The Watermen: The Birth of American Swimming and One Young Man's Fight to Capture Olympic Gold

Synopsis

The feel-good underdog story of &“one of the most fascinating people not only in the sport of swimming but in all of athletics&” (Olympic gold medalist Rowdy Gaines): the first American swimmer to win Olympic gold, set against the turbulent rebirth of the modern Games—for fans of The Boys in the Boat and Seabiscuit&“A truly compelling story of athletic triumph, individual perseverance in the face of adversity, and significant social history.&”—Bob Costas, former NBC host of twelve Olympic GamesIn the early twentieth century, few Americans knew how to swim, and swimming as a competitive sport was almost unheard of. That is, until Charles Daniels took to the water.On the surface, young Charles had it all: high-society parents, a place at an exclusive New York City prep school, summer vacations in the Adirondacks. But the scrawny teenager suffered from extreme anxiety thanks to a sadistic father who mired the family in bankruptcy and scandal before abandoning Charles and his mother altogether. Charles&’s only source of joy was swimming. But with no one to teach him, he struggled with technique—until he caught the eye of two immigrant coaches hell-bent on building a U.S. swim program that could rival the British Empire&’s seventy-year domination of the sport.Interwoven with the story of Charles&’s efforts to overcome his family&’s disgrace is the compelling history of the struggle to establish the modern Olympics in an era when competitive sports were still in their infancy. When the powerful British Empire finally legitimized the Games by hosting the fourth Olympiad in 1908, Charles&’s hard-fought rise climaxed in a gold-medal race where British judges prepared a trap to ensure the American upstart&’s defeat.Set in the early days of a rapidly changing twentieth century, The Watermen—a term used at the time to describe men skilled in water sports—tells an engrossing story of grit, of the growth of a major new sport in which Americans would prevail, and of a young man&’s determination to excel.

Copyright:

2022

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

ISBN-13:

9780593357057

Related ISBNs:

9780593357040

Publisher:

Random House Publishing Group

Date of Addition:

06/07/22

Copyrighted By:

Michael Loynd

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction, Sports, Biographies and Memoirs, Social Studies

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.