Swim Lessons: Ten Secrets for Making Any Dream Come True

by Nick Irons

"I came up with the idea, and worried about the rest later," says Swim Lessons author Nick Irons. As crazy as this may sound, it worked for Nick, and it can certainly work for you. And "the rest" is exactly what Nick figured out-what it takes to swim 1,550 miles of the mighty, muddy Mississippi River in four months to raise money and awareness for multiple sclerosis, the disease his father has lived with for more than twenty years. It's hard to think of a riskier, less-doable idea than that-especially when you have no idea how you'll pull it off. But he did! This book is Nick's highly entertaining story of the Swim and every pivotal lesson he learned along the way. What he shares here is not just inspiration-it is the rock-solid plan you need to make your biggest dream come true.

205 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 2003

Reviews

[Douglas Lord · Rating 4 out of 5]

Irons is essentially a big kid: he loves Christmas, Clydesdales, and his family. And, oh yeah, swimming. In fact, Irons swam almost the entire length of the mighty Mississippi River (1,550 miles, from Minneapolis to Baton Rouge)--five hours a day, six days a week for four months--to honor his father, afflicted with multiple sclerosis, and to fund-raise for the condition. Readers are encouraged to follow the "swim lessons," for example, gain self-confidence by drawing on past experiences or go forward on blind faith. Irons engages readers with an infectious enthusiasm and an endearing, homespun style. Both authors are models of Pearsall's Positive Psychology, reviewed below, and while the father/son relationship has been riffed on aplenty (e.g., Terry Pluto's Our Tribe: A Baseball Memoir, now in paperback), this is particularly charming. Find reviews of books for men at Books for Dudes, Books for Dudes, the online reader's advisory column for men from Library Journal. Copyright Library Journal.

[Tanya Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only read 1/3. It was easy to read, inspirational, but didn't quite catch my interest.