This book was like immersing oneself into a warm pool of knowledge. Few writers are able to be both informative and contemplative at once, but Bonnie Tsui accomplishes it. Part historical non-fiction, part memoir, all beautifully written. A love letter to swimming that makes me desperate for the water, as well as Tsui's next book. One of my favorite reads this year.

Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui is an incredible example of the magic that happens when a writer and a subject (and a reader?) are just perfectly aligned. I really love everything about this book, especially this quote: “This idea of swimming for wellness, emotional resonance, whole personhood, rings true to me. The physical is intertwined with the psychological." Anyone who has ever stepped out of a body of water with a sense of well-being, a clear mind, and an overall feeling of renewal should definitely DIVE IN to this one!

"Why We Smim" was a fun and interesting look at the history of swimming. Tsui also delved into the psychological, physical, and emotional benefits of swimming. An interesting summer read!

Wonderfully interesting exploration of many aspects of our attraction to water and swimming. Stories of survival, competition, teaching, therapy, flow, even Samurai trained to swim in armor. Well-written and engaging, this book draws on history, literature, psychology, and other areas to give you a tour of the human population’s love of being in, and moving through, water.

I also loved the elegant cover!

An exceptional memoir / love story about the act of swimming. Tsui talks of how swimming has been such a large part of her life and weaves in the stories of others that have used swimming as a life-saving device in the literal and psychological sense. There's also a good deal of the history of swimming and how it went from a medical prescription to a recreational and competitive sport.

I received an advanced copy through the NetGallery program and highly recommend this to fans of microhistories or those that love water.

Brilliantly written. The interviews with important icons of the swimming world were well written. Her sharing of her thoughts and history of swimming and water in her own life were wonderfully shared. A great book to bring out the water babies in all of us!!

This is an absolutely incredible book to read, no matter if you competitively swim, float in a local pool, or go to the lake every weekend. As Ms. Tsui wrote, historically we have always been drawn to water. While I enjoy swimming, I learned a tremendous amount about the sport, Her incredible stories of swimming to survive, ancient lakes, athletes, and swim clubs around the world drew me in from start to finish. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys non-fiction, in addition to those who enjoy swimming.

A mesmerizing blend of scientific research, personal essay, and exploration of a universal phenomenon, this book is fascinating and elegantly written. As a former competitive swimmer, a lot of this book's content resonated deeply with me--I may not have been an open water swimmer, or a member of a water nomad society, or trained in the Japanese samurai art of swimming, but I am no stranger to the benefits of spending hours on end surrounded by water. Seeing the love for and value of swimming cataloged across cultures and across history was at once heartwarming and nostalgic for me.

My only real complaint is that sometimes, Tsui's prose got redundant and somewhat self-indulgent as it repeated its interpretation of certain themes. That said, even in its slowest moments, the book sucked me in like a whirlpool and refused to let me break away.

4.5/5 stars. Longer review forthcoming, on both my blog and my Goodreads.

Read if you: Want a unique and beautifully written book about the joys of swimming from many different angles.

Whether you are an avid swimmer or just fondly enjoy spending hot summer days in the pool, you will find WHY WE SWIM enchanting and fascinating. From Olympic champions, to the history of swim teams (and the most popular team names!), to swimmers using Saddam Hussein's enormous pool after his demise, Icelandic swimmers, and more, this is a relatively short book that is long on intriguing facts and memorable stories.

Librarians and booksellers: With the Summer Olympics (hopefully!) coming up soon, this will be a great title to add to a Summer Olympics book display.

Many thanks to Algonquin Books and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review..

This is a history of swimming, a love letter to swimming, and a swimming memoir. The author describes her personal experience swimming during her life and examines historical and current swimming practices around the world. It includes many obscure but interesting facts, such as the many health benefits of swimming in very cold water. The book mostly discusses open water (oceans, lakes and rivers) swimming but also includes pool swimming. If you are a swimmer, you will love this book. If you are not a swimmer, this book will convince you to become one.

As an avid swimmer, I’m always in search of books that will capture the feeling of being in the water. Tsui beautifully touches on all of the elements that water evokes for humans, in a style that is prose, memoir, and biography of some of her swimming heroes. What I liked is that it highlights both the collective and individual experience of swimming and how we simultaneously both belong in and are foreign to the water. Especially poignant are the scenes of open water swimming, with all of its dangers but inspiring sense of awe.

My major issue with the book is it’s attempt to briefly cite the groups that have been historically excluded from swimming (namely, Black communities) which is set in the middle of a chapter about troops coming together in Iraq at a swimming pool (while, you know, essentially colonializing the country). I love the portrayal of the swim instructor in the chapter but as someone who has seen the stark disparities between white and POC children in swimming ability, I couldn’t help but think about the families and children that would never be offered the same opportunity to learn to swim.

Even with that said, this is a very quotable book that I will love to gift to people I have shared the pool with. I highly recommend it to anyone that finds tranquility and challenge in the water. Thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC, all opinions are my own.