Gold in the Water: The True Story of Ordinary Men and Their Extraordinary Dream of Olympic Glory

Gold in the Water Review

The book Gold in the Water is a riveting and exciting book by P.H. Mullen. It is a true story about the lives of six people in the Santa Clara Swim Club, five swimmers and one coach, who dream of going to the Olympics. It accurately depicts the difficult and gritty journey that the Santa Clara Swim Club went on to the 2000 World Olympic Games. Some of the expertly used literary elements included in the book are imagery, characterization, setting, and style. The crux of the book was when the Author was talking about the childhood of Olympic swimmers and how their lives are almost one in the same. A cycle of swim, eat, sleep was just something natural and not having time with friends was a sacrifice made by them because of their binding commitment to their sport. Some of my personal likes and dislikes are that it is a little bit to descriptive at times and can drag on a bit. But the rest of the book was exciting and intense and it binds the reader to his or her chair. Overall, Gold in the Water was a fantastic book that I would recommend for anyone who loves to dream big!

GREAT BOOK FOR SWIMMERS!!

This book was a great book that explained the journey of World Class Swimmers. The tough roads they had to travel and the ups and downs of being a swimmer.GREAT BOOK!

the ultimate book on competitive swimming

Fascinating and suspenseful with a lot of human interest. You really identify with these people -- the comeback of Dara Torres, swimming world class times in her 30s, the calm intelligence and determination of Dod Wales, the sensible goal setting and self-acceptance of Mariniuk, the maturity of Kurt Grote, the all-out guts of Wilkens, the delusionment of Tate Blahnik, and on and on. I myself was inspired by Edwin Moses and Erik Vendt, both 5-9 or so who won Olympic medals. I like to see that. This book really tells the reader what competitive swimming is all about, although as a former swimmer myself there were a few spots where I sensed some exaggeration. At the end, the reader is both happy and thoughtful.

Gold in the Book

This was the best book I have ever read! Gold in the water taught me a lot about the road to success in swimming, and as a swimmer myself this really was a book that I couldn¿t put down. The life story of the swimmers in this book was amazing, and any sports lover would appreciate their lives and love this book. But especially swimmers who enjoy reading about our sport would love this book. Gold in the Water is really hard to explain in words, it was that good! It makes you really feel inspired to go out and give your best. P.H. Mullen does such a great job of explaining the races and the lives of the swimmers that you actually feel like you¿re seeing the race in front of you. I was actually on the edge of my chair for most of the book, especially during the races that he described. The pictures of the different swimmers and pools were also very interesting to see, because those pools are some of the coolest I¿d ever seen. The struggles and the disappointments of the swimmers as they try to make the US Olympics Team are also amazing and the author tells them well. Any athlete knows the feelings of disappointment over a loss. The author accurately shares those feelings along with the excitement of winning. He makes you, as a reader, part of these athlete journeys; you go on the roller coaster with them. He explains the sport of swimming perfectly, any athlete can appreciate that. Gold in the Water is a five star book, more like a five gold medal book.

A Gold Medal Book!

This was the first book about athletics that gave me a true insight into the 'psyche' of an Olympic athlete. This book was inspirational and you could tell it was written by someone who had a great knowledge from 'inside' the swimming pool! It read like a novel and I could not put it down. Of course, I had to put it down so I wouldn't miss swim practice as the book also motivated me to try harder to be my best. This book is for everyone - swimmers, non-swimmers, athletes, and yes, even couch potatos!

Read this book!

This book is a must-read, especially for all swimmers and athletes. Swimming has been one of my greatest passions for as long as I can remember, and I never imagined that the sport could be described in such detail and accuracy. The book is so true to the intricacies of the sport, including the emotional and physical dedication, perseverance, highs and lows that make it so challenging and rewarding. Any kind of athlete can relate to it. I was able to relive so many deep feelings and great memories through the book, and I feel very strongly about it. I truly believe that anyone who reads this, whether you are an athlete or not, will love it and have a great appreciation for it as I do. It is an inspiring and moving story about dreams, the struggle to achieve, and the resulting disappointments and triumphs. I felt like I was experiencing the emotions with the athletes in the book all along the way. The story is so much like a movie that at times, it is easy to forget that these people are real and all of the events told really happened. I hope that everyone has the chance to read this and enjoy it as I did.

Just awesome!

This is by far the most enticing sport book I've ever read. It just captures your attention and never lets go.

The true meaning of the Olympics

This book about one swim team chasing the Olympic dream is completely fascinating from the first page. It doesn't matter what the sport is. If you are trying to be the best in the world, the journey and the larger themes about life, success and confronting failure are always the same. Gold in the Water puts you right inside the athletes heads. You see them as real people (all the good and all the bad) and you root like heck for them to win. It reminds me of Friday Night Lights in that you find yourself caring deeply about athletes you've never heard of. But it has a far more uplifting message. This may be one of the best sports books I've ever read

Inside the Olympic dream

I feel like I have been to the Olympics. This book is a small miracle--a snapshot so intimate and truthful about the elite athlete and the drama of every day & every minute counting. A friend (former swimmer) gave me an early copy of the book and said I would learn to love swimming by the time I was finished. She was right. I cried several times and once almost jumped out of my seat to shout encouragement. When I came to the last page, I didn't what it to end. That's how affecting and personal this story is. But more to the point, the book reminded me why I loved sports in general. These athletes whether they win or lose are heroes.

Great Book!!

Great Book!! Easily best I've ever read on swimming. This is Charoits of Fire in the pool!

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