In 1926, before skirt lengths inched above the knee and before anyone was ready to accept that a woman could test herself physically, a plucky Amer...
read full description
reviews
Jan 15, 2012
Megan
rated it: 
Trudy Ederle's place in history is often overlooked.
I come from a family of open-water swimmers. I have friends who have done solo crossings, and I myself participated in a successful relay swim across the Channel in 2007. And yet, I only vaguely knew about Trudy Ederle. My dad has long asserted that Lynne Cox (who, in 1972, finally displaced Trudy as the youngest female swimmer to make the crossing) was the one who revolutionized open-water swimming by using the Australian Crawl rather th More...
I come from a family of open-water swimmers. I have friends who have done solo crossings, and I myself participated in a successful relay swim across the Channel in 2007. And yet, I only vaguely knew about Trudy Ederle. My dad has long asserted that Lynne Cox (who, in 1972, finally displaced Trudy as the youngest female swimmer to make the crossing) was the one who revolutionized open-water swimming by using the Australian Crawl rather th More...
Sep 14, 2009
Alicia
rated it: 
This book was amazing. Interesting history, woman's lib, robbed childhoods, this book has it all. Did you know that Trudy Ederle invented the bikini 20 years before French engineer Louis Réard did it in 1946? She actually swam the Channel in one because she found that it had less drag than any other suits she tried.
Also, did you know that Native Americans invented the crawl, or freestyle stroke? For years the breaststroke or sidestroke was thought to be superior to any other swim str More...
Also, did you know that Native Americans invented the crawl, or freestyle stroke? For years the breaststroke or sidestroke was thought to be superior to any other swim str More...
0 comments
like
(2 people liked it)
Jun 24, 2011
Mary
rated it: 
I think non-fiction, despite being my very favorite genre, either falls into two categories. 1. the best reading of all time or 2. an abysmal failure and mind numbingly boring. That being said this book falls largely in the mediocre category for me. At times I was invested and intrigued and other times I was overwhelmed with more useless information than I wanted to deal with.
The book is about the first woman to swim the English channel. Now having said this I used to swim on More...
The book is about the first woman to swim the English channel. Now having said this I used to swim on More...
May 16, 2010
Ruth
rated it:
I thought this book would be a casual "pick-up" read but instead found it a very interesting and informative piece of writing. It reflects the mores of the time in the 1920s when women were not allowed to learn to swim because modest young women were felt to be too weak and unfit for such a masculine occupation. After a boat accident resulting in a number of deaths (of mostly women and girls), public attitude began to change and women began to venture into more sports. Learning to s
More...
0 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Aug 26, 2010
Diane
rated it:
My parents were always bragging about how their high school was the first in the state to have a swimming pool, but I never understood the significance of this part of their and my PE program until reading this book. The historical nature of it really held me spellbound, as it explained how swimming stroke, and lessons evolved. Incredible! When I was a child, everyone I knew knew how to swim. It was a given. But just two generations ago, it was not. Wow! How the world changes and even simple thi
More...
Mar 19, 2011
CJ
rated it:
At first I was a little irritated with Stout because he moved back and forth between telling Ederle's story and seemingly telling the stories of all the other swimmers. I quickly realized that he was setting the stage - it's impossible to understand someone's life story without understanding the time/space in which she lived.
I fell in love with Trudy Ederle and her drive to swim. Even though I knew she was going to make it, I found myself on pins and needles through those chapters. A More...
I fell in love with Trudy Ederle and her drive to swim. Even though I knew she was going to make it, I found myself on pins and needles through those chapters. A More...
Mar 20, 2010
Susan
rated it:
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 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, sw
More...
5 comments
like
(1 person liked it)
Nov 06, 2009
Beth
rated it:
My friend Alicia recommended this one, and as a history-lover, I thought I'd try it out. The story itself is a remarkable, inspiring one. Trudy Ederle was such a fantastic swimmer at all distances, and yet she still had obstacles to overcome: social stigma (it was taboo for women to appear in bathing suits in public, and they simply weren't considered true athletes based on their gender), personal problems (she was mostly deaf, and this exacerbated her reticence toward the spotlight), and the
More...
Nov 30, 2009
Nancy
rated it:
I still couldn't figure out what drove Trudy to do what she did. I had a hard time pulling out her personality. Her accomplishments were unfathomable. The first 5 mile open water swim she did with other young girls is what struck me however. A bunch of girls who normally swam short distances in pools got in cold water in the open ocean and swam 5 miles - even the 11 year old made it. Trudy was not the only amazing person in this story.
May 05, 2010
Chris
rated it:
Loved it! Well written cronicle of Gertrude Ederle's life as she learns to swim, joins the WSA (womens swimming association) and helps to make women athletes visible and accepted! She was the first woman to swim The Channel (1926) and handily beat the 6 previous mens' records; due to using The American Crawl" or freestyle as we know it. Prior to her it had been swum by the 6 men using breaststroke and sidestroke! Imagine!!
Aug 11, 2010
Amanda
rated it:
I never realized what an impact Trudy made on the woman's sports. Most of that was because so many women were gaining noterity around the same time that she wasn't marketed well enough. I also had very little understanding of the difficulties of swimming the English Channel. The author does a great job of storytelling--from letting us get to know Trudy, to the history of Channel swimmers, to the conditions they faced.
Jun 30, 2011
Emilie
rated it:
I was fascinated by the story behind this book. I was mostly unaware of this tale and the writing was really excellent, drawing the reading in as if it were good fiction instead of a sports novel. Someone who is very interested in the sport of swimming might like each and every chapter, but I found about half of the chapters in the fist half of the book to be filled with too much (seemingly unnecessary) information for me. Entire chapters were dedicated to the weather, wind patterns and tides
More...
Dec 19, 2011
Audrey
rated it:
Truly a great read, but first half of the book is terribly slow with a lot of technical information and background about swimming and weather patterns. I found it hard to get through but found that in the end it helped me appreciate just what a feat it was for this young woman to accomplish. Very inspirational.
Nov 15, 2009
Jean
rated it:
I love stories of great accomplishment. Trudy's greatest victories always came during deluge and bad weather. A great lesson for us all. Only 1 in 10 who attempt to swim the English Channel have made it . Waters of the English Channel are rarely quiet-the surf claws at each coast with ferocity in the tides and currents. I enjoyed the facts of plate techtonics, lunar orbital cycles and the strategies to be successful. Some books are worth reading twice. I will definitely read this again. I
More...
May 30, 2010
Katherine
rated it:
I found Trudy Ederle's story interesting and inspiring. I'm not going to swim the English Channel, but I am going to set more worthy goals and work hard to accomplish them. This is well researched and gave me a real feel for who Trudy was a person.
Jul 19, 2009
Lenore
rated it:
A fascinating look at the first woman to swim the English Channel, Gertrude Ederle. Her athletic feat opened the door for women and sports, around the world. If you're not familiar with her swimming achievement, don't miss this account.
Jan 01, 2010
Jeremy
rated it:
Learned a lot about the following: Swimming, the Channel, and women in swimming. It was an interesting read. What she did was truly an accomplishment and did, indeed, open doors for women in athletics. Good read.
Mar 12, 2010
Mindy
rated it:
I stayed up until 5am to finish the book...okay, so I do that sort of thing often when I'm really into a book. But this one's nonfiction!
Jul 21, 2011
Solviej
rated it:
I'd probably give the first have of this book just 3 stars. Mostly because the was a bit too much background information. The story of Trudy was facinating though, and once I got into the second half of the book I couldn't put it down.
Nov 26, 2011
Megan
rated it:
An amazing story about the first woman to ever swim across the English Channel. Lots (almost too much) history of swimming, women's athletics, the evolution of swimming strokes, and the English Channel. Very interesting and something I knew nothing about.
Sep 18, 2009
Mandy
rated it:
A great read about an woman who is unknown today but did so much for woman and woman's sports!
Dec 20, 2009
Lisa
rated it:
Biographies are not my favorite genre, however this one is pretty engaging. There is a fascinating review of the history of swimming, as well as the evolution of women's sports. Reading this will get you in the water.
Oct 10, 2010
Laurie
rated it:
I love finding books like this that look interesting but then sort of blindside you with the quality of the writing and the originality of the subject. I knew nothing of the "early" history of swimming, or much about Channel swimming, either. Once I got past the tragedy early on, I had a hard time keeping my interest up, though. I can't really fault the subject, or the writing...it was just hard to keep going to the end. Perhaps I'll buy it when it comes out in paperback, rather tha
More...
May 11, 2010
Amy
rated it:
This story is so amazing. I had no idea the significance of Trudy Ederle being the first woman to swim the English Channel. I had no idea why swimming the Channel was such a big deal, but I certainly know now. This book puts SO many things into perspective, and the opening chapter is an example of this--so interesting. Loved it, and highly recommend it.
Apr 14, 2010
Jill
rated it:
Really a 3.5.
The book should include the qualification that it is in many ways a history of women's swimming, not just TE's story.
One of the most powerful parts is the opening. Some mid section skimming, and an ending with some questions.
The book should include the qualification that it is in many ways a history of women's swimming, not just TE's story.
One of the most powerful parts is the opening. Some mid section skimming, and an ending with some questions.
May 29, 2010
Molly
rated it:
The writing isn't the best, style-wise (he's a sports-writer primarily), but the information about the history of swimming and women's sports generally is really interesting!
