Solo Yet Never Alone - Laura E. Young

I received a signed copy of Laura E. Young’s book “Solo Yet Never Alone” as a gift bag/race kit during a swim briefing, the weekend I was about to embark on a swim across Lake Erie with a group of solo and relay swimmers. I wish I had read Laura’s book before that swim (it was a rough one; read the Hamilton Spectator article “Race across Lake Erie ends as swimmers get lost”). Laura (@leywriter) chronicles the swims and attempts of swimmers who have dared to cross the Great Lakes starting with Marilyn Bell - First Lady of the Lake, 1954. These swims are not about doing the front crawl for 10-24 hours, although that is a feat in itself; they are about an incredible human achievement of will and determination against the throws of mother nature, not unlike mountain climbing but on a horizontal plane rather than vertical. Laura gets into the emotions of each swimmer, the assembly of support crews enabling each journey, the conditions - sometimes treacherous - that were faced, and the success (in the swim community we see an attempt as much a success as a finish). Laura’s book is inspiring and I loved reading it! I am lucky to have met and swam beside many of the individuals covered in the book and it made their stories all the more interesting to me. Although her book will be especially appreciated by the open water swimming community, I believe Solo Yet Never Alone is an excellent book for everyone.
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