Bonnie Tsui lives, swims, and surfs in the Bay Area. A longtime contributor to the New York Times and California Sunday Magazine, she has been the recipient of the Jane Rainie Opel Young Alumna Award from Harvard University, the Lowell Thomas Gold Award, and a National Press Foundation Fellowship. Her last book, American Chinatown: A People's History of Five Neighborhoods, won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller and Best of 2009 Notable Bay Area Books selection. Her website is bonnietsui.com.
"Tsui is an excellent writer who draws you in from the first pages.
Her stories are so fascinating that you hardly notice that you're
following her farther and farther into the deep end. The good news
is that it is absolutely worth it."--BookRiot
Featured in San Francisco Chronicle's 10 books by Bay Area
authors that should be on your holiday list"
A Goodreads Science Technology Award Finalist "[An]
enthusiastic and thoughtful work mixing history, journalism and
elements of memoir . . . Tsui sets out to answer her title's
question with a compassionate understanding of how that mind game
stops some and a curiosity about how and why it seduces others . .
. Tsui endears herself to the reader as well. Her universal query
is also one of self, and her articulations of what she learns are
moving."
--The New York Times Book Review "Tsui's history of the human
relationship with water is compelling and profound, in writing so
fluid it mimics the flow of her subject . . . It captivated me from
start to finish."
--BuzzFeed (24 Books We Couldn't Put Down) "A cultural history of
humankind's relationship to bodies of water, an exploration of the
benefits and dangers of submerging one's own body in it, a
highlight reel of athletic feats of swimming and diving - and so
much more. Author Bonnie Tsui creates space for readers to meditate
on their own experiences in the water. As I read it I found an
escape, but also a connection to the water and to fellow humans who
are called to it."
--NPR's Book Concierge "A thoughtful inquiry into human
nature."
--Bustle (The 18 Most Anticipated Books Of April 2020) "Bonnie Tsui
captures the joy, peril and utility of swimming, within her family
and across civilizations . . . The breadth of her reporting and
grace of her writing make the elements of Why We Swim move
harmoniously as one."
--The San Francisco Chronicle "Former competitive swimmer and
current do-it-all writer Bonnie Tsui's Why We Swim . . .
explores our relationship with a sport that quite literally
represents quiet and flow (something we could use more of, no?) by
offering a look at a grab bag of eclectic examples, like swimming
samurais and an Icelandic shipwreck survivor."
--Outside Magazine "This fascinating look at the positive impact
swimming has had on our lives throughout history might leave most
readers eager to get back in the water as soon as possible."
--Booklist, starred review "Drawing on personal experience,
history, biology, and social science, the author conveys the appeal
of 'an unflinching giving-over to an element' and makes a
convincing case for broader access to swimming education (372,000
people still drown annually). An absorbing, wide-ranging story of
humans' relationship with the water."
--Kirkus Reviews
"Tsui opens her eclectic, well-crafted survey with a fascinating
story about an Icelandic fisherman who swam six kilometers in 41
degree water after his boat capsized . . . Readers will enjoy
getting to know the people and the facts presented in this
fascinating book."
--Publishers Weekly "Tsui is a poetic writer whose flowing,
immersive prose and colorful storytelling will hold significant
appeal for readers--especially swimmers--of all curiosities."
--Shelf Awareness "Bonnie Tsui's Why We Swim is a
love letter to swimming . . . In the tradition of memoir writers
like Rebecca Solnit, Tsui examines the history of swimming as a
sport, a survival skill, and even a martial art . . . Her hybrid
memoir and history book traces swimming's roots around the globe
while also looking at how a swim can be a meditative,
transformative, and deeply personal activity."
--Alta "Why We Swim is a celebration of the many varieties of joy
that swimming brings to our oxygen-breathing species."
--Foreword Reviews "A beautifully written love letter to water and
a fascinating story. I was enchanted."
--Rebecca Skloot, bestselling author of The Immortal Life of
Henrietta Lacks "The only thing better than reading Bonnie Tsui's
writing about swimming is swimming itself--and both are sublime.
Why We Swim is an aquatic tour de force, a captivating story filled
with adventure, meditation, and celebration."
--Susan Casey, New York Times bestselling author of
The Wave and Voices in the Ocean "This is a jewel of a
book, a paean to the wonders of water and our place within it."
--James Nestor, author of Deep: Freediving, Renegade Science,
and What the Ocean Tells Us about Ourselves "Magnificent. Only a
truly great story can hold my attention and Why We Swim had me
nailed to the chair . . . I love this book."
--Christopher McDougall, bestselling author of Born to
Run and Natural Born Heroes "Why We Swim is a
gorgeous hybrid of a book. Bonnie Tsui combines fascinating
reporting about some of the world's most remarkable swimmers with
delightful meditations about what it means for us naked apes to
leap in the water for no apparent reason. You won't regret diving
in."
--Carl Zimmer, author of She Has Her Mother's Laugh: The
Powers, Perversions, and Potential of
Heredity
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