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Grayson
The true story of long-distance swimmer Lynne Cox's ocean encounter with an 18-foot baby whale and her efforts to reunite "Grayson" with his mother - part mystery, part magical tale.
Grayson is Lynne Cox's first book since Swimming to Antarctica. In it she tells the story of a miraculous ocean encounter that happened to her when she was seventeen and in training for a big swim (she had already swum the English Channel, twice, and the Catalina Channel).
It was the dark of early morning; Lynne was in 55-degree water as smooth as black ice, two hundred yards offshore, outside the wave break. She was swimming her last half-mile back to the pier before heading home for breakfast when she became aware that something was swimming with her. The ocean was charged with energy as if a squall was moving in; thousands of baby anchovy darted through the water like lit sparklers, trying to evade something larger. Whatever it was, it felt large enough to be a white shark coursing beneath her body.
It wasn't a shark. It became clear that it was a baby gray whale—following alongside Lynne for a mile or so. Lynne had been swimming for more than an hour; she needed to get out of the water to rest, but she realized that if she did, the young calf would follow her onto shore and die from collapsed lungs.
The baby whale—eighteen feet long!—was migrating on a three-month trek to its feeding grounds in the Bering Sea, an eight-thousand-mile journey. It would have to be carried on its mother's back for much of that distance, and was dependent on its mother's milk for food—baby whales drink up to fifty gallons of milk a day. If Lynne didn't find the mother whale, the baby would suffer from dehydration and starve to death.
Something so enormous—the mother whale was fifty feet long—suddenly seemed very small in the vast Pacific Ocean. How could Lynne possibly find her?
This is the story—part mystery, part magical tale—of what happened . . .
Grayson is Lynne Cox's first book since Swimming to Antarctica. In it she tells the story of a miraculous ocean encounter that happened to her when she was seventeen and in training for a big swim (she had already swum the English Channel, twice, and the Catalina Channel).
It was the dark of early morning; Lynne was in 55-degree water as smooth as black ice, two hundred yards offshore, outside the wave break. She was swimming her last half-mile back to the pier before heading home for breakfast when she became aware that something was swimming with her. The ocean was charged with energy as if a squall was moving in; thousands of baby anchovy darted through the water like lit sparklers, trying to evade something larger. Whatever it was, it felt large enough to be a white shark coursing beneath her body.
It wasn't a shark. It became clear that it was a baby gray whale—following alongside Lynne for a mile or so. Lynne had been swimming for more than an hour; she needed to get out of the water to rest, but she realized that if she did, the young calf would follow her onto shore and die from collapsed lungs.
The baby whale—eighteen feet long!—was migrating on a three-month trek to its feeding grounds in the Bering Sea, an eight-thousand-mile journey. It would have to be carried on its mother's back for much of that distance, and was dependent on its mother's milk for food—baby whales drink up to fifty gallons of milk a day. If Lynne didn't find the mother whale, the baby would suffer from dehydration and starve to death.
Something so enormous—the mother whale was fifty feet long—suddenly seemed very small in the vast Pacific Ocean. How could Lynne possibly find her?
This is the story—part mystery, part magical tale—of what happened . . .
148 pages, Hardcover
First published August 1, 2006
122 people are currently reading
2126 people want to read
About the author
Lynne Cox
47 books151 followersLynne Cox is an American long-distance open-water swimmer and writer.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 921 reviews
July 3, 2018
Lynne Cox was only 17 and training to go on a big swim on the Southern California Coast when she encountered a lost baby whale who was seperated from his mama and wants her help to find him. Can Lynne do so? Read and find out for yourself.
This was a pretty good audiobook I listened to that was $2 that i got at a local thrift store a while back. If you enjoy stories about nature and never giving up, definitely check this one out. It is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.
This was a pretty good audiobook I listened to that was $2 that i got at a local thrift store a while back. If you enjoy stories about nature and never giving up, definitely check this one out. It is available at your local library and wherever books are sold.
July 21, 2011
This is a good book about a teenage girl and a grey whale swimming with her in the nearby coast of California. This is a true account of the author, Lynne Cox, an international swimmer athlete and and her short expedition with Grayson, the lost baby gray whale.
This is a thin book talking about her early swimming workout every morning and how she save a gray whale from losing his family. This is an extraordinary book, although it was short, you can see that the author really wrote it very well (what I mean about this, is that she wrote it with full splash of emotion). She wrote with a lot of questions, doubt and then added with sudden climatic sentences.
I recommend this to all animal lovers and young people who enjoy going to zoo and looking for a great book to read while waiting for a bus, and busy people. I also like the cover of this book, the sky blue tone of the cover is cool in the eye and the sketches inside is great. Everyday, there will be new surprises that will appear and most of them are things that you never thought will happen.
Review posted on Old-Fashioned Reader .
Rating: Grayson by Lynne Cox, 4 Sweets
Challenges:
Book #201 for 2011
Book #117 for Off the Shelf!
This is a thin book talking about her early swimming workout every morning and how she save a gray whale from losing his family. This is an extraordinary book, although it was short, you can see that the author really wrote it very well (what I mean about this, is that she wrote it with full splash of emotion). She wrote with a lot of questions, doubt and then added with sudden climatic sentences.
I recommend this to all animal lovers and young people who enjoy going to zoo and looking for a great book to read while waiting for a bus, and busy people. I also like the cover of this book, the sky blue tone of the cover is cool in the eye and the sketches inside is great. Everyday, there will be new surprises that will appear and most of them are things that you never thought will happen.
A good picture of Lynne Cox and a sea lion in Arctic waters. Lynne, is a professional swimmer and a writer. You can read her personal story at The New Yorker and Wikipedia. O my she's a lucky girl, an asteroid was named after her! I envied her a lot! 37588 Lynnecox.
Review posted on Old-Fashioned Reader .
Rating: Grayson by Lynne Cox, 4 Sweets
Challenges:
Book #201 for 2011
Book #117 for Off the Shelf!
April 29, 2016
"This captivating best seller tells the true story of a miraculous encounter between a teenage girl and a baby whale off the coast of California."
"Together [Cox and Grayson] journey to the eventual mother-and-child reunion through a fantastical world of giant ocean sunfish, bat rays with five-foot wingspans and a school of dolphins."
I read this book at one go, mostly because it's not very dense, nor is it very captivating. The plot is well-known, of course: the baby gray whale has become separated from its mother, and will die if it can't find her again. The author helps.
I was offput by the New Age drivel woven through the story: "My thoughts were becoming negative.
"I knew that if I changed my thoughts, I could change the way I felt about what I was experiencing."
"Maybe if I think very hard his mother will hear me. Maybe she will hear my feelings with her sonar. Maybe she will hear me calling her through the water. Maybe brain waves can travel faster and longer through the water. Please, come this way, over here! I shouted with my mind.
. . .
Please hear me, Grayson's mother, swimming out there. If it's you swimming near the Huntington Brach jetty, please swim this way: Grayson is here. Your son is here."
I suppose I sound like Scrooge -- bah humbug! to New Age Thought and attracting what you need out of the Universe. And actually, I do believe in all that. It just somehow sounded daft and pretentious in the book. Feel free to decide I was just feeling Scroogish when I read it, and ignore this scathing review. After all, it's a best seller, so millions other than me must have thought is was charming, sweet, mystical, and quite spiritual.
"Together [Cox and Grayson] journey to the eventual mother-and-child reunion through a fantastical world of giant ocean sunfish, bat rays with five-foot wingspans and a school of dolphins."
I read this book at one go, mostly because it's not very dense, nor is it very captivating. The plot is well-known, of course: the baby gray whale has become separated from its mother, and will die if it can't find her again. The author helps.
I was offput by the New Age drivel woven through the story: "My thoughts were becoming negative.
"I knew that if I changed my thoughts, I could change the way I felt about what I was experiencing."
"Maybe if I think very hard his mother will hear me. Maybe she will hear my feelings with her sonar. Maybe she will hear me calling her through the water. Maybe brain waves can travel faster and longer through the water. Please, come this way, over here! I shouted with my mind.
. . .
Please hear me, Grayson's mother, swimming out there. If it's you swimming near the Huntington Brach jetty, please swim this way: Grayson is here. Your son is here."
I suppose I sound like Scrooge -- bah humbug! to New Age Thought and attracting what you need out of the Universe. And actually, I do believe in all that. It just somehow sounded daft and pretentious in the book. Feel free to decide I was just feeling Scroogish when I read it, and ignore this scathing review. After all, it's a best seller, so millions other than me must have thought is was charming, sweet, mystical, and quite spiritual.
September 8, 2025
4 stars
A well constructed novella about a long distance swimmer and a baby whale.
Being a long distance swimmer Lynn knew the nuances of the ocean, so she knew when something was close to her, below her or following her as she swam. However she least expected it to be an 18 foot baby whale.
This is the story of reuniting that baby whale with it's gigantic mother in a wide open ocean setting, knowing that without them finding one another this calf would die of dehydration. This is the three and a half hour journey that the swimmer and calf went through in finding the mother whale.
This nonfiction story is part awe inspiring, part unbelievable, and totally heart warming.
A well constructed novella about a long distance swimmer and a baby whale.
Being a long distance swimmer Lynn knew the nuances of the ocean, so she knew when something was close to her, below her or following her as she swam. However she least expected it to be an 18 foot baby whale.
This is the story of reuniting that baby whale with it's gigantic mother in a wide open ocean setting, knowing that without them finding one another this calf would die of dehydration. This is the three and a half hour journey that the swimmer and calf went through in finding the mother whale.
This nonfiction story is part awe inspiring, part unbelievable, and totally heart warming.
June 26, 2009
Years ago, Lynne was up early for her morning workout in the Pacific and finds herself being followed by a baby gray whale, separated from its mother. So, she and several others in the community set out to reunite Grayson (the baby gray) with his mother. Most of the story details the rare and unexpected life she finds deep in the ocean while searching for the mother whale.
Unfortunately, I didn't think the story lived up to all of the rave reviews I got before I picked it up. Her encounters with the life under the sea are interesting, but not enough to actually make the story. I just found it to be a little boring and filled with a lot of "had to be there" moments. The description was not enough to take me there in my mind.
A sweet story with lessons to be learned, but the writing was lacking and I would definitely not count it as a favorite.
Unfortunately, I didn't think the story lived up to all of the rave reviews I got before I picked it up. Her encounters with the life under the sea are interesting, but not enough to actually make the story. I just found it to be a little boring and filled with a lot of "had to be there" moments. The description was not enough to take me there in my mind.
A sweet story with lessons to be learned, but the writing was lacking and I would definitely not count it as a favorite.
September 26, 2007
This is based on a fascinating true story and there are many beautiful moments recounted throughout; however, I didn't like the way the narrative was continually interrupted with rambling and repetitive asides. But the actual, physical book itself (I esp. love the jacket and trim size) is beautiful and a real testament to wonderful book-making.
July 17, 2025
Prachtig boek <3
In een keer uitgelezen dus dat zegt wat.
In een keer uitgelezen dus dat zegt wat.
October 21, 2011
An account of a swimmer, the author, and her encounter with a baby Gray whale and the exertions and efforts she and many others took to reunite him with his mother. A very easy and quick read but nonetheless moving for all that. In picking this up I had thought it might be more lovely in its descriptions but I found it rather pedestrian in its style but then she is a swimmer not a poet. It was very impressive however in its relating of the efforts those disparate people made in order to stop the whale from swimming aground and it served to make me think of all those unnamed heroes who don't get into books who strive for the environment and creatures within it. Good on them
November 3, 2022
i love whales. i cried
November 13, 2025
I couldn’t. At one point she was treading water with a baby whale under her, and her friend is giving her a lecture that took FOREVER, telling her everything there is to know about whales. It was annoyingly patronizing also. Would have been a great story, just the writing was not great. One star.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2025
The story had potential, seemed fascinating, but it was so poorly written I couldn’t subject me or my children to it any longer.
September 23, 2015
One of my teacher friends recommended this quick read to me saying it was not great literature, but it was a sweet inspiring story of this amazing athlete and her journey with this lost baby gray whale. I think my teacher friend may be under the impression that I read a great deal of fancy pants literature, which I do not. While I am not a sports person, I still decided to give this story a try.
I have not categorized any books as a book by a female author for my 2015 Reading Challenge, and as someone who does not play sports or root for any team, I felt like reading about this record-breaking channel swimmer's adventure would be a good stretch for me.
When I opened the book, I immediately loved the map! Who doesn't love having maps in their books? I spent several minutes reading and studying the various labels.
And I really like that Lynne Cox is recalling events from when she was 17 years old and training for even more open water swimming. It's like an extended personal narrative with heart!
The story reads quickly. I spent two Saturday mornings with this book, enjoying an hour or so of reading before gearing up for my day. Cox moves her plot along quickly. Her beautiful descriptions of the sea creatures consistently made me feel like I was swimming with her. She regards these creatures, their life cycles, and their needs with reverence.
A few of her passages really hit home with me.
On her journey to try to reunite Grayson with his mom, Cox had several helpers. She writes that one of the local fisherman Carl told her "sometimes the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle, and learning. Sometimes you just have to try again in a different way."
Later, Grayson dives into the water and Cox is waiting over ten minutes debating whether she should swim back to shore. Her description of her thought process struck me as incredibly zen-like and mindful. I was impressed by her patience.
She writes, "Wait as long as you need to. The waiting is as important as the doing: it's the time you spend training and the rest in between; it's painting the subject and the space in between; it's the reading and the thinking about what you've read; it's the written words, what is said, what is left unsaid, the space between the thoughts on the page, that makes the story, and it's the space between the notes, the intervals between fast and slow, that makes the music. It's the love of being together, the spacing, the tension of being apart, that brings you back together. Just wait, just be patient, he will return."
Of course Grayson returned. And, of course, he was reunited with his mom. Reading the details about the reunion and the moment in the water when the mama whale locked eyes with Cox was moving. While our languages are different, I think there are some emotions that transcend language. And I very much felt that incomparable communication in Cox's description of her interactions with Grayson and his mom.
In her epilogue, Cox shares some of the stories and connections she has received from readers. I especially liked hearing how so many teachers at different grade levels were sharing this story with their students. Some of the projects the students completed were impressive.
If you like feel-good stories that allow you to personally connect with the characters or problem, then Grayson is worth reading.
I have not categorized any books as a book by a female author for my 2015 Reading Challenge, and as someone who does not play sports or root for any team, I felt like reading about this record-breaking channel swimmer's adventure would be a good stretch for me.
When I opened the book, I immediately loved the map! Who doesn't love having maps in their books? I spent several minutes reading and studying the various labels.
And I really like that Lynne Cox is recalling events from when she was 17 years old and training for even more open water swimming. It's like an extended personal narrative with heart!
The story reads quickly. I spent two Saturday mornings with this book, enjoying an hour or so of reading before gearing up for my day. Cox moves her plot along quickly. Her beautiful descriptions of the sea creatures consistently made me feel like I was swimming with her. She regards these creatures, their life cycles, and their needs with reverence.
A few of her passages really hit home with me.
On her journey to try to reunite Grayson with his mom, Cox had several helpers. She writes that one of the local fisherman Carl told her "sometimes the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle, and learning. Sometimes you just have to try again in a different way."
Later, Grayson dives into the water and Cox is waiting over ten minutes debating whether she should swim back to shore. Her description of her thought process struck me as incredibly zen-like and mindful. I was impressed by her patience.
She writes, "Wait as long as you need to. The waiting is as important as the doing: it's the time you spend training and the rest in between; it's painting the subject and the space in between; it's the reading and the thinking about what you've read; it's the written words, what is said, what is left unsaid, the space between the thoughts on the page, that makes the story, and it's the space between the notes, the intervals between fast and slow, that makes the music. It's the love of being together, the spacing, the tension of being apart, that brings you back together. Just wait, just be patient, he will return."
Of course Grayson returned. And, of course, he was reunited with his mom. Reading the details about the reunion and the moment in the water when the mama whale locked eyes with Cox was moving. While our languages are different, I think there are some emotions that transcend language. And I very much felt that incomparable communication in Cox's description of her interactions with Grayson and his mom.
In her epilogue, Cox shares some of the stories and connections she has received from readers. I especially liked hearing how so many teachers at different grade levels were sharing this story with their students. Some of the projects the students completed were impressive.
If you like feel-good stories that allow you to personally connect with the characters or problem, then Grayson is worth reading.
July 5, 2018
There is a great deal that I liked about this book.
I learned some interesting facts about the ocean and its animals, such as,
Two green sea turtles swam off to my right side...carrying their homes along with them like aquatic RVs. They were amazing animals, able to hold their breath underwater for up to five hours, and they could make their hearts slow down so they beat at nine beats per minute. (110)
Five HOURS. I am just trying to imagine...that really is amazing!
I also really appreciated that the author is someone who sees the value in other human beings, even those outside her peer group, as well as in nature.
Sometimes, Carl said, the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle, and learning. Sometimes you just have to try again in a different way. He knew so much more than I did, and I always liked talking with him. (117)
Many of her musings resonated with me.
Words are sometimes too small, too confining, to convey the depth of thought and strength of emotions. How does a whale communicate love, hope, fear, or joy? ... Maybe you communicate with your heart. That is what connects you to every living thing on earth. ... Speak to him with your heart and he will hear you. (131)
I believed in trying to do things that people may have thought impossible. (154)
How much longer should I wait? The answer came to me. Wait as long as you need to. The waiting is as important as the doing. (162)
Sometimes it made no sense to be optimistic, but it sure beat being pessimistic. (167)
I think she has a lovely way of writing, and I greatly enjoyed her descriptions of the ocean and of her experiences that day.
Years later, I realized that if I had found the baby whale on my first dive, I might never have heard him speak underwater, I might never have seen the graceful bat rays or the swimming sea turtles, and I never would have known how far I could go down into the ocean depths on a single breath. (122)
I think the author's empathy and love of life really shines through her words. And it's such a heart-warming story, too.
If anyone can't find a copy, it's available online at https://openlibrary.org/books/OL81376...
I learned some interesting facts about the ocean and its animals, such as,
Two green sea turtles swam off to my right side...carrying their homes along with them like aquatic RVs. They were amazing animals, able to hold their breath underwater for up to five hours, and they could make their hearts slow down so they beat at nine beats per minute. (110)
Five HOURS. I am just trying to imagine...that really is amazing!
I also really appreciated that the author is someone who sees the value in other human beings, even those outside her peer group, as well as in nature.
Sometimes, Carl said, the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle, and learning. Sometimes you just have to try again in a different way. He knew so much more than I did, and I always liked talking with him. (117)
Many of her musings resonated with me.
Words are sometimes too small, too confining, to convey the depth of thought and strength of emotions. How does a whale communicate love, hope, fear, or joy? ... Maybe you communicate with your heart. That is what connects you to every living thing on earth. ... Speak to him with your heart and he will hear you. (131)
I believed in trying to do things that people may have thought impossible. (154)
How much longer should I wait? The answer came to me. Wait as long as you need to. The waiting is as important as the doing. (162)
Sometimes it made no sense to be optimistic, but it sure beat being pessimistic. (167)
I think she has a lovely way of writing, and I greatly enjoyed her descriptions of the ocean and of her experiences that day.
Years later, I realized that if I had found the baby whale on my first dive, I might never have heard him speak underwater, I might never have seen the graceful bat rays or the swimming sea turtles, and I never would have known how far I could go down into the ocean depths on a single breath. (122)
I think the author's empathy and love of life really shines through her words. And it's such a heart-warming story, too.
If anyone can't find a copy, it's available online at https://openlibrary.org/books/OL81376...
February 28, 2020
After reading Swimming to Antarctica by the same author, I already knew she had the ability to spend long hours swimming in the really cold ocean water of southern California. I still wasn't quite prepared for the story of how long she stayed in the water trying to reunite a baby gray whale with his mother.
At the end of a morning workout, Cox felt some unfamiliar ocean vibrations and currents. As she neared the pier where she finishes her swims, she was alerted to the fact that she was being followed by a baby gray whale. It made me think of the book, Are You My Mother, only it was a lost whale, not a bird. If Cox continued to swim to shore, the whale would undoubted follow, making it difficult, if not impossible to get him back to open water where it could be united with his mother. So Cox did what she does best, kept swimming. Back and forth along the shoreline and under the pier, then deeper and deeper into the open ocean. The whale, she named Grayson stayed with her, sometimes disappearing for long minutes at a time. On this swim, Cox met up with all kinds of sea creatures and seemed to be able to communicate with all of them - jelly fish, rays, dolphins.
As the day wore on and there were no sightings of Grayson's mother or any other pod of whales, Cox was getting tired, cold and hungry. She wanted to go home, but could not bring herself to abandon the baby whale. This is the only part of the story that dragged a little. It's hard for me to think a person can keep on, keeping on even in seemingly fruitless situations. Besides the ability to swim in frigid waters all over the world, keeping on is Cox's superpower.
Grayson is a short read (81 pages on my nook) enjoyable read. The words paint pictures of undersea life I'll never see. It also contains several little messages about life.
"Sometimes the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle, and learning. Sometimes you just have to try again in a different way." (pg 44)
" We hoped, believed, tried, worked, learned and tried again, and then suddenly it happened in a single moment, all that we had hoped for and even a little more." (pg 75).
This would make a lovely children's book, illustrated with water color paintings.
At the end of a morning workout, Cox felt some unfamiliar ocean vibrations and currents. As she neared the pier where she finishes her swims, she was alerted to the fact that she was being followed by a baby gray whale. It made me think of the book, Are You My Mother, only it was a lost whale, not a bird. If Cox continued to swim to shore, the whale would undoubted follow, making it difficult, if not impossible to get him back to open water where it could be united with his mother. So Cox did what she does best, kept swimming. Back and forth along the shoreline and under the pier, then deeper and deeper into the open ocean. The whale, she named Grayson stayed with her, sometimes disappearing for long minutes at a time. On this swim, Cox met up with all kinds of sea creatures and seemed to be able to communicate with all of them - jelly fish, rays, dolphins.
As the day wore on and there were no sightings of Grayson's mother or any other pod of whales, Cox was getting tired, cold and hungry. She wanted to go home, but could not bring herself to abandon the baby whale. This is the only part of the story that dragged a little. It's hard for me to think a person can keep on, keeping on even in seemingly fruitless situations. Besides the ability to swim in frigid waters all over the world, keeping on is Cox's superpower.
Grayson is a short read (81 pages on my nook) enjoyable read. The words paint pictures of undersea life I'll never see. It also contains several little messages about life.
"Sometimes the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle, and learning. Sometimes you just have to try again in a different way." (pg 44)
" We hoped, believed, tried, worked, learned and tried again, and then suddenly it happened in a single moment, all that we had hoped for and even a little more." (pg 75).
This would make a lovely children's book, illustrated with water color paintings.
September 8, 2014
A simple and amazing little tale, but drawn out way too much in order to make it into a book instead of a short story. I got impatient with the over-done descriptions.
December 6, 2017
Onvan : Grayson - Nevisande : Lynne Cox - ISBN : 307264548 - ISBN13 : 9780307264541 - Dar 148 Safhe - Saal e Chap : 2006
November 5, 2018
I'd really like to be able to give this book a 2.5. To begin, I really liked the story. Although the book was a quick read with fewer than 150 pages, it got to a point where there was a lot of repetition of the same information. Still, I liked the book. For someone who lives hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, the book gave an opportunity to try to imagine the aquatic life of the ocean and what it might be like to co-exist with it. I do have to say that if that girl were my daughter she'd have been in SO much trouble when she got home! Yet, what an experience. I might recommend the book to some of my students, but it's not a book I'd want to ever read again.
August 4, 2025
Wow! That’s a whale of a story!
August 3, 2009
"Seventy-five percent of our planet is water, can you swim?"
~Author Unknown
Grayson is a true story of a long-distance swimmer (Lynne Cox) who while training off the California coast encounters a baby whale who has lost its mother. She is afraid that if she returns to the shore the whale will follow, so she sets out to try to help it find its mother.
It sounded like an interesting story, but to me it just didn't feel like there was enough content to merit a 148-page book (she spent a couple pages writing about what food she was craving). The editor needed to cut some of the "blubber"(ok that was bad). It would have made a better children's book full of color pictures of the ocean creatures she sees during her adventure. I think she should still consider it (if she hasn't already).
The writing wasn't the best but overall the book was still interesting. I was really amazed with how long she was able to swim. She was out there with that whale for hours. It was interesting enough for me to want to read her other book, "Swimming to Antartica" that is about all of her long-distance swimming accomplishments: swimming the English Channel at 15, and being the first to swim the Bering Sea from Alaska to what was then the Soviet Union (just to name a few).
As Jane Goodall said, "Grayson is a powerful voice for conservation." Who doesn't love a good fish tale? And this one's true to boot.
Grayson is a true story of a long-distance swimmer (Lynne Cox) who while training off the California coast encounters a baby whale who has lost its mother. She is afraid that if she returns to the shore the whale will follow, so she sets out to try to help it find its mother.
It sounded like an interesting story, but to me it just didn't feel like there was enough content to merit a 148-page book (she spent a couple pages writing about what food she was craving). The editor needed to cut some of the "blubber"(ok that was bad). It would have made a better children's book full of color pictures of the ocean creatures she sees during her adventure. I think she should still consider it (if she hasn't already).
The writing wasn't the best but overall the book was still interesting. I was really amazed with how long she was able to swim. She was out there with that whale for hours. It was interesting enough for me to want to read her other book, "Swimming to Antartica" that is about all of her long-distance swimming accomplishments: swimming the English Channel at 15, and being the first to swim the Bering Sea from Alaska to what was then the Soviet Union (just to name a few).
As Jane Goodall said, "Grayson is a powerful voice for conservation." Who doesn't love a good fish tale? And this one's true to boot.
September 3, 2013
If you're an animal lover or just enjoy nature in general, I recommend this to you. The author's talent for vivid description was what I liked most about this book, which is about her encounter with a baby whale while training off the California coast (she had swum the English Channel by the time she was 15 years old). She seems to have remembered every detail of those hours when she swam with the baby gray whale, searching for its mother; I enjoyed reading about the many animals she encountered and the colors and movement of the water at different depths and distances from the shore.
Less enjoyable were the author's pauses in the narrative to philosophize to the reader, and at times directly to the baby whale.
This is the type of thing that makes me throw myself on the floor and pretend to be in my death throes. Or at least make rude noises with my mouth.
She was also a bit heavy-handed with the similes.
While the above complaints did knock my rating down a couple stars, I was moved by the story and was generally glad I read it. If it were a longer book, I might not feel that way, but I liked more than I didn't like in the 148 pages she took to tell her story.
Less enjoyable were the author's pauses in the narrative to philosophize to the reader, and at times directly to the baby whale.
Grayson, don't go. We'll find your mother. Be patient. Sometimes you just have to believe. Sometimes that belief gets you where you want to go, sometimes it carries you a little closer, and then you discover another way.
This is the type of thing that makes me throw myself on the floor and pretend to be in my death throes. Or at least make rude noises with my mouth.
She was also a bit heavy-handed with the similes.
While the above complaints did knock my rating down a couple stars, I was moved by the story and was generally glad I read it. If it were a longer book, I might not feel that way, but I liked more than I didn't like in the 148 pages she took to tell her story.
August 21, 2013
Though inspirational and quite moving, the way in which the story was told was quite juvenile and, I think, deserved a far more colorful language. True, this book is filled to the brim with descriptions of naval animals, all of which are actually quite enthralling (maybe even more so if I was, you know, actually interested in the subject); but when Lynne Cox isn't describing naval animals, she's going off on this weird metaphysical crap about thoughts and how it attracts positive and negative energy towards a person (which is the exact same premise of The Secret and quite frankly I found that book to be full of shit).
What's completely unforgivable, though, is the fact that this could have been one of the most emotionally moving books I've ever read and it fell short of that due to flaws that could have been corrected from the very start. (See: juvenile writing, the inability to separate thoughts from direct statements to actual dialogue {the bad thing is, this method could be used well, as seen by A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man}, and an utterly forgettable reading experience).
What's completely unforgivable, though, is the fact that this could have been one of the most emotionally moving books I've ever read and it fell short of that due to flaws that could have been corrected from the very start. (See: juvenile writing, the inability to separate thoughts from direct statements to actual dialogue {the bad thing is, this method could be used well, as seen by A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man}, and an utterly forgettable reading experience).
June 24, 2012
Long on the to be read list I finally had time to read this one. When the author was 17 years old and preparing for long distance swim races, while swimming in the ocean in Seal Beach, California, she was followed by a baby gray whale.
The baby whale could not find his mother. Realizing it was up to her to rescue the whale, she swam many miles paving a safe route for the baby in the prayer and hope that his mother could be reunited.
This is lyrically written and a testimony to courage and the love of nature.
Recommended!
The baby whale could not find his mother. Realizing it was up to her to rescue the whale, she swam many miles paving a safe route for the baby in the prayer and hope that his mother could be reunited.
This is lyrically written and a testimony to courage and the love of nature.
Recommended!
October 13, 2016
Not bad for youth non-fiction.
October 2, 2017
This book was magical, and I couldn't even believe it was a true story as I read it. People dream of these kinds of experiences with the natural world! Lynne Cox truly has a gift 🙂
January 19, 2018
What would you do if the life of a baby whale depended on you? In the memoir Grayson, Lynne Cox is put exactly in that position on one of her early morning training sessions. Lynne has a life changing experience on a day that she thought would be like any other. After an eventful morning, the seventeen year old swimmer encounters a lost baby whale, which she then named Grayson. If Grayson is not reunited with his mother fast, he will die. Now Lynne must find a way to save him before it is too late.
Most days Lynne wakes up early to swim in the ocean for training, and like every other day she did the same thing. Lynne was swimming in her regular spot and began to be pulled under by a strong current. She faces many unexpected difficulties, and once she finally escaped, she headed towards shore when her friend Steve called out to her saying that she had to stay in the water. The entire morning a baby whale, Grayson, had been following her. Steve contacted everyone he knew on the coast to search for a pod of gray whales. Except Lynne had known that the responsibility of Grayson’s life sat on her shoulders.
One of the strongest elements in this memoir was the imagery. Lynne incorporated remarkable details allowing the reader to paint a picture in their mind. She described every smallest aspect of a character and her surroundings which made the image distinct. Often times authors neglect those small details; some may not notice that the details are missing, however when they are included, they greatly impact the image. The description of the characters is very important because it helps the words on the page transfer into an image in your mind. In addition to the characters, Lynne also wonderfully described what she had seen and her surroundings. Not only could the reader see the people, but they can also imagine what the day had been like and how her experiences were. The imagery in this memoir gives the reader a view through Lynne’s perspective.
This story portrays the theme that somethings are more important than oneself. In just a short book, Lynne teaches reader to think about how one can help others when they are unable to help themselves. Sometimes helping others may make everything more difficult, however it is always worth it. Lynne had already been exhausted and freezing from the morning that she had, and yet she still stayed with Grayson. Lynne also suffered from man v.s. self and man v.s. nature conflict. However she managed to overcome self doubt and fight the waters for Grayson. It is important for themes and lessons like these to be completely understood. Today’s society has become quite selfish with many hubristic people thinking that they are peerless, which is why authors must find a way to teach these lessons through their works of literature. The theme and lesson taught in Grayson can be applied to everyday life when one has the choice of whether or not to be altruistic.
Personally, I really enjoyed this memoir. I highly recommend this book to young adults who enjoy stories with nature and animals. This uplifting page turner takes the reader on a wonderful, exciting, and adventurous journey.
Most days Lynne wakes up early to swim in the ocean for training, and like every other day she did the same thing. Lynne was swimming in her regular spot and began to be pulled under by a strong current. She faces many unexpected difficulties, and once she finally escaped, she headed towards shore when her friend Steve called out to her saying that she had to stay in the water. The entire morning a baby whale, Grayson, had been following her. Steve contacted everyone he knew on the coast to search for a pod of gray whales. Except Lynne had known that the responsibility of Grayson’s life sat on her shoulders.
One of the strongest elements in this memoir was the imagery. Lynne incorporated remarkable details allowing the reader to paint a picture in their mind. She described every smallest aspect of a character and her surroundings which made the image distinct. Often times authors neglect those small details; some may not notice that the details are missing, however when they are included, they greatly impact the image. The description of the characters is very important because it helps the words on the page transfer into an image in your mind. In addition to the characters, Lynne also wonderfully described what she had seen and her surroundings. Not only could the reader see the people, but they can also imagine what the day had been like and how her experiences were. The imagery in this memoir gives the reader a view through Lynne’s perspective.
This story portrays the theme that somethings are more important than oneself. In just a short book, Lynne teaches reader to think about how one can help others when they are unable to help themselves. Sometimes helping others may make everything more difficult, however it is always worth it. Lynne had already been exhausted and freezing from the morning that she had, and yet she still stayed with Grayson. Lynne also suffered from man v.s. self and man v.s. nature conflict. However she managed to overcome self doubt and fight the waters for Grayson. It is important for themes and lessons like these to be completely understood. Today’s society has become quite selfish with many hubristic people thinking that they are peerless, which is why authors must find a way to teach these lessons through their works of literature. The theme and lesson taught in Grayson can be applied to everyday life when one has the choice of whether or not to be altruistic.
Personally, I really enjoyed this memoir. I highly recommend this book to young adults who enjoy stories with nature and animals. This uplifting page turner takes the reader on a wonderful, exciting, and adventurous journey.
September 19, 2023
Lynne Cox (Swimming in Antarctica) delves into a true explorative journey that seeps with magic and wonder. Lynne is an ambitious open-water swimmer with many achievements and recognitions. As a teenager, she encounters a lone, baby gray whale, and desperate to help him reconnect with his mother, embarks on a mission of a lifetime. She swims alongside the young whale, whom she later names Grayson, and together, they seem to communicate without the use of words or expression, merely by feel. At some moments, Grayson dives off and is lost, and Lynne must attune herself to the ocean waters around her to find him. Throughout the book, she always reconnects with him, proving the incredible strength of the human-to-nature connection, when we listen closely enough. Miraculously, with the help of lifeguards, Lynne swims across the sea and reconnects Grayson with his mother, and the island erupts into pure joy. This is a beautiful and simple story that restores hope and encourages readers to acknowledge the intelligence of the animals that cohabitate in our home.
November 7, 2025
This is an amazing true story. The author of the story, Lynne Cox, recounts her dramatic encounter with a baby grey whale that is separated from his mother. Lynne was 17 years old at the time and training as a long distance swimmer in the open ocean. Her descriptions of swimming and everything she experienced in the ocean are entirely beautiful, inspiring, and terrifying at the same time. She demonstrates an amazing sense of courage and endurance through the whole sequence.
I really enjoyed her thought process through it all and especially the parallels she makes between her experience and the baby whale’s. At one point she recounts how fatigued, cold and hungry she was feeling and then starts to think about all the wonderful food that she would love to eat at that moment and how Grayson was probably as equally hungry and tired.
In the end, a tear popped out. Many tears, actually.
I really enjoyed her thought process through it all and especially the parallels she makes between her experience and the baby whale’s. At one point she recounts how fatigued, cold and hungry she was feeling and then starts to think about all the wonderful food that she would love to eat at that moment and how Grayson was probably as equally hungry and tired.
In the end, a tear popped out. Many tears, actually.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2022
I read this to see if it would have enough side information about fish for me to read it to my kids and use as a nature study book. The first chapter or two had me thinking it would but in the end it didn’t. That said, I had planned to just skim it and see if it would serve my purpose but it ended up sucking me in and I read the whole thing in one day. It’s an easy, engaging read. The author is definitely on the new age side, lots of the power of positive thinking jargon, but it definitely didn’t put me off like it did some other reviewers! Lol. I found it a fun read and I think my 12 year old daughter will really love it too.
June 10, 2018
You will want to swim through this book, stroke for stroke, with the author -- and she will guide you. It's a lyrical and sensical flow of thoughts alongside reporting of events. Sometimes it's a long long list of things. Sometimes you learn about a swim technique. Mostly, it's a remarkable, heartful recounting of a beautiful tail. Er, tale! The author said she wrote this for book for adults but many teachers and families have embraced it. I know I would have loved it as a child too. I recommend this to anyone, but I think I am extra fond of it because: animals, swimming, ocean, good writing!
August 2, 2017
This was a lovely, quick read. The story is truly amazing, but the writing is a bit sophomoric and packed full of similes (though, admittedly, that simplicity is key to the book's charm). I would recommend this to people, especially younger readers, who have a love of the sea and nature's mysteries, and/or an interest in true-life inspirational achievements.
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