Swimming to Antarctica : Tales of a Long-Distance Swimmer

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.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing swim stories, but not much else
Review: The first time I heard about Lynne Cox was in the New Yorker. I read her story (an excerpt from her book) about her swim to Antarctica. I was totally engrossed-- inspired and intrigued by her determination and athleticism. When I saw her new book, I bought it thinking I was going to get the same compelling swim stories and more. Unfortunately, I didn't get the "and more" part. The book essentially covers her major swims -- the physical act of the swims and, in some cases, the logistics of getting the crew and authorizations to do them -- but falls short of being a memoir about a person. Let me explain. The book starts from how she went to swim camps (eventually finding that long distance swimming is her forte), and then details her major swims -- the English Channel, the Nile, the Cape of Good Hope, the Bering Strait, Antarctica -- but it doesn't cover anything other than her swims. I was left wondering a lot about her. To what does she attribute her incredible drive and determination? Did she ever hold jobs other than being a long distance swimmer? Did she ever get married and have children? I wanted this to be a memoir about a person who happened to be an incredible swimmer, instead it was about an incredible swimmer. I felt like I didn't know much about her, and hence couldn't relate to her, even after I finished the book.

Rating:
Summary: Amazing swim stories, but not much else
Review: The first time I heard about Lynne Cox was in the New Yorker. I read her story (an excerpt from her book) called "A Cold Day in August", which detailed her swim to Antarctica. I was totally engrossed-- inspired and intrigued by her determination and athleticism. When I saw her new book, I bought it thinking I was going to get the same compelling swim stories and more. Unfortunately, I didn't get the "and more" part. The book essentially covers her major swims -- the physical act of the swims and, in some cases, the logistics of getting the crew and authorizations to do them -- but falls short of being a memoir about a person. Let me explain. The book starts from how she went to swim camps (eventually finding that long distance swimming is her forte), and then details her major swims -- the English Channel, the Nile, the Cape of Good Hope, the Bering Strait, Antarctica -- but it doesn't really paint her as a three-demensional person. I was left wondering a lot about her. To what does she attribute her incredible drive and determination? Did she ever hold jobs other than being a long distance swimmer? Did she ever get married and have children? I wanted this to be a memoir about a person who happened to be an incredible swimmer, instead it was about an incredible swimmer. I felt like I didn't know much about her, and hence couldn't relate to her, even after I finished the book.

Rating:
Summary: Very good!
Review: This was an impulse buy for me and I was quiet satisfied. My initial interest stemmed from a previous open water swim in a triathlon and my hope was that I might gain a little inspiration. I was certainly inspired by the author's total focus on a goal. I was probably most caught up in the author's vivid descriptions that made you really sense you were right there experiencing these events with her. The book was tough to put down. I believe that someone with no interest in open water swimming would find this a great read. The author's passion for swimming is contagious. Very enjoyable!

Rating:
Summary: A Five-Star Human Being
Review: While I gave this highly interesting and readable work four stars based on its literary merit, its author, Lynne Cox is a spectacularly amazing and inspiring woman. The story of her career as a long-distance swimmer who has broken countless records, and achieved worldwide recognition for her unique ability to brave frigid waters, is told in a simple, no-frills manner. There are some passages where the prose transcends bare description and achieves a lyrical and even spiritual quality, most particularly when she describes the heightened sense of natual beauty, and communion with creatures such as dolphins and penguins, that she experiences during several memorable swims. But the point of this book is not the writing but the human being, a woman who is determined yet humble, gracious and appreciative of the many who contribute to her success, capable of enduring almost unbelievable physical hardship (I laughed out loud when she described karate-chopping a thick slab of ice with her totally numb hand as "fun"), and motivated by a desire to bring about international peace and understanding. Of particular interest to me were her descriptions of how she maintained a state of internal calm by thinking through her fears and doubts, and never succumbing to panic, even as she was frantically swimming in waters so shockingly cold that they would kill the average person in ten minutes. I suspect that I will often look to Ms. Cox's story for inspiration and direction when confronting obstacles in the future. Isn't that the definition of a spiritual leader?

Rating:
Summary: A Thriller
Review: While there was never much doubt that Lynne would succeed with each of her swims, this book is full of page turning tension. Whether she's telling the story of swimming the English Channel at age 15 or through the frigid waters of Antarctica, she is equally fascinating. Plus, she throws in a gripping tale of Cold War politics in her quest to swim the Bering Strait. I feel like a total slug compared to her amazing adventures, but you can't help but come away excited about life after spending time with the words of this singularly amazing woman. I'm going to make a list of goals right now. She'll inspire you and thrill you and keep you turning pages as fast as her arms turn in her cold water swims.

Rating:
Summary: Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox
Review: Ya' know, I'm not a swimmer. As a matter of fact, I don't even like to swim. But I loved this book. I received it as a gift from a friend. I thought the cover/title was just a metaphor for ambition or goals or drive, certainly not thinking, by any means, that the author swam Antarctica.
Boy, was I surprised! Not only that I was wrong but that I was also right! Written in an "easy to read style"this book is about heart, focus,achievement, doing what you're destined for in spite of adversity, using what society dictates is your shortcomings to your advantage, and most importantly, trying to make a difference.
Read it. You'll be as surprised and consumed as I was. Everyone that I've recommended it to has been.