Book Description
Eight Olympic medals, including six gold and two bronze in Athens in 2004, Michael Phelps is the current holder of six world records, and seven gold medals at the 2007 World Aquatics Championships. Phelps is well on his way to his ambitious goal of "changing the sport of swimming." But despite Michael's pre-eminence in the pool, his story is not a swimming diary but a tale of adversities overcome and redemption through persistence. This new softcover edition contains a substantial update, as Phelps reflects on his life since his record-setting performance in Athens. The Olympic star reflects on his November 2004, DUI arrest. He recalls his experiences as a student at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Phelps also takes readers poolside for his record-setting 2007 performance in Australia and shares his thoughts heading into the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A nice book
I think is a nice book, for the fans of Michael Phelps is really good, he shares important aspects of his life and is very interesting to see what this kid has overcome to be the best swimer in the world.

A GREAT Read
An excellent book with an inside look at the Olympic dream.
Very well written and inspiring.
t-minus until 2k8...

Surprisingly good
This is one of the best sports autobiographies I've read in a long time.
Yes,it's obvious that he had help with the book,but Michael comes across
as very mature,intelligent,and articulate.He tells his story very honestly and quite eloquently.Moreover,his love and enthusiasm for his sport,as well as his desire and efforts to raise its recognition in the
United States,are evident.And yes,he discusses his DWI arrest on the last page.To his credit,Michael is honest and apologetic about it.An excellent book that everyone will enjoy.

inspiring to swimmers everywhere
As a swimmer, I truely enjoyed watching Michael Phelps compete and succeed at the Athens games. So I was pretty excited when I heard he had a book out. I LOVED it!! It only took me one day. It is a really inspirational account about dedication and always giving your all. It sheds a whole new light on the sport in general, FINALLY giving it the attention it deserves. I absolutle love how Michael promotes the sport. The really great thing is that it is honest- he shares his veiws and feelings. It also wasnt a big book of times and races he was involved in.

I absolutly, 110% LOVED it.

Big Star...not Big Read
I agree this Michael seems a bit young to have already written an autobiography.The book was not exactly a "page-turner" ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document is an article from The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR), published by The Register Guard on February 23, 2004. The length of the article is 957 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Swimming on toward Athens.(Sports)(Birte Steven sets her sights on qualifying for Germany's Olympic team)
Publication: The Register-Guard (Eugene, OR) (Newspaper)
Date: February 23, 2004
Publisher: The Register Guard
Page: E1

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance, published by American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) on May 1, 1996. The length of the article is 1814 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

From the supplier: The International Center for Aquatic Research (ICAR) is conductingbiomechanical research in swimming to understand movement in water and to improve performance. The study also evaluates the human body and the internal and external forces acting on it. ICAR seeks to provide athletes with scientifically based methods for enhancing performance by analyzing their techniques and pointing out the areas for improvement.

Citation Details
Title: Enhancing performance with biomechanics.(Women in the Olympics)
Author: Jerry D. Wilkerson
Publication: JOPERD--The Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance (Refereed)
Date: May 1, 1996
Publisher: American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD)
Volume: v67Issue: n5Page: p34(4)

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Book Description
This digital document is an article from Parks & Recreation, published by National Recreation and Park Association on November 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1373 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: THE Water Down Under.(water quality,2000 Olympic aquatic facility - Sydney, Australia)
Author: Tim Batt
Publication: Parks & Recreation (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 1999
Publisher: National Recreation and Park Association
Volume: 34Issue: 11Page: 54

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Book Description
Five years ago, Natalie Coughlins promising swimming career was all but extinguished when a devastating shoulder injury ended her dreams for the 2000 Olympics. After becoming, at age 15, the first person ever to qualify for all 14 womens events at the U.S. Nationals, she seemed destined to follow the path of so many other young swimming starsdevoured by an oppressive training schedule. In Golden Girl, Sports Illustrateds Michael Silvercoauthor of many bestselling sports memoirsincluding Dennis Rodmans, Kurt Warners, and Jerry Ricestells the story of Natalies remarkable journey back from the brink. With complete access to her family, friends, coaches, teammates, and adversaries, Silver details how she made the crucial choice to train with University of California coach Teri McKeever. Together the two, star and coach, have defied long-standing training methods, forcing the swimming community to rethink the ways in which it treats its talent. An inspirational story of a complex and courageous young athlete, Golden Girl is also a fascinating portrait of the fractious world of competitive swimming. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Outstanding Book
Golden Girl is an absolutely outstanding book that takes a good look at not only Natalie Coughlin's push toward Olympic excellence but also talks about subjects that many consider taboo: the politics of the sport of swimming and the need for more rational training methods. I just bought a copy for my daughter's birthday. She's an Olympian in Judo. I'm an international level Judo coach. I was fascinated by the book and can easily relate to it since the Judo community suffers from the same malaise that the swimming world suffers from. Being an unconventional coach in Judo, I'm not surprised by all the negative reviews from people within the swimming world. I get the same treatment from my Judo peers who like Terri McKeever's and Dave Salo's peers are too insecure or "know it all" to even look into alternative training methods. Since I am heavily involved in coach education, I will make this book a required reading for all Judo coaches. My advice to you, the prospective buyer of this book, is to ignore the negative reviews from the swimming culture that Golden Girl decries, unless of course you too are stuck on the conventional and can't handle outside-the-box ideas.

One of a kind
The swimming literature with which I am familiar - Gold in the Water, Champions, Four Champions: One Gold Medal, Michael Phelps: Beneath the Service, By a Fraction of a Second - satiate my interest for swimming-centered narrative, but, in my opinion, the genre, as represented by this collection of books, is one dimensional.I find that these types of books (I would include a few running, and football books among them) are purportedly about courageous young athletes that overcome and achieve through commitment, belief, and the support of teammates, family, and coaches.The narrative certainly appeals to the target audience -athletes, coaches,and parents, that are deeply invested in the system that is celebrated through these pleasing tales.In my experience, as an athlete and a coach, the narrative is fairly accurate.But there are other stories to tell, and Michael Silver tries to tell one of them.Silver, like no other writer that has told the tale of swimmer and coach, questions the hard-nosed-coach archetype.He also questions the culture, the competitive swimming culture, in which this type of coach thrives.

The title of the book is Golden Girl.Its Natalie's show, and all of the inherent benefits and detriments accrue.Silver tells her story, and he is clearly sympathetic with her version of the story. Perhaps if the intentions and methods of the coaches are fair game, then so are the intentions and the methods of the writer. I, for one, understand that from an outsiders perspective the world of competitive swimming might seem as backwards and dysfunctional as we've been led to believe women's figure skating and gymnastics are.Silver, it seems clear, is an outsider, and though his view of competitive swimming must have certainly been filtered through the experiences of Natalie, he seems to me to have a fair amount of corroboration.And to be honest the corroborating anecdotes that he includes don't seem particularly damaging (excepting perhaps the stories of the Terrapin Coach badgering female swimmers about their weight).I think we all know that there are some hard-nosed, mean SOBS, coaching out there.By and large, we would agree that most of these coaches really care about their athletes.They've had their say.For swim coaches, its been chronicled in the annals of Swimming World Magazine and just about every book on swimming that has every been written. This book is about giving Natalie a say.This book is about giving McKeever a say.To some they may come off as bitter or dysfunctional or defensive.It only makes them human.Bottome line is they did it their way, and win or lose, they succeeded.A core precept of McKeever's philosophy seems to be the the journey is more important than the destination.That Silver, in giving this say, allows them to question competitive swimming's cultures, institutions, and some of its personalities, seems unavoidable and possibly an opportunity for the sport to engage in some healthy introspection.

Just about every book on swimming that has ever been written tells a single tale.This book tells a different tale.Its a tale that's not all that different from one that has been told before, told by a coach, in his own words - Sprinting: A Coach's Challenge by Sam Freas.Its a different type of book - a mix of narrative and instruction - but if you liked Golden Girl you may want to check it out.

Piqued my interest in alternative training techniques
Based on the other comments, I thought this book would be a litany of complaints by Natalie.I assumed she would really bash her old coach. Instead, he is mentioned mostly in the context of the difference between his training philosophy and that of Teri McKeever.Ray Mitchell occupies part of a chapter.This leads me to believe that those who are outraged must not have taken the time to read the book.

That being said, I thought the book was more about the Cal swim season with a focus on Natalie and McKeever.It was a fascinating look at a different approach to swimming - focus on technique, workout variety and team building.As one of the many burned out former age groupers who swam lot of 10K+ workouts, I think the whole swimming world should celebrate that coaches such as McKeever and Salo are willing to try something new.Natalie and the Cal swim program are proof that there is more to swim training than piling up yardage.This is really inspiring. I used to worry about whether I was doing the right thing by introducing my children to this sport.This book has helped to re-ignite my love for competitive swimming.

The Negative Book about Swimming
I have read the book and I am shocked of the way
she talks about her coaches and some of her teammates.Negative, selfish!
It is sad how a champion of her caliber can write a book like this one.

I do not recommend this book to children or any person who might want
to get a view of swimming.

Do not waste your money on this book.Find other books who will
give you a positive inside of the sport of swimming like the Michael
Phelps' book or Summer Sanders' book.

I would like to give O starts to this book.

For swimmers of ALL ages!
What a great book!A great read for 12+ swimmers and a MUST READ for all swim parents!This book really helped me gain perspective on my children's swimming and my own! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description
Gold in the Water is the highly acclaimed and mesmerizing tale about the remarkable two-year journey an elite team of swimmers takes to the Olympic Games. P.H. Mullen creates a fascinating world of suspense and emotion, where the human desire for excellence rules and where there are no second chances for glory. Above all, Gold in the Water is about the triumph of the human spirit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (33)

The world of professional swimming
Gave a glimpse of the professional swimming world.Starting with kids beginning swimming to Olympians from the perspective of professional coach.Entertaining and more appreciative to the sport.But too late for me to join.

Water is gold
Very nice book about swimming as a sport and the people, swimmers and coaches and more, in and behind it. One of few great books about swimming.

Just about the best book ever
Seriously inspiring, got me through a lot of long practises.

Great motivating story that will inspire you do follow your dreams...
P.H. Mullen's Gold in the Water is a story that i first came into contact with a couple years ago.It is a fast paced true tale about average men trying to accomplish their goals.Reading the story over and over has helped me get through the hard times in and out of the pool.You don't need to be a swimmer to appreciate this story, but it does help.As I am in film school now, this is one story that can inspire more people then Remember the Titans with the Olympic power of Miracle.I encourage every athlete, Olympic fan, parent, or anyone who has a goal to accomplish to buy a copy of this book and one for their coach or mentor.It is a book to read over and over again.

Gold in the Water - Extraordinary Story!
As an athlete and the parent of a swimmer who's "Gold" is making it to the NCAA Championships one day, I believe this book is one of the few that truly captures the highs and lows of the swimming world.P.H. Mullen brought tears to my eyes with his compassionate, yet brutaly realistic retelling of SCA swimmers going for the gold.This story helps you appreciate what happens everyday with every swimmer who truly dedicates themselves to being the best! The emotional and physical sacrifices made by swimmers all over the U.S. are not paralled in very many other sports.This book should be read by every athlete who has a dream! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

So inspiring and emotional.A must read for all athletes.
This book brought me to tears while reading her thoughts and feelings on her fiancé's death.Sylvie is such a strong-willed person.She makes you wish that you had her amazing strength and courage.

A French Canadian synchronized swimmer's gold medalquest
I found the story of Sylvie Frechette's childhood and young adult years in Quebec to be of some interest, but was greatly disappointed (as a former synchronized swimmer myself) that she dealt so little with the technical and training aspects of her sport. ... Read more

Book Description
Read about seven members (five medalists) on the U.S. Olympic team, including: Megan Quann, gold medalist, 100 breast, 400 medley relay, Kristy Kowal, silver medalist, 200 breast and Lindsay Benko, gold medalist, 4 x 200 relay, and three other Olympic Trials finalists and semi-finalists, including Kristine Quance-Julian and Keiko Price.

Athletes at all levels and in all sports, as well as coaches, officials, and parents, will find inspiration in the stories of athletes trying to come back from a car accident, injury and pregnancy; athletes trying to step up to the elite level; and athletes trying to maintain their position at the top of the sport.

Also included in the book is helpful information about technique and training, as well as discussions of current issues such as; high-tech swimwear, eating disorders, and performance-enhancing drugs. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Interesting, but not quite a page-turner
This book was very interesting and I loved to read about the young women in USA Swimming! However, it seems like some of the stories may be a little skewed.

Interesting look at today's Olympic swimmers
I first read this book after the 2000 Olympics, and I picked it up again when I saw that several of the swimmers in the book are on the current Olympic team--Natalie Coughlin, Kaitlin Sandeno, Diana Munz, and Lindsay Benko. This book gives a realistic (not a "rah-rah") look at what it takes to be the best. Knowing what these swimmers have had to go through to make the Olympic team makes it all the more interesting to watch them swim.

So-so at best
This book has no coherent theme or direction (except maybe "Yeah American swimming!") and jumps around constantly, never spending more than a few pages on a single person.It also shamelessly aggrandizes everyone (swimmers and coaches) it talks about, making no effort whatsoever to talk about the failures, suffering and shortcomings that are as much a part of the process of swim training and racing as the medals and Olympic glory.If you want to read a good book about the preparation for and competition leading up to the Olympics, read "Gold in the Water."Maybe this book is trying to do something different than "Gold in the Water" did but if so, I don't know what it is and it didn't do it particularly well.
That said, this book is not a complete waste.It is kind of a cool book to skim with trials and Athens coming up just to remember (or learn) who's who (or who was who in 2000) in American women's swimming, especially since mainstream coverage of swimming is so poor except between July and September of an olympic year.It might also be worth a look if you have a daughter who swims and want to expose her to positive female role models.Don't expect Pulitzer prize writing or any kind of in-depth study of any of the characters though.

By a Fraction of a Second
I found this book very inspiring for athletes as well as for coaches.It gives in depth stories about real athletes and what makes them successful, how they deal with defeat and how they live their lives.
I highly recommend this book to any sports fan, especially to people that are passionate about swimming.There are great stories and everyone can learn something about what makes a champion!
This is an outstanding book to read before the 2004 Olympics Games because almost every single athlete listed in the book is still swimming and trying again to make the team.Go USA!

Cyndi Gallagher
Head Coach, UCLA Swimming

Beyond the lane lines
I'm not a swimmer. I've been a swim official and followed a swimming daughter for over a decade. This book brings the personality of swimmers to the forefront. It's a real page-turner, and you can experience vicariously the chlorine and the struggles that these young women encounter to be elite swimmers.
I recommend this book. As a librarian and a swim parent, I know how hard it is to find books for girls on swimming. This is a great read and gives long overdue attention to the sport. For the novice to the expert, there's material here to inform as well as entertain. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Photo Quality
First off, this book is not a hardcover as advertised.It's a legal size paperback.The photos would have made the book but they were blurred and extremely poorly replicated.The photo collection and newspaper shots looked like good choices.I only wish I could have see them clearly.

A fascinating compendium of stories and interviews
Mermaids On Parade: America's Love Affair With Its First Olympic Women Swimmers is a fascinating compendium of stories and interviews with more than two dozen American women who competed in Olympic swimming events and helped to bring the sport to the enthusiastic attention of the sports minded public. Buck Dawson's informative and engaging text is enhanced with a profusion of period photographs of the female athletes who dominated this women's sport event from 1907 to 1957 and rose to excellence in this competitive sport with grace, beauty and personality -- making generations of girls want to learn to swim and to compete. Mermaids On Parade is highly recommended reading for Olympic sports enthusiasts, women's studies supplemental reading lists, and anyone who has every thrilled to a women's swim meet competition. ... Read more

Book Description
A vibrant portrait of American swimmer Michael Phelps-the dominant athlete at the 2004 Olympics-who has relentlessly pushed himself, promoted his sport, and appears poised to ultimately accumulate the most gold medals in Olympic historyBefore he was old enough to have a driver's license, Michael Phelps had a world record. Before he ever took a college class or turned 20, he had earned distinction by winning 8 medals-6 gold and 2 bronze-at the Athens Olympics, the most in non-boycotted Games. Along the way, he captivated an American television audience and confounded the critics who questioned his ambition.Amazing Pace:#8226; provides the most revealing look yet at a young man who became a world-class athlete before he had the chance to grow up-by respected Baltimore Sun journalist Paul McMullen, who followed Phelps's rise from an obscure 14-year-old to the most scrutinized competitor at the world's biggest sporting event#8226; details the plotting of his career, from turning professional at age 16, to the management of the first crises he encounteredPaul McMullen's 5 years of observation add dramatic context to the life of a young athlete whose rise to prominence coincided with the tumult of the first Summer Olympics after 9/11. No Olympian has ever earned 10 gold medals in a career, but Michael Phelps is on pace to achieve that milestone at the 2008 Games in Beijing, China. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Interesting, ButNot "The" Book on Swimming
Michael Phelps has always been generous with reporters, so many scattered profiles of him exist. This book nicely brings the information together. And perhaps it can be revised after the 2008 Olympics.

McMullen covered Phelps for the "Baltimore Sun" and seems to have developed good relationships with Phelps and his people. McMullen adopts an upbeat tone: he enjoys Phelps' accomplshments and values the perspectives of Phelps' family and coach. As a local man who was on the story almost fulltime, McMullen knows things that other writers do not, such as Phelps' probable income, the content of arguments between Phelps and his father, the impact of Phelps' sister's swimming career on his own.

McMullen's book complements rather than competes with Phelps' own autobiography, "Beneath the Surface," written with Brian Cazeneuve. Indeed, McMullen strives to fill in background and perspective that the informally told biography leaves out.

Those good things said, the book offers some frustrations. The chief one is McMullen's refusal to narrate chronologically. Each chapter, until the 2004 Olympics, starts with a competition, then circles back to discuss some issue, such as family, professionalism in the Olympics, dietary suuplements (he actually makes supplements almost interesting). The effect is that twice when I resumed reading after a break, I forgot where I was in Phelps' career. Within chapters, I also felt unstuck in time. Chapter 1 starts with a meet in 2003, cycles back to discuss Phelps' parents, then lingers for over a page on the 2000 Olympics. What happened to narrative order?

Two other complaints. McMullen does not demystify the sport. Unlike, for example, John Feinstein who embeds illuminating information in his basketball books without impeding the narrative flow, McMullen leaves complex issues undiscussed. Why do swimmers train as they do? What made Coach Bowman's methods with Phelps successful? How do race strategies differ in various events? Further, McMullen is not very dramatic at describing races, which is sad because Phelps often comes from behind to win.

The book is a fun and fast read. Yet we still need a book that does for Olympic level swimming what Feinstein's "A Season on the Brink" does for college basketball and what H. G. Bissinger's "Friday Night Lights" does for football.

All swim fans should read this book
This book is a really interesting read. I suspect most people who pick this book up will be swimming fans, though that really isn't a prerequisate. Paul McMullen gives you tons of background and the best history lesson on the sport you can find. I found the details in the history terrific. I liked reading about all of the past and present swimmers.Some are stars, others are unfamiliar names. I loved how meets and races were dissected. I found the information about doping particularly interesting because that was all new to me.There was so much information in this book and it was conveyed in a captivating way.

Having read the other Phelps book, Beneath the Surface, I finished this book much more satisfied. Amazing Pace delved much deeper below the surface and gave a lot of insight into Michael Phelps's life and swim career. Honestly, it probably isn't fair to compare the two books since the other one seemed geared to a different audience. Amazing Pace seemed written for sports lovers, not just Michael Phelps lovers.

I loved how the author organized the book, sometimes jumping around. I liked the anecdotes about Phelps's family, even though they were sometimes painful to read. The swimmer's relationship with his father was especially hard to digest. Thankfully he has strong bonds with his mother and sisters. There's a part in the book that describes a scene with the women in his life after Phelps has won his first Olympic gold medal. I was brought to tears by it, though I also felt a little guilty about spying on such a personal moment.

Other aspects of Phelps's life were sometimes difficult to read about. The pressure put on him to top Spitz's achievements seemed unfair for a kid of just 19 to handle. It's surprising he was so cool and poised during the 2004 games given the heat of the media and fans. It wasn't easy to read about the period post-Olympics when things fell apart a bit. I don't just mean the DUI. That was a mistake to be sure, but the touring and the injury were harder to read about.

The book is not a downer, as one might think from what I've said so far. There are many funny tales and the relationship between Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, is endlessly fascinating.There's also the actual swimming.Paul McMullen breaks down each day of the 2004 Athens Olympics and I was on the edge of my seat reading about the races, even though I knew the outcomes. I had to go back and watch some races because the book inspired me so much.

I think there are a lot of lessons to be learned from this book. First and foremost, it shows that in order to achieve things like Michael Phelps has, you have to work really really hard. Few people in this world have it in them to work that hard. Phelps is to be admired for the effort he's put into his swimming, moreso than the medals he's won. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

absolutly fantastic
memories of a fox, was writen by a man who basically dedicated his wholelife to a sport he loved, through his strugles and hard times he managed toemerge the worlds best swimmers.it is a truly inspiring story about thepast and present swimmers of australia.

Memories of a Fox
Sensational read!

This is a truly inspirational story of a man who overcame unfortunate circumstances to be the world's greatest swimming coach of his time. He coached 52 world records, 9 Olympic Gold medals -included coaching Dawn Fraser to 3 successive Olympic Gold medals in the1956, 1960 and 1964 games for the 100 Freestyle.

An absolute must read! ... Read more