Other shores

by Diana Nyad

The inspiring story of a remarkable woman who has fulfilled her psychological and emotional goals by pushing her body to its physical limits.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir

Hardcover

Published January 1, 1978

About the author

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

[Mike DAVis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoroughly enjoyable reading experience..

[Yumeng Wang · Rating 4 out of 5]

a much more engrossing book that I expected.
was really attracted to: the extremism; the imposition of human will against time and space and nature; survival stories; her extreme competence; her spirit; her feminism. also found the sensory deprivation description bits interesting.

this book ends right as she prepares to tackle her first Cuba swim.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

“All survivors tell of the depressing death of time. Marathon swimmers must also cope with the death of time. After all, the structure of time is probably one of civilization’s most comforting creations. Defining the day, the year, one’s life in terms of time lends some sense of purpose. The measure of time assures the worth of the past and the growth of the future. But in fighting for one’s survival, the death of time is disconcerting in that one moment can’t in any way be distinguished from another; the purposive nature of time is destroyed because there is no concept that the end is actually a possibility. There is no faith that any action might prove useful for the future” (150).

“But rough salt water is infinitely worse because there is the added misery of swallowing. Every swimmer accidentally takes in a certain amount of water over a period of hours. The waves are not predictable, and as you become more tired and lose the physical strength to breathe high or the mental clarity to concentrate continually on avoiding swallowing, you take in gulp after gulp” (167).

“very few mouthfuls go by before you being retching your guts up” (167).

[M.G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diana Nyad is an incredibly intense person. Although it can be said that her ambition seems to get the best of her at times, I believe her courage and willingness to push the envelope of what is accepted and what is possible is truly inspiring. Reading this book (which Nyad wrote when she was 28) and knowing that she would continue to finish The Cuba Swim when she was in her sixties is mind-boggling. An interesting and good read!

[Isabel Jazmín · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me gustó la manera en la que cuenta cómo son esas horas que pasa nadando, cómo su mente era lo más difícil de entrenar y las estrategias que usaba para acallarla.

Es realmente una persona que inspira no solamente por sus logros deportivos sino por su tenacidad y la manera de sobrellevar cuestiones personales.

[Karis North · Rating 3 out of 5]

I so wanted to like this book more!

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read ! Diana has overcome many obstacles and never gave up.

[Richard T. Wisp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Courageous woman.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking forward to her memoir. I saw it is due out in 2015