Why We Swim cover art

Why We Swim

Preview

£0.00 for first 30 days

Try for £0.00
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Why We Swim

By: Bonnie Tsui
Narrated by: Angie Kane
Try for £0.00

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £30.99

Buy Now for £30.99

Confirm Purchase
Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.
Cancel

About this listen

Humans, unlike other animals that are drawn to water, are not natural-born swimmers. We must be taught. Our evolutionary ancestors learned for survival; now in the 21st century, we swim in freezing Arctic waters and piranha-infested rivers to test our limits. Swimming is an introspective and silent sport in a chaotic and noisy age; it’s therapeutic for both the mind and body; and it's an adventurous way to get from point A to point B. It's also one route to that elusive, ecstatic state of flow. These reasons, among many others, make swimming one of the most popular activities in the world.

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. New York Times contributor Bonnie Tsui, a swimmer herself, dives into the deep, from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating what it is about water - despite its dangers - that seduces us, tempting us to come back to it again and again.

©2020 Bonnie Tsui (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Exercise & Fitness History Social Sciences Water Sports Physical Exercise
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Listeners also enjoyed...

Winter Swimming cover art
The Cold Fix cover art
Saltwater in the Blood cover art
Limitless cover art
Surviving the Shark cover art
The Forever Swim cover art
The Art of Resilience cover art
I Found My Tribe cover art
Between the Stops cover art
Ebb and Flow cover art
Sharks Never Sleep cover art
Graced by Waters cover art
Swell cover art
The Art of Risk cover art
Solo cover art
So Long, Chester Wheeler cover art

What listeners say about Why We Swim

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    48
  • 4 Stars
    28
  • 3 Stars
    5
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    47
  • 4 Stars
    22
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    41
  • 4 Stars
    23
  • 3 Stars
    9
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

breathtaking

this book is full of serenity and joy . it has given me the courage to go back and want to swim again . it is like meditation ♥️♥️

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful

This was a glorious read & essential reading for water babies X X X X

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful!

This is one of the best books I have read/ listened to in a while. So beautifully written & fascinating.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Lovely book

A compelling book and well narrated. I could not stop thinking about going swimming throughout.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

An interesting listen

A look at the phenomenon of swimming and the human relationship with the water. Discusses historic accounts of swimming, physiological responses to swimming, peoples experiences learning to swim, physical feats and philosophy, Notable mentions of swimming in literature and cultural variations and relationships with swimming and the water.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful

love this book. I know I will listen to it again. wonderful! I highly recommend.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Beautiful stories

Soul swimming with this beautiful book has been an amazing use of time and has been inspiring and an act of remebering

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Fantastic book for the swimmer

I'm a frequent outdoor swimmer, and love the head space and fitness that comes with the activity. This book captures and explores that. The writing is engaging, and the narrator's performance captures the style well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Recommended

Loved the listen from beginning to end. I wish I had read this before I visited Iceland. Iceland is more to me now than great aurorae borealis. A nation of hardy swimmers.I love the various aspects covered in cultural and mental health among other benefits of swimming.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Everything you want to know about swimming

Loved this audiobook, i’ve not read a book in years and i really enjoyed listening to this. Its everything you would want to know about swimming and so much more. Learning about the history and how different cultures incorporated swimming in their everyday life .

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!