Why We Swim

This fascinating book about the beneficial effects of water on the human body and mind is based on the stories of real people. Among them are Olympic champions, and modern followers of the samurai style of swimming Nihon Eiho, and an Icelandic fisherman who miraculously survived after spending more than six hours in icy water. The New York Times regular contributor Bonnie Tsui has been a swimmer herself since she was a child, and her personal experiences, from swimming in the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay to swimming across Lake George on her engagement day, have been the subject of equally exciting pages. To find the answer to the question why water, despite all its dangers, so attracts us, people, and we strive to be in it again and again, Bonnie Tsui goes with readers to ponds and lakes, to pools and ocean spaces ... It reminds us that man evolved from creatures that inhabited the water expanses of the Earth millions of years ago, and, probably, therefore he is inevitably drawn to this element.