Status
Available
Publication
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2009), Edition: First American Edition, 352 pages
Description
In 1926, a plucky American teenager named Trudy Ederle captured the imagination of the world when she became the first woman to swim the English Channel. Stout offers the dramatic and inspiring story of Ederle's pursuit of a goal no one believed possible, and the price she paid.
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User reviews
LibraryThing member TooBusyReading
Trudy Ederle was the first woman to swim the English Channel, and this is her story. However, it is much more than that. It is also the story, to a lesser degree, of the English Channel, of the acceptance of women athletes, of the acceptance of swimming in general and especially for women. The
Trudy must have been a remarkable young lady. She was strong and athletic, accomplishing what most other swimmers would never be able to do, but she was also very close to her family and a little naive. She was sometimes taken advantage of. She was somewhat shy and also had a hearing impairment that made her uncomfortable in crowds, detrimental to her when she became well known. The story even includes a mystery about her first attempt at crossing the channel. The book was, for the most part, well written, and includes some great photographs. For my taste, there was occasionally a little too much detail, especially about individual swimming events and times. And I think that the title, Young Woman and the Sea, doesn't really do justice to the story even though it is probably a take on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Overall, the book was both informative and entertaining.
(The copy I reviewed was an ARC sent to me by a friend, and as such had quite a few typos and editing mistakes that I am assuming were corrected before the final edition was published.)
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story opens with a tragedy on the East River. A pleasure boat carrying families caught fire and many died because they didn't know how to swim. I didn't realize that even in the early 20th century, swimming for women was taboo, considered immoral. This tragedy started a movement to teach swimming, if only for safety. Trudy must have been a remarkable young lady. She was strong and athletic, accomplishing what most other swimmers would never be able to do, but she was also very close to her family and a little naive. She was sometimes taken advantage of. She was somewhat shy and also had a hearing impairment that made her uncomfortable in crowds, detrimental to her when she became well known. The story even includes a mystery about her first attempt at crossing the channel. The book was, for the most part, well written, and includes some great photographs. For my taste, there was occasionally a little too much detail, especially about individual swimming events and times. And I think that the title, Young Woman and the Sea, doesn't really do justice to the story even though it is probably a take on Ernest Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea. Overall, the book was both informative and entertaining.
(The copy I reviewed was an ARC sent to me by a friend, and as such had quite a few typos and editing mistakes that I am assuming were corrected before the final edition was published.)
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LibraryThing member sjbraun
"The Young Woman and the Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World" is the story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel - but it's more than that.
First, a lot of history on swimming. I didn't realize that it's only been in the past 90 years or
Trudy and her sisters were in on the beginnings of women's swimming in the US, and for Trudy the water truly felt like home, partially because she was nearly deaf from a childhood bout with measles.
All kinds of interesting history are recounted - men were the first to swim the English channel, often basically naked. It took quite a bit longer for a woman to do it, no doubt in large part due to the fact that many were trying to do it in cumbersome wool "swim dresses." You'll also learn why the English Channel is so difficult to swim: tides, currents, and 60-degree water all play roles.
This is a fascinating tail of determination - "girl power" without all the PC feminist hype that abounds today. Highly recommended!
First, a lot of history on swimming. I didn't realize that it's only been in the past 90 years or
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so that women were taught to swim. For much of Europe's history, swimming was thought to be ungainly and not something proper folks did. Even when men began swimming, it certainly wasn't a sport for women - for one thing, the costume! Horrors! The author recounts incidents in the early 1900s where women were arrested for public nudity while wearing bathing suits on beaches. This fear of women exposing themselves was behind much of the reluctance to see women swimming.Trudy and her sisters were in on the beginnings of women's swimming in the US, and for Trudy the water truly felt like home, partially because she was nearly deaf from a childhood bout with measles.
All kinds of interesting history are recounted - men were the first to swim the English channel, often basically naked. It took quite a bit longer for a woman to do it, no doubt in large part due to the fact that many were trying to do it in cumbersome wool "swim dresses." You'll also learn why the English Channel is so difficult to swim: tides, currents, and 60-degree water all play roles.
This is a fascinating tail of determination - "girl power" without all the PC feminist hype that abounds today. Highly recommended!
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LibraryThing member BridgetteS
Young Woman and the Sea is a well-written, inspiring book about Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel. The book is well researched and easy to read. Highly recommend!
Language
Original language
English
Physical description
9 inches
ISBN
0618858687 / 9780618858682
UPC
046442858687