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Just Add Water: My Swimming Life
A candid and inspiring memoir from Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and one of the best swimmers ever to Katie Ledecky.
Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. She is a three-time Olympian, a seven-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and a world record-holder in individual swimming events. Time and again, the question is posed to her family, her coaches, and to her—what makes her a champion? Now, for the first time, she shares what it takes to compete at an elite level.
Again and again, Ledecky has broken those of others and, increasingly, her own. She is both consistent and innovative—consistent at setting goals and shattering them, and innovative in the way she approaches her training. A true competitor, she sets her goals by choosing the ones that feel the scariest. But, crucially, she never sacrifices the joy of competition, even in the face of adversity. Her positive mental outlook and a great support system provides the springboard to her success.
Just Add Water charts Ledecky’s life in swimming. It details her start in Bethesda, Maryland, where she played sharks and minnows and first discovered the joy of the pool; her early foray into the Olympics at the tender age of fifteen where, as the youngest member of the American team, she stunned everyone by winning her first gold medal; her time balancing competition and her education at Stanford University; how she developed a champion’s mindset that has allowed her to persevere through so many meets, even under intense pressure; and how she has maintained her dominance in a sport where success depends on milliseconds. You learn how every element of her life—from the support of her family to the tutelage of her coaches, from her childhood spent in summer league swimming to the bright lights of Olympic pools in London, Rio, and Tokyo—set her up to become the champion she is.
In the end, Katie’s story is about testing yourself against the difficult, and seeing who you become on the other side.
Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. She is a three-time Olympian, a seven-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and a world record-holder in individual swimming events. Time and again, the question is posed to her family, her coaches, and to her—what makes her a champion? Now, for the first time, she shares what it takes to compete at an elite level.
Again and again, Ledecky has broken those of others and, increasingly, her own. She is both consistent and innovative—consistent at setting goals and shattering them, and innovative in the way she approaches her training. A true competitor, she sets her goals by choosing the ones that feel the scariest. But, crucially, she never sacrifices the joy of competition, even in the face of adversity. Her positive mental outlook and a great support system provides the springboard to her success.
Just Add Water charts Ledecky’s life in swimming. It details her start in Bethesda, Maryland, where she played sharks and minnows and first discovered the joy of the pool; her early foray into the Olympics at the tender age of fifteen where, as the youngest member of the American team, she stunned everyone by winning her first gold medal; her time balancing competition and her education at Stanford University; how she developed a champion’s mindset that has allowed her to persevere through so many meets, even under intense pressure; and how she has maintained her dominance in a sport where success depends on milliseconds. You learn how every element of her life—from the support of her family to the tutelage of her coaches, from her childhood spent in summer league swimming to the bright lights of Olympic pools in London, Rio, and Tokyo—set her up to become the champion she is.
In the end, Katie’s story is about testing yourself against the difficult, and seeing who you become on the other side.
255 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2024
588 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,242 reviews
July 8, 2024
I was very excited to read this one. Katie Ledecky is local to me and she is an incredible olympian. But man this book was so DRY. I was so bored. I listened to the audiobook and she read it. To be honest that might been one of the reasons I did not like it. Because she just read this in such a monotone boring way. Also, frankly, I did not think this book was that interesting. I also feel like she is kind of young to be writing a memoir. She is only 27 and hasn't really had much happen to her other than being in the Olympics. Also, I felt like some of the things in this book were not necessary and felt like they were just added in to make the book longer. I think she should stick to swimming and not writing... But with all this said she is a very talented swimmer and I am excited to see her in the Olympics this summer.
June 13, 2024
I absolutely loved this memoir!! Katie goes into so much about her start of swimming, training, Olympics, life outside the pool, all the accomplishments she has achieved. She also gives some insight on her family and her grandparents shaping who she is today. Katie is such an inspiration for me and so many this book gives you inside look at who she is and what pushes her in the water but also on land. I’ve truly enjoyed watching her achieve so many records over the years and can’t wait to keep watching her push past her goals! Keep swimming and achieving your dreams Katie!
October 15, 2024
I listened to Just Add Water: My Swimming Life on audiobook and it is narrated fabulously by Katie Ledecky. I love it when an author narrates their book!
Ledecky shares her childhood and young adulthood moments that shaped her into the person she is today. The challenges that both of her grandfathers faced demonstrate why she has so much grit, determination, and focus. Ledecky is humble, kind, grateful, and continually focused on autographing her work (swimming) with excellence.
Ledecky also provides insight into how COVID impacted her training for the Olympics. She recognizes and appreciates her many coaches, mentors, and friends who have influenced her career.
I wish her the very best as new chapters unfold in her life.
Ledecky shares her childhood and young adulthood moments that shaped her into the person she is today. The challenges that both of her grandfathers faced demonstrate why she has so much grit, determination, and focus. Ledecky is humble, kind, grateful, and continually focused on autographing her work (swimming) with excellence.
Ledecky also provides insight into how COVID impacted her training for the Olympics. She recognizes and appreciates her many coaches, mentors, and friends who have influenced her career.
I wish her the very best as new chapters unfold in her life.
October 6, 2024
I was curious to know more about Katie Ledecky after watching her swim in the last four Olympics. In this unforgettable memoir, I learned so much about swimming at the elite level but more than that, I learned about Katie and what a remarkable young lady she is.
Katie’s memoir is comprised of many chapters - each chapter is devoted to a person who has influenced her life. With humility and respect she reflects on the relationships and the journey her life has taken so far.
Even though she is regarded as the best swimmer in the world, the most decorated Olympian, and has won countless medals and trophies from local, regional, collegiate, national, international, and Olympic events, the thing she values most is her family and friends. There were multiple times in this memoir where she stresses the importance of kindness and being helpful to others.
One particular comment really impressed me:
“……what the order of business has always been in our family. Try your best at what you hope to achieve. But be a good person first, last, and always. Be kind, be generous, and follow through. Those were the values my parents instilled in me, beyond the desire to swim and swim fast. My parents taught me that being successful at anything hardly matters in the long run if you can’t look in the mirror and be proud of what you see looking back at you. I know for a fact that my parents are more thrilled by how I carry myself in the world than by any medal I’ve earned or world record I’ve broken.”
Katie Ledecky is an amazing young lady who would be a wonderful role model for any young person and a truly outstanding representative of an American athlete on the world stage.
Katie’s memoir is comprised of many chapters - each chapter is devoted to a person who has influenced her life. With humility and respect she reflects on the relationships and the journey her life has taken so far.
Even though she is regarded as the best swimmer in the world, the most decorated Olympian, and has won countless medals and trophies from local, regional, collegiate, national, international, and Olympic events, the thing she values most is her family and friends. There were multiple times in this memoir where she stresses the importance of kindness and being helpful to others.
One particular comment really impressed me:
“……what the order of business has always been in our family. Try your best at what you hope to achieve. But be a good person first, last, and always. Be kind, be generous, and follow through. Those were the values my parents instilled in me, beyond the desire to swim and swim fast. My parents taught me that being successful at anything hardly matters in the long run if you can’t look in the mirror and be proud of what you see looking back at you. I know for a fact that my parents are more thrilled by how I carry myself in the world than by any medal I’ve earned or world record I’ve broken.”
Katie Ledecky is an amazing young lady who would be a wonderful role model for any young person and a truly outstanding representative of an American athlete on the world stage.
August 13, 2024
I enjoyed this but I don't think anyone who doesn't care about swimming as a sport/was not a swimmer would find it very engaging. A good 65% of the book is her talking about times, splits, types of practice sets, coaching methods, the super technical side of her swimming at meets, etc. Another 25% or so is about her family. Definitely not the most exciting or amazingly written memoir I've ever read, and it did verge quite cheesy at times but I assume you'd get that out of any sports memoir. There aren't a ton of really crazy insights about her life either. My girl just loves swimming. I would bet they cut a good 50-100 pages from this that were more of her talking about training and splits and her time goals. I would have read those pages. I also wonder why she decided to write a book when at the time she had a good at least 1 or 2 more Olympics in her? I want to hear about her meeting the MUFFIN MAN in Paris!! Cover is slightly hein but forgivable. My fave moment from this is her talking about rewatching the broadcast of her first Olympic gold medal in the 800 in London, when no one knew who she was and William and Kate showed up to watch this British lady who was the heavy favorite win at a home olympics and they kept saying "this random 15 year old American took it out really fast... but she probably doesn't have the endurance to beat Adlington, who will definitely win" LOL
June 19, 2024
This engaging memoir gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to become a world champion, Olympic gold medalist, and the most decorated female swimmer in history. Katie writes that while analysts have tried to distill her success down to her genetics and other data points, she believes her work ethic and genuine enjoyment of the grind have set her apart. Her dedication to her craft and love of swimming shine through, as does her admiration for her family, coaches and team. She writes about the power of goal setting; setting seemingly unreachable goals (“big fat hairy goals”) consistently brings her success. Mindset produces results. I’d like to think the same is true in our own lives. In thinking about my own aspirations, this book encouraged me to ask Katie’s favorite question: “why not?”
I was on the edge of my seat reading about the London Olympics through her eyes even though I vividly remember watching the race. The chapters dedicated to family brought a few tears to my eyes. Overall inspiring and touching read, perfect for getting pumped up for Paris!
I was on the edge of my seat reading about the London Olympics through her eyes even though I vividly remember watching the race. The chapters dedicated to family brought a few tears to my eyes. Overall inspiring and touching read, perfect for getting pumped up for Paris!
July 6, 2024
read a bit like a college essay but i’m so awed by this woman it doesn’t matter
August 13, 2024
Humble Queen.
June 19, 2024
It isn’t often that I want to get a book immediately on the date of publication as I usually prefer to wait at least a couple weeks and see what the initial reviews look like. But when it came time to get this memoir by Olympic and world swimming champion Katie Ledecky, something told me that I needed to read or listen to this ASAP. And I am glad I did as it was a very enjoyable listen.
Something to note is that this memoir follows the tried-and-true format of talking about the author’s youth, their family and those who inspire them and their rise to the top of their sport or profession. Ledecky talks in great detail about her family, especially in the early chapters. Her brother Michael and she were both attracted to swimming early and while Michael hit the proverbial “wall” in his teens, Katie kept on swimming. There are also chapters about her parents and grandparents. The story of her grandfather who was from the Czech Republic was especially inspiring.
What made this memoir so good was the positivity expressed by Ledecky throughout the book. This was quite refreshing when she talked about her experiences during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020 that led to the postponement of that year’s Olympic games in Tokyo. Any disruption like that will lead to issues for Olympic athletes but between good fortune, good luck and a positive attitude, Ledecky was able to continue her training. No matter the subject, even when it is a very hard training session, she keeps an upbeat vibe to the book. One part of this attitude that I really enjoyed is when she was questioning why so many reporters were asking her about “disappointed” she was when winning a sliver medal in Tokyo instead of gold. She asks how can one be disappointed when you realize you are the second-best athlete in this race in the world?
I am glad that I listened to the audio version of this book instead of reading the physical copy or the e-book. Hearing Ledecky’s story in her own voice was powerful, energizing and meant a great deal more than simply reading the text. One will even learn more about the sport of swimming – great material for those who only follow the sport during Olympic years.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
Something to note is that this memoir follows the tried-and-true format of talking about the author’s youth, their family and those who inspire them and their rise to the top of their sport or profession. Ledecky talks in great detail about her family, especially in the early chapters. Her brother Michael and she were both attracted to swimming early and while Michael hit the proverbial “wall” in his teens, Katie kept on swimming. There are also chapters about her parents and grandparents. The story of her grandfather who was from the Czech Republic was especially inspiring.
What made this memoir so good was the positivity expressed by Ledecky throughout the book. This was quite refreshing when she talked about her experiences during the worst of the COVID pandemic in 2020 that led to the postponement of that year’s Olympic games in Tokyo. Any disruption like that will lead to issues for Olympic athletes but between good fortune, good luck and a positive attitude, Ledecky was able to continue her training. No matter the subject, even when it is a very hard training session, she keeps an upbeat vibe to the book. One part of this attitude that I really enjoyed is when she was questioning why so many reporters were asking her about “disappointed” she was when winning a sliver medal in Tokyo instead of gold. She asks how can one be disappointed when you realize you are the second-best athlete in this race in the world?
I am glad that I listened to the audio version of this book instead of reading the physical copy or the e-book. Hearing Ledecky’s story in her own voice was powerful, energizing and meant a great deal more than simply reading the text. One will even learn more about the sport of swimming – great material for those who only follow the sport during Olympic years.
https://sportsbookguy.blogspot.com/20...
June 26, 2025
Cloud Library ☁️ 😶🌫️ app, narration by the author herself.
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She's an amazing 👏 human ❤️ 👍🏼 :)
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She's an amazing 👏 human ❤️ 👍🏼 :)
December 19, 2024
Amazing swimmer. Would not qualify for storytelling olympics. Too vanilla to make a book of it.
August 11, 2024
4.25/5 stars
“I’m in the pool. I’m always in the pool. Hours a day, nearly every day, since I was a toddler perched on the side ladder, blowing bubbles and kicking my feet. The pool is and has always been my refuge.”
It was incredible to watch Katie in the Paris Olympics and watch her continue to shine. ✨🥇On top of that, she’s just such a kind human being. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her love of swimming and her journey to become an Olympic champion. She started very young. She has a wonderful, supportive family. I’d highly recommend reading this book!
“One of my favorite swimming mantras is “no shortcuts” The “no shortcuts” part happens every day. All the hours of challenging work, alone in the pool, pushing myself. Those times I want to quit early or take a day off or give less than 100 percent. I tell myself, No shortcuts, and I press on, knowing the end goal won’t happen without the incremental gains only I can control. Basically, I refuse to cheat myself.”
“I’m in the pool. I’m always in the pool. Hours a day, nearly every day, since I was a toddler perched on the side ladder, blowing bubbles and kicking my feet. The pool is and has always been my refuge.”
It was incredible to watch Katie in the Paris Olympics and watch her continue to shine. ✨🥇On top of that, she’s just such a kind human being. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her love of swimming and her journey to become an Olympic champion. She started very young. She has a wonderful, supportive family. I’d highly recommend reading this book!
“One of my favorite swimming mantras is “no shortcuts” The “no shortcuts” part happens every day. All the hours of challenging work, alone in the pool, pushing myself. Those times I want to quit early or take a day off or give less than 100 percent. I tell myself, No shortcuts, and I press on, knowing the end goal won’t happen without the incremental gains only I can control. Basically, I refuse to cheat myself.”
July 25, 2024
Great role model for kids! She’s clearly very kind and extremely dedicated to her sport. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes in Paris!
Want to read
October 22, 2025she's my idol as a comp. swimmer so I have to read this 🤭🎀
February 1, 2025
3.5 stars. i loveee katie and really wanted to love this book. it was great and i loved being inside her head but it definitely could’ve been improved by more specific storytelling and maybe a more chronological format
June 25, 2024
Basically a 238-page high school graduation speech from Katie Ledecky! It was inspiring, uplifting and encouraging. I gained a tremendous amount of respect to an athlete who has already won me over! Go read it!
Read
March 17, 2025I don’t rate memoirs as a rule, but i really really loved this. I grew up competitively swimming and loved hearing all of the stories about Katie and the other swimmers I’ve always looked up to. She takes something like distance swimming and training and makes it poetic. Ledecky overall is so graceful and resilient, you can tell she has such pride in her family and friends, and still manages to be humble. Highly recommend!
March 10, 2025
CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH!!!!!!
Katie Ledecky is the most decorated USA women’s swimmer, but her book is about so much more than her accomplished career. She brings you in to meet her family and friends, and her messages are great for all women, athletes, and Olympic fans alike :)
Hoping in the future she writes a second book so we get an inside scoop on Paris and maybe LA 🩷
Katie Ledecky is the most decorated USA women’s swimmer, but her book is about so much more than her accomplished career. She brings you in to meet her family and friends, and her messages are great for all women, athletes, and Olympic fans alike :)
Hoping in the future she writes a second book so we get an inside scoop on Paris and maybe LA 🩷
September 12, 2024
I just love her to death!
June 13, 2024
2 and 1/2 stars very generously rounded up to 3
I should preface this by saying before reading this book, all I knew about Katie Ledecky was that she was a long-distance swimmer with many gold medals. That's it. I'm not a fan, and while I like swimming meets, I don't watch them outside of Wolrds and the Olympics.
So if you're a fan of Katie Ledecky or a real swimming aficionado, you definitely might enjoy this book more than I did.
This said, I can usually get interested in non-fiction about any topic as long as it's written in an interesting, vivid way. This memoir wasn't. The writing was incredibly dull (I assume it's ghost-written and I think a professional writer really should be able to do better).
I also never particularly felt connected with Katie while reading this, she's telling me about her grandparents' past and about her coaches' family life (topics I don't particularly care about, let's be honest, but I know from other memoirs, I can get invested in this kind of things when done well) and I still feel pretty indifferent towards her.
Some things annoyed me, like when she's telling us US athletes are oh-so-much-cleaner than any other athletes (same problem I got with Gracie Gold's memoir), because come on or even worse, the whole chapter about covid in which she makes it sound like she only cared about how it would affect her road to the Olympics in Tokyo *people were dying, Katie* (yes, it's a Kardashian reference, no, I'm not proud of it).
Mostly I'm not sure Katie Ledecky's life outside of swimming is interesting enough to be worth a memoir at age 27, it lacked some kind of edge IMO.
The chapters I actually really enjoyed were those about her big competitions (Worlds, Olympics, Olympic trials), the book felt so much more thrilling during those parts, I wish there had been more of them (she has a long career so it wouldn't have been too hard to add some more chapters about those meets). The pages about swimming technics were great too and I'm sure they must be of an even greater interest to someone who actually swims competitively.
I was bored most of the time, and Katie makes herself sound really tedious in this book but still I now feel like I know her a little (silly, I know) so I'll be cheering for her to make the Paris Olympics and win medals there if at all possible!
I should preface this by saying before reading this book, all I knew about Katie Ledecky was that she was a long-distance swimmer with many gold medals. That's it. I'm not a fan, and while I like swimming meets, I don't watch them outside of Wolrds and the Olympics.
So if you're a fan of Katie Ledecky or a real swimming aficionado, you definitely might enjoy this book more than I did.
This said, I can usually get interested in non-fiction about any topic as long as it's written in an interesting, vivid way. This memoir wasn't. The writing was incredibly dull (I assume it's ghost-written and I think a professional writer really should be able to do better).
I also never particularly felt connected with Katie while reading this, she's telling me about her grandparents' past and about her coaches' family life (topics I don't particularly care about, let's be honest, but I know from other memoirs, I can get invested in this kind of things when done well) and I still feel pretty indifferent towards her.
Some things annoyed me, like when she's telling us US athletes are oh-so-much-cleaner than any other athletes (same problem I got with Gracie Gold's memoir), because come on or even worse, the whole chapter about covid in which she makes it sound like she only cared about how it would affect her road to the Olympics in Tokyo *people were dying, Katie* (yes, it's a Kardashian reference, no, I'm not proud of it).
Mostly I'm not sure Katie Ledecky's life outside of swimming is interesting enough to be worth a memoir at age 27, it lacked some kind of edge IMO.
The chapters I actually really enjoyed were those about her big competitions (Worlds, Olympics, Olympic trials), the book felt so much more thrilling during those parts, I wish there had been more of them (she has a long career so it wouldn't have been too hard to add some more chapters about those meets). The pages about swimming technics were great too and I'm sure they must be of an even greater interest to someone who actually swims competitively.
I was bored most of the time, and Katie makes herself sound really tedious in this book but still I now feel like I know her a little (silly, I know) so I'll be cheering for her to make the Paris Olympics and win medals there if at all possible!
October 8, 2024
As a former competitive swimmer (albeit at a much lower level) I’ve always admired Katie Ledecky for her drive and poise and was excited to read this. I really wanted to love it but this missed the mark for me.
This book is effectively a love letter to all the people along the way who helped Katie achieve her swimming dreams, her coaches and family being at the forefront. I enjoyed how the book was structured, alternating between chapters that were more reflection/relationship focused and “action” chapters, such as those describing her time at the Olympics.
I wished that some of the chapters would have gone deeper on describing relationships and reflecting on difficulties. I felt she only scratched the surface on potentially meaningful topics like her relationship with her brother changing when she became faster than him and how not being able to accept prize money as a collegiate swimmer did (or didn’t) impact her. I thought her best chapter was her finale on women in sports where she wasn’t afraid to discuss sexism and gender gaps in swimming. I do feel like overall she didn’t want to say anything controversial and that made the book a little less interesting.
As with any memoir written at a young age, I also wonder what comes next. Her life is so swimming focused at this time. The transition out of being a professional athlete can be really difficult, and that would have rounded out this book to have a better idea of her next chapter.
This book is effectively a love letter to all the people along the way who helped Katie achieve her swimming dreams, her coaches and family being at the forefront. I enjoyed how the book was structured, alternating between chapters that were more reflection/relationship focused and “action” chapters, such as those describing her time at the Olympics.
I wished that some of the chapters would have gone deeper on describing relationships and reflecting on difficulties. I felt she only scratched the surface on potentially meaningful topics like her relationship with her brother changing when she became faster than him and how not being able to accept prize money as a collegiate swimmer did (or didn’t) impact her. I thought her best chapter was her finale on women in sports where she wasn’t afraid to discuss sexism and gender gaps in swimming. I do feel like overall she didn’t want to say anything controversial and that made the book a little less interesting.
As with any memoir written at a young age, I also wonder what comes next. Her life is so swimming focused at this time. The transition out of being a professional athlete can be really difficult, and that would have rounded out this book to have a better idea of her next chapter.
June 18, 2024
A great audiobook to listen to while roadtripping to Indy for Olympic swim trials! It was really special to hear Katie share more about her life, her family, and what motivates her. This was truly a love letter to the community that has lifted her up to get her to the successes she’s reached.
Was it an earth shattering memoir? No, but any swim fan will listen to this with admiration and can get something out of it.
Was it an earth shattering memoir? No, but any swim fan will listen to this with admiration and can get something out of it.
July 29, 2024
Fantastic!! Loving Katie Ledecky and swimming really helps, but I thought this book was very well done. It was great to hear more about her training and mindset, and in her own voice (read by the author for the win!)
September 4, 2024
4.5 ⭐️, rounding up because Katie seems like the best human being on the planet. This girl had me chanting USA on my couch this summer for the Olympics and reading her book in between all of her races had me HYPED.
June 27, 2024
Listened to this audiobook at work! Getting me hyped for the olympics. it is very much as it sounds, about her swimming life and walks through her career.
December 5, 2024
Katie ledecky makes it sound easy and fun to be an Olympian. She really loves to swim!!!
December 7, 2024
Great memoir!! But will need an update later since written mid-career
December 22, 2025
I actually finished this two days ago while crying in my car on the side of the road but was too emotional to write down any legible thoughts lol.
If this was written by anyone else it probs would've been a 3 or 4 stars (mediocre writing, at times confusing/disjointed structure) BUT my love for Katie Ledecky transcends any silly rating system. A billion stars.
If you were ever a swimmer, especially if you were a fellow distance girly, I highly recommend. Re: crying in my car on the side of the road – this book awoke something in me. It made me feel like I was an olympics-obsessed 10-year-old again. I've never been so mad at myself for quitting swim when COVID hit.
This is essentially Katie's 256-page love letter to swimming. Lotsssss of stuff to do with practice sets, drills, splits, etc., which seems like it should be boring but just hearing her talk about all that made me want to jump in a pool immediately. And it was so awesome to hear her recount her biggest races when I could clearly remember watching them live on TV.
I fear if I write more I will start crying again. Time to dig through all my stuff to find my old Katie Ledecky poster. Also someone come swim with me please.
If this was written by anyone else it probs would've been a 3 or 4 stars (mediocre writing, at times confusing/disjointed structure) BUT my love for Katie Ledecky transcends any silly rating system. A billion stars.
If you were ever a swimmer, especially if you were a fellow distance girly, I highly recommend. Re: crying in my car on the side of the road – this book awoke something in me. It made me feel like I was an olympics-obsessed 10-year-old again. I've never been so mad at myself for quitting swim when COVID hit.
This is essentially Katie's 256-page love letter to swimming. Lotsssss of stuff to do with practice sets, drills, splits, etc., which seems like it should be boring but just hearing her talk about all that made me want to jump in a pool immediately. And it was so awesome to hear her recount her biggest races when I could clearly remember watching them live on TV.
I fear if I write more I will start crying again. Time to dig through all my stuff to find my old Katie Ledecky poster. Also someone come swim with me please.
Read
March 14, 2025Katie Ledecky comes across as a genuinely down-to-earth, humble, and non-controversial person. The book was decent; while it wasn't always extremely compelling, it was still enjoyable. It took me some time to get into the narrative, mainly because I'm unfamiliar with the competitive swimming world. However, Ledecky shared some interesting thoughts and experiences. I particularly liked the chapters about her grandparents' history, likely because I'm a genealogist.
No rating, because lately I don't like rating memiors.
No rating, because lately I don't like rating memiors.
October 11, 2024
Could easily be five stars, great book, easy to read, I recommend to all.
Here are some things of note:
- Her mom had six siblings. The girls’ names were Mary Kathleen, Mary Gen, Mary Anne, Mary Margaret, and Mary Colleen. I thought that was very funny. Gotta have a theme!
- Katie was diagnosed with POTS in 2015
- She does not enjoy open water swimming. Loves to stare at the line on the bottom of the pool
- She swims 7 days a week, she used to take Sundays off but missed the pool too much
- She has never drunk or smoked, kept a very regimented schedule her whole life, never spent much time on dating. Basically she really wants to be the fastest possible swimmer she can be and has dedicated her whole life to that
- She comes across as a pretty normal person despite the above
- At her first Olympic Trials, her family called it Katie’s Olympics because they didn’t think she would make the actual Olympics. Then at those Olympics (London) before the 800, she told her parents they could move down close to the ceremony if she won a medal, and they thought she had lost her mind. (She then won gold)
- Also in London, before the 800, the crowd was chanting ‘Becky’ in support of GB’s Rebecca Adlington, one of the favorites. Katie told herself the crowd was actually chanting ‘Ledecky.’ I remember Djokovic once said he does this exact same thing - it must work!
My only reasons not to give five stars:
- In general I think you should wait until the career is over before writing the memoir
- The BJK and Pat Summitt books are better only because they saw more change in their lifetime and they had to overcome more. Obviously it’s a good thing that society progressed but it makes the book slightly less interesting
Here are some things of note:
- Her mom had six siblings. The girls’ names were Mary Kathleen, Mary Gen, Mary Anne, Mary Margaret, and Mary Colleen. I thought that was very funny. Gotta have a theme!
- Katie was diagnosed with POTS in 2015
- She does not enjoy open water swimming. Loves to stare at the line on the bottom of the pool
- She swims 7 days a week, she used to take Sundays off but missed the pool too much
- She has never drunk or smoked, kept a very regimented schedule her whole life, never spent much time on dating. Basically she really wants to be the fastest possible swimmer she can be and has dedicated her whole life to that
- She comes across as a pretty normal person despite the above
- At her first Olympic Trials, her family called it Katie’s Olympics because they didn’t think she would make the actual Olympics. Then at those Olympics (London) before the 800, she told her parents they could move down close to the ceremony if she won a medal, and they thought she had lost her mind. (She then won gold)
- Also in London, before the 800, the crowd was chanting ‘Becky’ in support of GB’s Rebecca Adlington, one of the favorites. Katie told herself the crowd was actually chanting ‘Ledecky.’ I remember Djokovic once said he does this exact same thing - it must work!
My only reasons not to give five stars:
- In general I think you should wait until the career is over before writing the memoir
- The BJK and Pat Summitt books are better only because they saw more change in their lifetime and they had to overcome more. Obviously it’s a good thing that society progressed but it makes the book slightly less interesting
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