Swimming to Antarctica: Tales of a Long Distance Swimmer by Lynne Cox is the memoir of an Olympic long-distance swimmer who recounts her lifelong passion for swimming, rigorous training, and extraordinary exploits across famous bodies of water, including the English Channel, Bering Strait, and Antarctic waters, emphasizing personal growth, resilience, and the unifying power of swimming. The book includes descriptions of polluted environments and encounters with dangerous wildlife.

Adventurous

Inspirational

Challenging

Emotional

Hopeful

Reviews & Readership

4.3

5,248 ratings

81%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

Not a fan

Review Roundup

Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox is widely praised for its inspiring and vivid storytelling, chronicling the author’s remarkable endurance swimming feats in extreme conditions. Reviewers commend Cox's perseverance and detailed descriptions but note the book can occasionally feel repetitive. Overall, it’s an engaging read for fans of adventure and personal triumph.

Who Should Read Swimming to Antarctica?

A reader who enjoys inspiring, true-life adventures will relish Swimming to Antarctica by Lynne Cox. Fans of Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer or Endurance by Alfred Lansing will find similar thrills and perseverance in Cox's tale of her extraordinary open-water swims. This memoir is perfect for those who cherish stories of human endurance and triumph.

4.3

5,248 ratings

81%

Loved it

15%

Mixed feelings

Not a fan

Fun Facts

Lynne Cox is renowned for her astounding endurance in cold water and set multiple records, making her swims a significant feat in the swimming community.

Lynne Cox's swimming journey inspired not only readers but also scientists, who studied her ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

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The book Swimming to Antarctica highlights Lynne Cox's remarkable swim across the Bering Strait in 1987, which played a part in increasing conversation about US-Soviet relations during the Cold War.

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Book Details

Pages

359

Format

Autobiography / Memoir • Nonfiction

Genre

Travel Literature

•

Action & Adventure