Young Woman and the Sea - How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel

Young Woman & the Sea, by Glen Stout, started slowly; I was not hooked by the first few pages of the book. But as I kept reading, it drew me in to the world of a young swimmer, Gertrude (Trudy) Ederle, and how she went from a non-swimmer to the greatest swimmers of her time. I recommend this book for swimmers and for those interested in learning more about the early struggle of women and sports.

When Trudy Ederle swam across the English Channel in 1926, beating the current men's record by almost two hours, her moment in history was made. She became - for a short time - the most famous woman of her time. The story of Gertrude Ederle swimming across the English Channel is much more than just the 14-plus hours in the water. This book tells the fascinating tale of Gertrude Ederle and the development of women's swimming in the USA from early 1900's through Ederle's record-setting achievement of swimming across the English Channel.

Her achievement - first, swimming across the English Channel, and doing it faster than the best man had ever done - helped move women's sports into the modern era. It was hard for anyone to think that women were the "weaker" sex, that women could not handle the "strain" of rigorous sport activity.

The book starts slowly with some background on why learning to swim became important for women in the early 1900's and how Trudy Ederle and her family became involved in the sport. The story gives some insights on early English Channel swimmers, their conflict, rivalry, cooperation, and friendship. Swimmers trying to swim across the English Channel are chasing a "Don Quixote" goal, some with success, and many more without it.

Gertrude Ederle's story is well worth reading; it is an important chapter in the history of swimming.

Swim On!

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