Into the Deep End: 8 Nonfiction Swimming Books

Sakamoto’s Swim Club by Julie Abery and Illustrated by Chris Sasaki

This rhyming representation publication astir swimming tells the existent communicative of Soichi Sakamoto and his quest to thatch the children of sweetener cane plantation workers however to aquatics connected the land of Maui successful the 1930s. Without a excavation oregon immoderate peculiar equipment, this subject teacher taught children to aquatics successful irrigation ditches. They were specified dedicated students that immoderate yet went each the mode to the Olympics. It’s adjacent much astonishing erstwhile you see that Sakamoto could not truly aquatics good himself. It is simply a children’s publication adaptation of Julie Checkoway’s The Three-Year Swim Club: The Untold Story of Maui’s Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory if you find yourself wanting to work more. I person recommended this publication earlier arsenic a bully kids summertime read and americium each excessively gladsome to person an excuse to bring it up again arsenic a large swimming book!

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The Ocean Calls: A Haenyeo Mermaid Story by Tina Cho and illustrated by Jess X. Snow

This publication tells a communicative connected to the celebrated pistillate escaped divers of Jeju land successful South Korea. The main character, Dayeon, learns from her grandma what it means to beryllium 1 of the celebrated “sea women” by holding her breath, putting connected the indispensable tools similar a disguise and pb belt, and yet taking the plunge adjacent to her grandmother.

Annette Feels Free: The True Story of Annette Kellerman, World-Class Swimmer, Fashion Pioneer, and Real-Life Mermaid by Katie Mazeika

This is different swimming publication based connected a existent communicative that readers volition perfectly love! Annette Kellerman was calved successful the 1880s successful Australia and loved swimming truthful overmuch she grew up to gain the rubric of a real-life mermaid. Read this representation publication to dive much into her groundbreaking life. I besides truly liked this writer and americium eagerly awaiting getting a transcript of Mazeika’s adjacent one: Beulah has a Hunch! Inside the Colorful Mind of Beulah Louise Henry.

Surfer of the Century: The Story of Olympic Swimmer Duke Kahanamoku by Ellie Crowe and Illustrated by Richard Waldrep

If you cognize thing astir surfing, you cognize Duke Kahanamoku’s name. Considered the laminitis of the sport, Kahanamoku was calved successful 1890 successful Hawai’i and became 1 of the world’s astir celebrated swimmers and a proponent of surfing arsenic we cognize it today. This publication volition thatch you astir his beingness and besides fto you revel successful the expansive illustrations from Richard Waldrep that travel the text.

Swell: A Waterbiography by Jenny Landreth

Landreth is comic and astute and does a beauteous occupation of explaining what it is similar to person a much analyzable narration with swimming, which I precise overmuch appreciated. She writes that she tin retrieve reasoning swimming wasn’t for her, and adjacent aft learning, it’s inactive a accomplishment that “doesn’t rather person the aforesaid sticking powerfulness arsenic reading.” I wholly get this. Landreth goes on, “Some years and tons of swimming miles later, I tin inactive get to that aforesaid spot of panic [at being retired of my depth]. Like 1 infinitesimal the accomplishment was there, the next…gone. And past the peculiar question volition break, the infinitesimal volition pass, I’ll shove that feeling distant and transportation on.” I invitation you to bask her “waterbiography” arsenic she calls it and to contemplate your ain astatine the aforesaid time.

At the Pond: Swimming astatine the Hampstead Ladies’ Pond by Margaret Dabble et al

This postulation of essays is some airy and afloat of past astatine the aforesaid time. Somehow it seems similar it would marque 1 miss London, though fixed that I person ne'er been there, you volition person to instrumentality that for immoderate it is worth. I loved the vignettes of the authors’ swimming lives and thoroughly enjoyed observations like, “The pond women are alert and witchy. You find them fractional naked, clutching quick-dry towels and fuzzy bobble hats…They are mostly older women: a gaggle of antithetic bodies, curves and rolls and omniscient wrinkles.” There is thing truthful comforting successful imagining that gaggle. There are essays present by Nina Mingya Powles, Jessica J. Lee, and Leanne Shapton. The archetypal 2 authors are already connected this list; Shapton has published a publication called Swimming Studies that I evidently request to dip into, too.

Small Bodies of Water by Nina Mingya Powles

This publication is besides a postulation of essays, tiny bodies of textual h2o that you tin dip successful and retired of. I presume that is by design. Powles is simply a writer primitively from New Zealand and of Malaysian Chinese heritage. She has published poesy and is specified a delicate perceiver of the satellite that I americium definite galore readers volition find thing worthy pondering implicit here. If you similar this, you should besides hunt retired her nutrient memoir Tiny Moons.

Turning: A Year successful the Water by Jessica J. Lee

This is simply a memoir I conscionable stumbled crossed portion doing probe for this portion and wonderment however I did not work astir it sooner. Lee is simply a British Canadian Taiwanese writer and world who spent a twelvemonth swimming successful each water she could find successful and astir Berlin. At the time, she was moving connected finishing her doctoral thesis successful biology history. There is thing truthful precise unusual astir the past twelvemonth of penning a PhD — finishing a highly researched, hard treatise connected a taxable that lone a precise tiny fig of radical typically ever spot — that lends itself to a benignant of idiosyncratic unmooring. This publication is immoderate of however Lee kept herself grounded during that time.

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui

For immoderate reason, I kept seeing this screen everyplace implicit the past fewer years. I took it arsenic a motion from the beingness that I would bask this, contempt my little than stellar past with its main subject. I was close oregon should I accidental the beingness sent maine a reliable awesome and I americium gladsome I listened. Tsui is an fantabulous writer who draws you successful from the archetypal pages. Her stories are truthful fascinating that you hardly announcement that you’re pursuing her farther and farther into the heavy end. The bully quality is that it is perfectly worthy it.