Bonnie Tsui

Read for my book club.

Super-tedious. Slow. Repetitive. Disjointed. Unsubstantial. Flowery language. An editor should have slashed this book to a quarter of its length OR added more content. I cannot believe there were no pictures. So much of the content could have benefitted from pictures.

Example of missing conent: No mention of Mark Spitz? Many swimmers consider Spitz better than Phelps. Yes, Phelps was more successful at Olympic medals. But competition has changed over time and the book didn't cover that at all. Example: Spitz was famous for his mustache. Phelps and other swimmers now shave their body hair to reduce drag. The changing nature of competitive swimsuits and controversies were also entirely absent.

Even the focus on Phelps was superficial. No mention that:
- Phelps contemplated suicide after the Olympics.
- Arrested (twice) driving under the influence, and after the 2nd time, wasn't permitted to compete in various championships which prevented the team from qualifying for some races.
- Photographed using a bong and lost his sponsorships and suspension by USA Swimming.
- His sister, also a swimmer, used the swimming pool as a refuge from the yelling.

I suppose those are all negatives which don't fit with the author's aim of just talking about how great swimming is. Another negative is that swimming has many risks. Besides drowning, there's red tide, jellyfish stings, toxins such as microcystin, etc.

Even quasi-negatives could have been interesting. For example, many swimmers love swimming but find it incredibly boring and have experimented with headsets that work under water. But I suppose that listening to podcasts ruins the author's thesis of "flow."

In summary, I disliked this book. I found it excessively flower and not particularly-well researched. I would've been happier reading a wikipedia articles on swimming.… (más)

Sarah Gerhardt is not afraid of heights or speed.

Sarah, whose surname is not provided until the end, began surfing at a young age in Hawaii and quickly learned that she loved surfing big waves most of all, waves as high as 50 feet tall! She learned how to calmly hold her breath when she fell and to be patient finding surfing companions at a time when surfing was a male-dominated sport. Like many girls and women across sports, she had to wear gear and use equipment designed for boys and men. When she moved to California as an adult, she was determined to conquer the Mavericks surf break, and in 1999, she became the first woman to do so, demonstrating that victories can happen every day, not just at major competitions. Diao’s illustrations are extraordinary. Emphasizing the breathtaking landscapes, they treat readers to mostly double-page spreads that allow them to feel like they are in the middle of the ocean with Sarah, who presents White. A stormy scene evokes Hokusai’s Great Wave print. Tsui’s present-tense text effectively conveys Sarah’s determination as well as the excitement of the sport, occasionally ranging to provide needed context, such as the atmospheric conditions that make big waves. A concluding timeline of surfing provides tidbits of Hawaii’s history and indicates that professional surfing is way behind in its quest for equality.

A sunny surf vacation from start to finish. (timeline) (Picture book/biography. 5-9)… (más)