Renee

“Swimming has always been a means of escape: physical, spiritual, mental. And if that’s true, then what better place is there for a swim team than a war zone?”
― Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim

“Though class lines had been erased at the pool, race lines hardened even further, resulting in riots and racial segregation.”
― Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim

“Differences fell away in the water.”
― Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim

“When it comes to swimming, the competition part has always unnerved me. I don’t like it all that much, and I still can’t quite make sense of it, so I admit it’s hard to write about. Thinking about racing makes me feel queasy. Even when I was a kid, contemplating a race would send me to the bathroom more than once during a single meet, my intestines in revolt. Fight or flight! I liked winning, and I liked swimming fast, but I couldn’t figure out how to control all the other stuff that went along with getting your body into the revved-up state required to slay your rivals.”
― Bonnie Tsui, Why We Swim