards of her more memorable swims, and this, combined with Cox's total unaffectedness with her own celebrity really endears her to the reader. Her personality that shines through makes her very easy to "swim along with", so to speak, and very easy to root for. It is a spiritually uplifting work. I do have one complaint with "Swimming...", and it IS a significant one. THERE ARE NO PICTURES IN THIS BOOK! Lynne Cox is an extraordinary figure of inspiration to a lot of people, me included. Hers is a story of true dedication and determination to accomplish goals that seem almost unimaginable in the realm of human physical endurance. But Lynne Cox does not look like what most people visualize when they imagine a world class athlete. As a matter of fact, to a degree, she doesn't look like an athlete at all, but the fresh-faced, pretty and pudgy girl that lives next door. In my opinion, aside from the specific swimming accomplishments, this is a huge part of her appeal and has a lot to do with the inspiration she provides. The book spends a fair amount of time discussing Cox's unique body chemistry and physiology, which makes her particularly well suited for her swims, but we see no pictures of her. And do you mean to tell me that with all of Cox's "firsts" and "fastests" and other extreme accomplishments, all of which were covered by national or local press and which brought her world wide fame, there were NO pictures worth sharing with us? This is a GLARING omission, and is the only real negative I found with the book. I don't know if this omission is a result of Cox's modesty or her desire to not detract from the story of the swims themselves, but whatever the case, this decision not to use photographs removed a significant part of her story and missed an opportunity to endear her even more to her readers. I would recommend this book to anyone in need of an inspirational pick-me-up, or to anyone wanting to marvel at what we really are capable of. It's writing style makes it accessable to readers as young as early teen. Gene Brockington
San Diego, California
April 11, 2004
Rating: 
Summary: Inspirational to the power of 10
Review: Lynne Cox has masterfully weaved a powerful and inspiring tale with "Swimming to Antarctica." From the first page, I hung on every word and found it hard to put down this book (Lynne, thanks for keeping me up late at night!). At times, I was near tears as Lynne recounted stories of her youth and obstacles that she had overcome in order to become one of the most prolific long-distance swimmers in the world.
You need not be a swimmer or an endurance athlete to appreciate this book. Any reader who is in search of an ample dose of inspiration is in for a treat with "Swimming to Antarctica." Kudos to Lynne Cox not only for her awe-inspiring swimming feats, but also for having the clarity to share her life with us so vividly.
Rating:
Summary: Is she crazy? Yes, but in a good way!
Review: Lynne Cox is an amazing athlete and an amazing person but best of all, she tells her own story with a great deal of passion and humor.
She recounts each of her swims in a way that I found very gripping, with details that made each experience really come alive.
There were times reading this book when I thought "What is she thinking? Why would anyone do this?" She offers her own thoughtful and sometimes funny answers to these questions. I cannot imagine myself doing any of these things, but good for her for doing it. I would highly recommend this book if you want to spend a little time in the head of a totally unique individual who may be a little crazy, but in a good and inspiring way.
Rating:
Summary: A collection of amazing stories
Review: Lynne Cox is certainly a remarkable woman. A swimmer with a built-in resistance to cold, she has attempted and completed some incredible bodies of water in extreme conditions, all with a positive attitude and a genuinely humble approach to her accomplishments. Cox is certainly no polished writer - you won't read any flowery prose describing icebergs, currents, sea creatures or waves with metaphors or an abundance of adjectives. The author is plainspoken and honest, making the book seem like an extended - and completely facinating - conversation over coffee. I have competed in open-water swimming for a decade in conditions much more favorable than Lynne Cox and tore through this book wanting to know how she crossed each body of water. For me, it was a page-turner. Her detailed descriptions of open water swimming and its challenges were right on the mark. But the book left me wanting to know more. How did the author deal with her personal and family life in the middle of her training and her travels? What specifically inspired her to complete a certain swim? The author only briefly touches upon her romance with an Egyptian swimmer and her supportive parents' illness. I only wish she wrote about the demands swimming placed on her life on dry land.
Rating:
Summary: A collection of amazing stories
Review: Lynne Cox is certainly a remarkable woman. A swimmer with a built-in resistance to cold, she has attempted and completed some incredible bodies of water in extreme conditions, all with a positive attitude and a genuinely humble approach to her accomplishments. Cox is certainly no polished writer - you won't read any flowery prose describing icebergs, currents, sea creatures or waves with metaphors or an abundance of adjectives. The author is plainspoken and honest, making the book seem like an extended - and completely facinating - conversation over coffee. I have competed in open-water swimming for a decade in conditions much more favorable than Lynne Cox and tore through this book wanting to know how she crossed each body of water. For me, it was a page-turner. Her detailed descriptions of open water swimming and its challenges were right on the mark. But the book left me wanting to know more. How did the author deal with her personal and family life in the middle of her training and her travels? What specifically inspired her to complete a certain swim? The author only briefly touches upon her romance with an Egyptian swimmer and her supportive parents' illness. I only wish she wrote about the demands swimming placed on her life on dry land.
Rating:
Summary: Don't hesitate; read this book
Review: Lynne Cox's book detailing her long distance swims is fascinating. It is easy to get wrapped up in her adventures, and hard to put the book down. The writing is effective and engaging, and the stories themselves awe-inspiring. Somewhere around the middle of the book, I began to feel that her obsessiveness was somewhat over the top, and wondered what the point was in her taking on the increasingly difficult and death-defying swims. But near the end, when she is finally able to achieve her lifelong goal of swimming across the Bering Strait, it all comes together. I got the chills reading that chapter, not just because of the 32 degree water. Only downside to the book is the lack of details about her family and background, which would frame her story and put it into context. And, echoing another reviewer...where are the pictures?! Maybe in the next edition.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: Lynne Cox's story is an inspiring account of perseverance, determination, and courage. She is an excellent role model for all athletes in that she swims for a greater purpose than herself. Although it is for her about pushing her physical and mental limitations and the challenge of doing something new, she also attempts to bridge borders between people. I gave this book four stars rather than five for two reasons. One, I would have liked it if she had woven more of her personal life into the story and told about how the way she lives her life is reflected not only in her swims but in other aspects of living (which I assume is true- I doubt her athletic feats exist in a vacuum- but I don't really know, since we only got a glimpse here and there of her private life.) Two, it would have been great if she had included pictures, particularly because as a woman who is apparently heavier than most successful female athletes (although again, she doesn't really get into detail on this topic), she would serve as a great role model for girls who don't fit the typical athlete mold. Still, her stories were fantastic and should be inspiring to anyone who appreciates people who aren't afraid to get out there and live life to the fullest, challenge themselves, and try to make a difference in the world.
Rating:
Summary: Inspiring
Review: Lynne Cox's story is an inspiring account of perseverance, determination, and courage. She is an excellent role model for all athletes in that she swims for a greater purpose than herself. Although it is for her about pushing her physical and mental limitations and the challenge of doing something new, she also attempts to bridge borders between people. I gave this book four stars rather than five for two reasons. One, I would have liked it if she had woven more of her personal life into the story and told about how the way she lives her life is reflected not only in her swims but in other aspects of living (which I assume is true- I doubt her athletic feats exist in a vacuum- but I don't really know, since we only got a glimpse here and there of her private life.) Two, it would have been great if she had included pictures, particularly because as a woman who is apparently heavier than most successful female athletes (although again, she doesn't really get into detail on this topic), she would serve as a great role model for girls who don't fit the typical athlete mold. Still, her stories were fantastic and should be inspiring to anyone who appreciates people who aren't afraid to get out there and live life to the fullest, challenge themselves, and try to make a difference in the world.
Rating:
Summary: I've never been so cold!
Review: Lynne is not only an incredibly disciplined and inspired athlete but an equally adept story teller. As a swimmer, who has never introduced myself to the outer limits Lynne does, I am thoroughly caught up in the thrill of her adventures. She gently reminds each of us that we need to take our talents and exploit them no matter how daunting that may appear.
Rating: 
Summary: Autistic Swimmer
Review: The book was a disappointment for me in some ways. I am a swimmer and I was looking for some explanation for Lynne's extrodinary feats of swimming long distances in very cold water. Perhaps it takes a certain kind of blank mind to be able to accomplish such things and so she has no life other than swimming. Someone must have taken some photos of the venues and of her. Why not publish them in the book? How did she get so incredibly strong? Plus, a description of her weight at various times in her life would be really insightful. I read in an article in the New Yorker that she is 5'6'' and weighs 185 pounds. But she ignores that completely although it would be of enormous interest. Vanity perhaps. Also we don't know what age she was when she swam the Bering Sea. She sprints often to keep warm. She checks her hands to make sure they are paddles. She counts her strokes to 1,000 and then starts again. The doctors check her (...) temperature and its high. That's about all of the information she gives out. Her spectacular swims are quite exciting and fun to think about when swimming: the huge dolphins bumping into her, breaking through ice pans with her elbows and much more. But one more weird thing: she never has given up or lost. Just once when swimming in the polluted Nile River in Egypt she swallowed a turd and got dysentery and so had to drop out. Other then that she ALWAYS wins everything.
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