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Summary
Summary
Hillary Clinton said that Find a Way would stay with her through the general election: "When you're facing big challenges in your life, you can think about Diana Nyad getting attacked by the lethal sting of box jellyfishes. And nearly anything else seems doable in comparison."
On September 2, 2013, at the age of sixty-four, Diana Nyad emerged onto the sands of Key West after swimming 111 miles, nation to nation, Cuba to Florida, in an epic feat of both endurance and human will, in fifty-three hours. Diana carried three poignant messages on her way across this stretch of shark-infested waters, and she spoke them to the crowd in her moment of final triumph:
1. Never, ever give up.
2. You're never too old to chase your dreams.
3. It looks like a solitary sport, but it's a Team.
Millions of people around the world cheered this maverick on, moved by her undeniable tenacity to be the first to make the historic crossing without the aid of a shark cage. At the end of her magnificent journey, after thirty-five years and four crushing failures, the public found hope in Diana's perseverance. They were inspired by her mantra--find a way--that led her to realize a dream in her sixties that had eluded her as a young champion in peak form.
In Find a Way, Diana engages us with a unique, passionate story of this heroic adventure and the extraordinary life experiences that have served to carve her unwavering spirit.
Diana was a world champion in her twenties, setting the record for swimming around Manhattan Island, along with other ocean-swim achievements, all of which rendered her a star at the time. Back then, she made the first attempt at the Mount Everest of swims, the Cuba Swim, but after forty-two hours and seventy-nine miles she was blown desperately off course. Her dream unfulfilled, she didn't swim another stroke for three decades.
Why, at sixty-four, was she able to achieve what she could not at thirty? How did her dramatic failures push her to success? What inner resources did Diana draw on during her long days and nights of training, and how did the power of the human spirit trump both the limitations of the body and the forces of nature across this vast, dangerous wilderness? This is the gripping story of an athlete, of a hero, of a bold mind. This is a galvanizing meditation on facing fears, engaging in our lives full throttle, and living each day with no regrets.
Author Notes
For her maverick open-water performance of the 1970s, Diana Nyad was known as the world's greatest long-distance swimmer. For the next thirty years, Nyad was a prominent sports broadcaster and journalist, filing compelling stories for National Public Radio, ABC's Wide World of Sports , and others. She is a national fitness icon, has written three other books, is a talented linguist, and is one of today's most powerful and engaging public speakers.
Reviews (4)
Publisher's Weekly Review
At 64, celebrated long-distance swimmer Nyad accomplished a feat that had eluded her at 28-making the first solo swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. While Cuba to the Keys is 94 miles for the proverbial crow, Nyad lacked wings and ultimately covered 110 miles through the powerful Gulf current, navigating hazards that included toxic jellyfish and peckish sharks, as well as severe nausea and dehydration. As Nyad narrates the financial and physical demands of her odyssey, which she undertook after a three-decade break from swimming, she also reviews her career as a television journalist and talk show host. Nyad sees her competitive drive as fueled by enduring anger over her sexual abuse as a child, and the ocean ultimately provides her with a means of transcendence. The strength of Nyad's memoir is her recounting of the journey: gym training and the rhythms of swimming, songs that help her time strokes, analysis of weather and water, sketches of her team members, and the delicate shuffle between two countries still fighting the Cold War. Nyad has a vibrant, informal voice and her anecdotes are intrinsically interesting. However, she rushes through events unrelated to her quest, while issues like her history of abuse and failed romances feel underexplored given her statements on how much they've influenced her life and work. (Oct.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
A celebrated endurance swimmer's account of her life in the water and the attempts that led to her successful 2013 swim from Cuba to Florida. Nyad's future as a swimming star seemed fated. On her fifth birthday, her stepfather revealed that the last name he had given her not only meant water nymph, but also champion swimmer. Four years later, her mother pointed across the Straits of Florida and observed that the island that produced the culture Nyad had fallen in love with was so close "you could almost swim there." She began training at age 10 and was soon competing at national championships. As much as she loved swimming for the highs it gave her, it was also an activity that helped her overcome the trauma of sexual abuse she faced from both her father and, later, a trusted swimming coach. By the time she had graduated high school, Nyad was a world-class swimmer, but she missed qualifying for the 1968 Olympics. She turned to open water marathon swimming in her early 20s. Fascinated by the idea of crossing from Florida to Cuba, she made one unsuccessful attempt to navigate the dangerous waters between Cuba and Key West in 1978; two years later, she ended her swimming marathon career to become a sports broadcaster and journalist. In 2010, at age 60, she began the first of four more attempts to swim between Cuba and Florida. Three years later, wearing a special protective suit and mask to protect against jellyfish stings, she managed the crossing in 53 hours. What makes Nyad's story so remarkable, beyond the harrowing trials she faced at seaunpredictable currents and weather, deadly sea animalsis the strength of a resolve that would not admit defeat and knew no boundaries. "Whatever your Other Shore is," she writes, "whatever you must doyou will find a way." Inspiring reading for anyone who has ever dared to dream the impossible. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* While Nyad has been a household name since 1975, when, at the age of 26, the swimmer famously circled the island of Manhattan (breaking the record by nearly an hour), and while the world was captivated by her successful completion on her fifth attempt of the nearly impossible, first-ever Cuba-to-Florida swim in 2013, at age 64, in just under 53 hours, casual observers might not fully comprehend the astonishing athleticism, force of will, and attention to detail she brought to bear until they finish this remarkable account. Not only did the Cuba-to-Florida swim require a staggering training regimen, along with the careful marshaling of dozens of team members from medical specialists to navigators to nutritionists it also required overcoming, from her telling, a harrowing childhood of family dysfunction and physical and sexual abuse. And while Nyad fiercely owns this story no as told to coauthor here she also envelops those friends, family, and colleagues who helped her along the way, and any readers who would take heart from it.--Moores, Alan Copyright 2015 Booklist
Library Journal Review
In 2013, open-water marathon swimmer Nyad (b. 1949) made history by swimming from Cuba to Key West, FL, without the assistance of a shark cage after a number of frustrating, failed attempts. In this comprehensive autobiography, Nyad (Boss of Me) offers a fascinating glimpse into her life as a talented and fiercely determined athlete. Using frank and clear prose, Nyad unflinchingly details the childhood sexual abuse she was resolved to move beyond, as well as her difficult relationship with a con-man father, her ongoing journey of personal growth, and audacious swimming feats. This inspiring tale of overcoming seemingly impossible obstacles to achieve a lifelong dream provides a gripping example of the strength of the human spirit regardless of age. VERDICT Particularly effective in its ability to portray the complex psychology of an extreme endurance athlete, Nyad's moving account is well suited for readers interested in open-water swimming, endurance sports, athletes' memoirs, or age-defying adventures. [See Prepub Alert, 4/6/15.]-Ingrid Levin, Salve Regina Univ. Lib., Newport, RI © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
1 Crisis | p. 3 |
2 The Deadly Box | p. 16 |
3 Aris | p. 26 |
4 Lucy | p. 35 |
5 Thirst for Commitment | p. 43 |
6 New York City | p. 54 |
7 Manhattan Island Swim: Game Changer | p. 63 |
8 The First Expedition | p. 71 |
9 Havana | p. 84 |
10 Athlete Identity Crisis | p. 92 |
11 Heartache | p. 101 |
12 The Person My Dog Thinks I Am | p. 107 |
13 Dors Bien, Maman | p. 111 |
14 Sixty: Existential Angst | p. 115 |
15 The Dream Rekindled | p. 118 |
16 It's On! 2010 | p. 123 |
17 First Summer in Key West | p. 138 |
18 Sharif | p. 146 |
19 Back to Key West | p. 150 |
20 Buck Up, Another Go: 2011 | p. 156 |
21 Guts Before Glory | p. 163 |
22 Red Alert | p. 174 |
23 Unprepared for the Unexpected | p. 181 |
24 Whisper of Hope | p. 190 |
25 The Last Hurrah: 2012 | p. 194 |
26 In Medias Res | p. 207 |
27 Will: No Limits | p. 219 |
28 Impasse: 2013 | p. 227 |
29 Atheist in Awe | p. 236 |
30 Infinitude | p. 243 |
31 Find a Way | p. 247 |
32 The Yellow Brick Road | p. 255 |
33 Never, Ever Give Up | p. 267 |
34 One Wild and Precious Life | p. 274 |
Credit Due | p. 287 |
Notes from the Author | p. 291 |
The Xtreme Dream Team | p. 293 |
Training Logs | p. 297 |