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Inspiring, Jui 23 2004
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.
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If you read just one book this year, read this book, Jui 18 2004
I am grateful to have encountered Ms. Cox's fine account of her swims across the world - where she broke record after record for her swims in places where no human swimmers have ventured. As an endurance swimmer myself, I was fascinated by her accomplishments, and yet, more importantly, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to have been in the company of Ms. Cox, through reading her book. What shines through these pages, again and again, is her humanity, her humility, her gratitude to her team members, and her desire to be a force for peace and reconcilliation in our world. Time and time again in her story she displays where she made a choice to compromise, to respect her teammates, to avoid anger, to chose not be selfish, even, amazingly, when her own life would appear to be in danger, and yet she never preaches and never sounds self-righteous. Her tale is relevant and inspiring to all of us who wish to leave our world a little better than we found it. One need not be a swimmer to find the book a beautiful and inspiring tale. She is a rare individual, because she appears to be free from the blatant narcisissm of prominant athletes who have accomplished only a fraction of what she has accomplished. Her style and pacing make the book read like a compelling novel. I was sad to turn the final page.
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Autistic Swimmer, Avril 29 2004
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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Wonderful Read, But..., Avril 11 2004
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
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A collection of amazing stories, Avril 5 2004
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.
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Remarkable adventures from a remarkable woman., Avril 1 2004
I have read many books about extreme accomplishments and loved the excitement of the adventure, but cringed at the narcissism of the adventurer. Lynne Cox's book is full of first-rate thrills, but her character is just as remarkable. (In her first major swim from Catalina Island to the California shore, she waits for her fellow teenaged swimmers to catch up because they had agreed to finish together. How many elite athletes do you know who would sacrifice the opportunity to set a record because of a promise to friends?) Swimming to Antarctica is a fantastic read, as well as inspiring. I recommend it highly.
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Amazing swim stories, but not much else, Mars 28 2004
Par Un client
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.
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A Thriller, Mars 11 2004
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.
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What an athlete! What a person!, Fév 25 2004
I have to say that I'm a pretty cynical person, but this book actually changed the way I look at certain aspects of life. Lynne has a strong personal philosophy that guides her actions and interactions. She tries to make things better than they are. She succeeds. Her athletic adventures read like a series of thrilling short stories. When I try to describe this book to friends, I always find myself saying: "You just won't believe what this woman has accomplished!"
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I've never been so cold!, Fév 15 2004
Par Un client
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.
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Ce produit
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CDN$ 35.95 CDN$ 22.65
En stock
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Accueil Amazon
