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"The raindrops that hit my lips tasted sweet and cold and I enjoyed the sensation of every new moment. The pool was no longer a flat, boring rectangle of blue; it was now a place of constant change, a place that I had to continually adjust to as I swam or I'd get big gulps of water instead of air. That day, I realized that nature was strong, beautiful, dramatic, and wonderful, and being out in the water during that storm made me feel somehow part of it, somehow connected to it."
- Lynn Cox pg. 12
Detail:
Lynn Cox is an amazing swimmer, possibly the greatest. She has swum many bodies of water that no one thought were possible, especially for a woman. Ms. Cox does not necessarily focus on swimming bodies of water that have never been swum before, or breaking world records. She focuses on that, but also on more spiritual things, such as that special sensation.
It could definitely be said that the ocean is a memorable place in this book; also the pool in Massachusetts where she first felt that extraordinary feeling of being connected to the magic of swimming. She was swimming in a storm with hundreds of tiny raindrops hitting her arm every time she took a stroke. She always thought that was a magnificent feeling. In addition to watching the hail hit the water with a powerful force while she was waiting for the storm to settle down, she was bundled up underneath the overhang waiting until she could get back in the water.
A very exceptional piece of this story is when Ms. Cox is recovering from her swim in the chilled waters of the Soviet Union. The babushka that Lynn requested is comforting her. Lynn thinks that a babushka is a colorful shawl, when it is actually a grandmother. So while Lynn is recovering, the babushka is taking care of her. She is giving her hot chocolate and warming her body up to a normal temperature with heated water packs in tender places. The babushka is treating Lynn as she would treat her own grand child. At this point Lynn still does not realize that the babushka is a grandmother. Finally, she figures it out and is truly touched. She thinks that she should return this act of kindness and gives the old lady her cap and goggles that she set the world record in and with which she brought two countries together.
Theme:
Though Ms. Cox performs many different swims, all which are utterly amazing; the Baring Strait swim is possibly her greatest. She prepares for it for eleven years, in which she has to get permission from both countries and train herself for this challenging swim. While she prepares for this swim, she starts to have second thoughts. She realizes that no swim is worth losing her life. She goes through with it though, and continues her dream of opening the border between the Soviet Union and The United States of America.
Lynn Cox completed the swim from Alaska to the Soviet Union, a distance of about four miles, in two hours, and six minutes. Wow.
After she accomplishes this swim she has bigger and better plans. She has this idea that with permission she can open up other boarders around the world. After the Berlin Wall is torn down, Ms. Cox swims the river dividing East Berlin from West Germany. She also swims a lake that separates Argentina from Chili.
From her first open water swim in the Catalina Channel, to her Cook Strait swim, and even to her Strait of Magellan swim, Lynn Cox has had to test herself mentally and physically. She learns when too far is far enough, and breaking records, setting records and even just finishing a swim is not worth giving up all she has worked for by losing her life for such a unwise thing.
Her main test comes when she decides to swim across Antarctica. In thirty-two degree water, Ms. Cox has to swim through pan ice. She literally chops through it with her hands so she can swim by it. When she gets out of the water, she feels magnificent. She went through with the challenge and accomplished it with out a problem. She took a risk and even though it was dangerous, it was for the better. When she and her team arrive back in Argentina, where they had first caught their flight to Antarctica, they are bombarded with questions from news crews all over. She even talked to 60 Minutes II, the New Yorker, and the David Lettermen Show.
Ms. Cox was asked by a seven year old boy. "If you had a goal and worked very, very hard toward it, but you didn't accomplish it, would you still be happy?"
Ms. Cox thought about it and finally replied, "I would have been happy that I tried to reach my goal, but if I didn't succeed, I would want to go back and figure out what I thought I needed to accomplish it, and then try again."
That is one of the most beautiful things any one has ever said in my life time.
Review:
This book was like nothing I had ever read before. I myself am a serious swimmer and it was exciting to read about her career as a serious long distance swimmer. Every single swim is absolutely inspiring. I am almost unable to find the words to describe how magnificent this book really is. Lynn Cox is as good a writer, as she is swimmer.
Rating:
Out of five swim caps, I rated this book five swim caps! I did this because this is an amazing story of a girl working toward and achieving her goals from the time she was nine, until the time she was forty-five years old. I definitely think that Lynn Cox's story would make the best movie ever!
This book would be great for kids and adults who need to be motivated towards any of their goals. There is a little bit of gore, like when she cuts herself on some barnacles, it just says that she is bleeding.
I would also say that this book is for people twelve and up. It is an awfully challenging book. There are about twenty-four chapters, and the pages are large. Even though it was a challenge to read, it is still the best book I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
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