This book was such fun - combining something we all know a lot about - competitive swimming - with the history of it in our country through the legendary Charles Daniels. Had I ever heard of him? No. Is this a fascinating true story? Yes! I love books like this that take something I knew nothing about while tying it together with familiar things going on during the same time. Thoroughly and well-researched with fun extra notes to read throughout , this book would be a great read for anyone who loves an underdog story. Loved the photographs! Thanks to Ballantine for the advanced copy!

"openness to all genders" in 1908????? Oh come on! Stay in your lane, guy. This is history not today.
After that I skimmed. Too much speculation on what might/could have happened or been thought. This is called FICTION, not non-fiction.

This is the kind of book that reminds you of Rudi or Brian's Song. It the tall of those people who feel that they've come up with a great sports idea and want to do all they can to make it popular. In the late 1890s few Americans could swim which was strange for a country bounded on two sides by oceans and containing so of the biggest rivers in the world. But most Americans couldn't swim.

Most of those who swam (watermen) belonged to private men's club that had small pools of 25 yards or less. For many years they only used the backstroke and the breaststroke. In the first modern Olympic in Athens in 1896 all events were held in ocean water or coves. It wasn't pretty and most of the medals were won by Great Britain where swimming was widespread.

Though there were Americans at the 1900 Olympics, the Americans were badly humiliated by the English. Just before the 1904 Olympics, the sidewheel paddle steamer General Slocum caught fire
and over 1000 people drowned. What made it even worse was that the ship sank twenty-five feet from land. The newspapers and the YMCA began a program of water safety and swimming.

By the 1904 Olympics (the 1906 non-Olympics) and the 1908, the Americans had begun to bring top flight swimmers to compete. By the time of the 1908 Olympics, Americans held almost all the world's swimming records. The first great American swimmer was Charlie Daniels who won medals at the 1904 and 1908 Olympics, after which many colleges began swim teams and the US became a world power at swimming.

This is a book with a lot of potential, but struggles to find its direction. My main feedback would be for another really strong round of editing. There is a lot of speculative emotion, movement between storylines that seem frivolous, and very little connection to the characters being built. In the end, the book struggles to find a cohesive narrative. It seems as if the author is trying to tell every story imaginable and as a result struggles to find one. It seems to try to do too much and never gets where it needs to be. Its an important set of stories that all deserve to be told, but maybe not as one long, disjointed process.

Free ARC from Net Galley

Great story of Charles Daniels and what Olympic competitors used to represent, before work load and mental weakness, complaints and product marketing.

Another great historical reason why America was once GREAT! Read AND HEED!!!