
Swimming Pretty
The Untold Story of Women in Water
Vicki Valosik(Autor*in)
WW Norton & Co (Verlag)
Erschienen am 19. Juli 2024
Buch
Hardcover
432 Seiten
978-1-324-09304-6 (ISBN)
Beschreibung
Since the nineteenth century, tensions between beauty and strength, aesthetics and athleticism have both impeded and propelled the careers of female swimmers-none more so than synchronised swimmers. In this deeply researched history, Vicki Valosik traces a century of aquatic performance for the first time, from Victorian variety theatre and carnival shows to the 1984 elevation of synchronised swimming to Olympic status. Writing in eloquent prose, Valosik shows how early starlets like Lurline the Water Queen and Annette Kellerman boldly challenged restrictive codes set for women in water; more than just bathing beauties, they influenced lifesaving and physical-education programmes, dropped drowning rates and paved the way for new generations of female swimming athletes. Brimming with reverence and mesmerising detail, Swimming Pretty finally foregrounds an essential sport.
Rezensionen / Stimmen
"[An] enlightening, well-researched history . . . As [Valosik's] book reveals in fascinating detail, although women's access to the water has been mired for centuries in gender politics . . . women have transformed swimming for everyone in fundamental ways." -- Sarah L. Kaufman - Wall Street Journal "Journalist Vicki Valosik, herself a master synchronized swimmer, knows that the sport involves more than waterproof makeup and spangled costumes. Her new book, "Swimming Pretty: The Untold Story of Women in Water," traces the history of the sport with the precision and grace of an Esther Williams tableau . . . As the 2024 Games begin next month in Paris, "Swimming Pretty" can be a great primer on a spectacular, strenuous sport." -- The Los Angeles Times "[A] fascinating book... [Valosik] compellingly conveys how difficult it is to stay underwa-ter for minutes at a time, to kick in concert with seven other potent pairs of legs, to propel one's body high out of the water-in full makeup and with a dazzling smile." -- Lucy Moore - Literary Review "[Valosik] give[s] an exhaustive history of swimming pretty without exhausting you. Her writing is lively and takes you right into each moment, then sends you off to tell everyone else about how tough this beautiful sport is - even if trying it sounds like a very tall order." -- Isabel Hardman - The SpectatorWeitere Details
Sprache
Englisch
Verlagsort
New York
USA
Illustrationen
60 black-and-white illustrations
Maße
Höhe: 234 mm
Breite: 153 mm
Dicke: 37 mm
Gewicht
710 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-324-09304-6 (9781324093046)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Klassifikation
Weitere Ausgaben
Andere Ausgaben

E-Book
06/2024
Liveright
26,99 €
Als Download verfügbar
Person
Vicki Valosik is a masters synchronized swimmer whose writing has appeared in publications such as the Atlantic, Smithsonian magazine, and Slate. She is an editorial director and teaches writing at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland.