Lisa Congdon
“There’s something about the water that invites us to jump in. And when we do, we are immersed in fun, in joy, and in love.”
— Lynne Cox, from the foreword
A recent Masters Swimmer on the Willamette Valley Aquatic Club Masters team (they are no longer active) in Portland, OR, has published a book about swimming. Her name is Lisa Congdon and her book came out April 19th.
Lisa Congdon, bestselling author of Whatever You Are, Be a Good One, presents a colorfully illustrated tribute to our universal love for swimming: The Joy of Swimming: A Celebration of our Love for Getting in the Water. Congdon brings her personal passion as a lifelong swimmer to this beautiful and thoughtful collection of words and imagery about one of the world’s most treasured past-time and athletic endeavors.
Here you’ll find hand-lettered inspirational quotes; illustrated collections of vintage swimsuits; a chart of the average human’s swimming speed compared with other animals; great moments in Olympic swimming history; vintage pool signs; the rules for public swimming pools around the world; and much more. The Joy of Swimming also features dozens of watercolor portraits paired with personal stories about swimmers both historic and everyday, from Gertrude Ederle, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim the English Channel; to Amanda Commodore, a 13-year-old Native American competitive swimmer; to 92-year-old Paul Cryan who took up the sport when he retired 30 years ago and still swims three days a week.
An emphasis on swimming as a way of life makes this volume one that will speak to serious swimmers and vacation paddlers alike. The book’s foreword is written by distance swimming icon, Lynne Cox, who has broken record after record in long-distance swimming.
About the Author
Lisa Congdon is an artist, illustrator, author, and avid swimmer whose books include Whatever You Are Be a Good One, Fortune Favors the Brave, and Art Inc., among others. She lives in Portland, Oregon. Foreword writer Lynne Cox is a record-breaking long-distance swimmer and bestselling author who lives in Southern California.