Bottom line: We are land animals that are attracted to water, and not just to drink. Like meditation, Kane generates a calm and focused awareness. (Algonquin, 288 pp., $16.95.) Errors like this were quite common as well. Taking too long? We must be taught. But swim we do. Bonnie Tsui’s Why We Swim, an enthusiastic and thoughtful work mixing history, journalism and elements of memoir, is ostensibly focused on those who do swim, rather than those who don’t. It’s also received praise from The New York Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Buzzfeed, Bustle, Booklist, Kirkus, and more. That we choose to swim, knowing the danger, can only be explained by the pleasure it brings. So take "Why We Swim." Score pending. First, why ask those two questions? Why We Swim, Bonnie Tsui (Algonquin, April 2020; Rider, August 2020) An excellent book which retraces the history of swimming across the ages cultures and globe. Bonnie Tsui, author of Why We Swim, lives, swims, and surfs in the Bay Area. And that's when any size pool of water starts to look mighty tempting. For you, it'll make a nice splash. Deep within this book is this hint of a personal family memoir as told through the great swimming escapades of her life – “I swam from Alcatraz on a dare. I was across a lake on my wedding day,” she writes. Says Bonnie Tsui in “Why We Swim,” there could be many reasons. I can’t have 30 seconds or longer to load a chart. Why do we swim? So, you say you're landlocked. It’s a look at how swimming has changed over the millennia, how this ancient activity is becoming more social than solitary today. Bonnie Tsui’s “Why We Swim,” … If there’s one thing you know about summertime, it’s that it can get hot. Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. Profiles of Olympic swimmers, long distance swimmers, and others who swim in brutally cold water for therapeutic reasons punctuate the text, in addition to Tsui’s own lifelong experiences in water. Try again or cancel this request. Two for the price of one - short reviews of "Why We Swim" and "Mendoza's Heroes" This post is a deviation from my usual complete post as I have recently read two books that were not submissions for reviews - one was for an online non-fiction book club and one that I just wanted to try for something different and light. Yes, even some Americans can swim with an endurance that may sound superhuman. Why We Swim is Bonnie Tsui’s answer to the millions of waterfarers who love to submerse in water: to play, to exercise, to heal, “to understand ourselves, that lost, quiet state of just being—no technology, no beeps—dating back to our watery human origins.” We swim for pleasure, for exercise, for healing. We swim for pleasure, for exercise, for healing. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Review Profiles of Olympic swimmers, long distance swimmers, and others who swim in brutally cold water for therapeutic reasons punctuate the text, in addition to Tsui’s own lifelong experiences in water. Hailing from southeast Asia, the Moken people can see underwater in ways that most of us can't; many Bajau from the same area are born with spleens that allow them to stay underwater for minutes, rather than the pathetic seconds most of us can manage. Why We Swim: A love letter to swimming, crammed with facts and personal stories Book review: Bonnie Tsui looks at swimming culture and skill with a memoir-like quality Sun, Aug 23, 2020, 06:00 Between charts not loading, the platform freezing, you can see why I decided to leave Think of Swim. Mixing history, journalism and memoir, Tsui mulls the appeal of this “most commonplace … Lessons aside, though, cave art discovered in 1933 shows that humans have been swimming for at least 10,000 years and they probably learned how by watching those who figured it out even before them. WHY WE SWIM, by Bonnie Tsui. For others, it's a challenge, a lifesaver, an obsession, a hobby, or pain to overcome. 'A truly great story. That we choose to swim, knowing the danger, can only be explained by the pleasure it brings. Review: ‘Why We Swim’ dives deeply into our relationship with water Bonnie Tsui captures the joy, peril and utility of swimming, within her family … The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Matt Sutherland Indeed, author Bonnie Tsui's writing brings such strong images to mind — of water, of cold or heat, of the kicks and reaches that swimming requires — that you'll almost hear the seagulls and you'll want to reach for a towel. Now, there’s a question worth pondering — preferably while sitting out back on a blistering summer day with one’s feet in the lukewarm water of a kiddie pool. Swimming is an excellent exercise where you get to fly even in old age without your limbs being subjected to undue stress. In all, Why We Swim is a celebration of the many varieties of joy that swimming brings to our oxygen-breathing species. For Bay Area writer Tsui (American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods, 2009), swimming is in her blood. Reviewed by We swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. On occasion, I did see pretty good load times, but it is still worth mentioning in my review. Why can’t we have nice things? Swim is a celebration of swimming and the effect it has on our lives. Bonnie Tsui This will subscribe you to all of our newsletters, announcements, and promotional content. That likely happened in the Green Sahara, where there were once verdant meadows and cool pools. At these moments, “Why We Swim” deepens from informative and entertaining to transcendent and moving. She also writes of Southeast Asian free divers who can reach depths of 200 feet when they’re spearing fish, and of an Icelander discovered to have 14 millimeters of seal-like fat, enabling him to swim six hours to safety in 41 degree water after his boat overturned. Widely lauded, Why We Swim was named to TIME magazine’s list of 100 Must-Read Books of 2020. If you're heading for the water today, or staycationing by the pool, you'll need something to read, right? MATT SUTHERLAND (March / April 2020) Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. Somersault once, kick back, arms up, and knife cleanly through the surface of the water like a sword through cake. A longtime contributor to the New York Times and California Sunday Magazine, she has been the recipient of the Jane Rainie Opel Young Alumna Award from Harvard University, the Lowell Thomas Gold Award, and a National Press Foundation Fellowship. For some people, it's a matter of genetics and having been blessed with a physical quirk that allows impressive feats in the water. There’s a poignancy to the fact that “Why We Swim” arrives just as … An entertaining look at humans’ affinity for moving through water. Like, melt-your-shoes hot, crispy-grass hot, sweat-til-you're-wet hot. And for some, says Tsui, it's a matter of ensuring that "we ... teach ourselves how to live with water, not how to keep it at bay.". Swimming, perhaps the most commonplace and relaxing way of putting yourself in total peril, is a real mind game. In 'Why We Swim,' Bonnie Tsui tells extraordinary tales of swimmers who brave sharks, extreme cold and vicious currents around the globe. Bonnie Tsui . An immersive, unforgettable, and eye-opening perspective on swimming—and on human behavior itself. Fun, fitness, and friendship are only a few of the reasons why we swim. Propelled by stories of polar swim champions, a Baghdad swim club, Olympian athletes, modern-day samurai swimmers and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survived a six-hour swim in the wintry Atlantic, Why We Swim takes us around the globe in a remarkable, all-encompassing account of the world of swimming. Samurai swimming also gave color to swimming as a ritual also One person found this helpful She also includes personal stories as a sort of glue to hold this book together. ⓒ 2021 Foreword Magazine, Inc.All rights reserved. Scientists call us secondary swimmers although, in some cultures, it seems as though our fellow humans are half-fish. Says Bonnie Tsui in "Why We Swim," there could be many reasons. This will remind you of swim meets in high school, of skinny-dipping in the lake, and building sand castles on the shore. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Author Bonnie Tsui is an avid swimmer and an enthusiast for the sport, with an incurable thirst for knowledge about the aquatic activity. Why We Swim Reviews. Interview Highlights. Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck. If there's one thing you know about summertime, it's that it can get hot. In 200 years we’ve covered the world. July 1, 2020 7 AM PT The Los Angeles Times Book Club’s next read is Bonnie Tsui’s “Why We Swim,” a blend of memoir, history and swim adventure from … Says Bonnie Tsui in "Why We Swim," there could be many reasons. Japanese ama are able to deep-dive hundreds of times a day. And that's when any size pool of water starts to look mighty tempting. Why We Swim is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, a Baghdad swim club that meets in Saddam Hussein’s palace pool, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives a wintry six-hour swim after a shipwreck. But it isn't just the sense of beachiness that's inside this book: Tsui also offers readers history and science, psychology, and several interesting mini-bios of people who've astounded researches, both accidentally and on purpose, with their prowess in the water. It’s an inquiry into why we swim—the lure, the hold, the timeless magic of being in the water. But it's not, not really. If there's one thing you know about summertime, it's that it can get hot. Tsui takes us from ponds to pools to surfers, racers and a few who have survived icy currents, seeking the answer in her new book, Why We Swim. Why We Swim is Bonnie Tsui’s answer to the millions of waterfarers who love to submerse in water: to play, to exercise, to heal, “to understand ourselves, that lost, quiet state of just being—no technology, no beeps—dating back to our watery human origins.” A competitive cold-water swimmer herself, Tsui wades through the history of humans and swimming, including 28,000-year-old evidence of Neanderthals who feasted on mussels, seals, and dolphins; paintings of breaststrokers on the walls of a cave in the deserts of Egypt dating from 10,000 years ago; and samurai warriors adopting swimming as a military art. Burrell and Morgan’s Two Dimensional Chart. Review: Why We Swim Journalist Bonnie Tsui (American Chinatown) submerges her personal story of how and why she's come to be intrigued with all facets of human aquatic experience in a larger investigation into the historical evolution of swimming. 1 review. But humans, unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not natural-born swimmers. Examining the necessity of swimming can mean the determination between essential and nonessential activities, and it is clear from Tsui’s eloquent and methodical prose (akin to the act of swimming itself in its rhythmic and cyclical movements and constant forward advancement) that water is … Like, melt-your-shoes hot, crispy-grass hot, sweat-til-you're-wet hot. Angie Kane captures the immersed and meditative feeling of being in the water as she narrates Bonnie Tsui's memoir/cultural history of swimming. But humans, unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not natural-born swimmers. Not a drop out of place in that dive, hardly a splash. Why We Swim. #WhyISwim #WhyWeSwim Hardcover $26.95 (288pp)978-1-61620-786-1. Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Telling the stories of those who swim—for survival, for competition, well-being, fitness or creativity—is what drives Tsui’s latest book Why We Swim, a thoughtful and meditative contemplation, and an exploration and memoir about her own relationship with water. Algonquin Books (Apr 14, 2020) We swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. In all, Why We Swim is a celebration of the many varieties of joy that swimming brings to our oxygen-breathing species. Order Issues An immersive, unforgettable, and eye-opening perspective on swimming—and on human behavior itself. Tsui's parents met at a … In all, Why We Swim is a celebration of the many varieties of joy that swimming brings to our oxygen-breathing species. Blacks Can’t Swim: The Sequel review – follow-up doc makes a splash ... ‘I was the only black kid in the pool’: why swimming is so white . Ten people drown every day in the US, one hundred around the world. A study of swimming as sport, survival method, basis for community, and route to physical and mental well-being. Why do YOU swim? But humans, unlike other animals that … Whenever I make that first push-off from the edge of the pool — skimming my way through a liquid world, thoughts swirling to the rhythm of my body’s movements, breathing calibrated by the mechanics of the stroke — the Who song “ I’m Free ” thrums through my brain. So why did you do it? Category: Non-fiction, Biography & Memoirs. For more control over what you subscribe to, head on over to our subscription page. Clean. I have two issues with this. But, says Tsui, "We ... are not natural-born swimmers ..." Throw us in the water and, without lessons, we flail. Not much more than a puddle in sight. And that's okay: Instead, dive into "Why We Swim" for some cool refreshment. March / April 2020. It’s the second most popular form of exercise in this country, behind walking. Humans, the evidence shows, are not natural born swimmers. We swim for pleasure, for exercise, for healing. We swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255. The shore oxygen-breathing species ( 288pp ) 978-1-61620-786-1 immersive, unforgettable, and promotional content you, 'll! The lake, and building sand castles on the shore you subscribe,. Remind you of swim celebration of the many varieties of joy that swimming brings to our oxygen-breathing.... A sort of glue to hold this book provided free copies of the water have seconds... Hold this book provided free copies of the reasons Why we swim, knowing the danger can... 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