Just Add Water: My Swimming Life
Product ID: 615352116
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A New York Times bestselling memoir from Olympic gold medalist, world champion, and the most decorated US female Olympian in history: Katie Ledecky. Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. She is a four-time Olympian, a nine-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and a world record-holder in individual swimming events. At the 2024 Olympics in Paris, she became the most decorated US female Olympian of all time. 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 records: 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. Review: Well written! - Wonderful book with many insights to her career! Review: Yes - Good book. Must read for a swimmer.
| Best Sellers Rank | #45,042 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #2 in Swimming (Books) #2 in Olympic Games #1,428 in Memoirs (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 598 Reviews |
R**1
Well written!
Wonderful book with many insights to her career!
T**4
Yes
Good book. Must read for a swimmer.
M**A
An Inspriring Read
An inspiring read for the athlete or those who appreciate the sport of swimming. Ledecky provides an honest, humble, personal account of her experience from six-year old novice to Olympian. Her deliberate goal setting is legendary relaying to the reader her unique insight into physical training, adaptation, and mental focus. Much is made of her family, friends, coaches, teammates, and competitors as being an integral part of her journey. Ledecky’s modest telling of her life story up until now is a fascinating read from this true champion. I could see another book from this winner as her future goals are yet to be realized.
R**K
Warmly Written; Very Motivating
Written so that it feels as if Katie Ledecky is in conversation with the reader. If you love swimming, and want to learn from one of the world's top swimmers, and who is a lovely all around person, this is the book for you.
S**B
Must Read for any Swim Fan
This book is a must-read for any swim fan! 🏅 Katie Ledecky takes us behind the scenes of what it takes to become a world champion, Olympic gold medalist, and the most decorated female swimmer in history. While analysts have tried to sum up her success with genetics and stats, Katie makes it clear: her relentless work ethic and love for the grind are what set her apart. Her dedication, mindset, and belief in setting goals are inspiring. One of my favorite parts? All the sections on Katie’s Olympic journeys—especially Tokyo, the delayed Covid Olympics. Reading about the challenges of training through uncertainty and then competing at the highest level was fascinating. It’s clear that it takes a village to raise a swimmer, and I loved how the book alternated between her swimming career and the people who made it possible—her family, coaches, teammates etc. I also really appreciated the chapter Swim Like A Girl, where Katie calls out the media’s obsession with men’s sports. How it’s seen as a compliment when people say ‘she swims like a man’ when no, she swims like Katie Ledeky. The chapter is a reminder of the barriers female athletes continue to break, the extra pressure female athletes have, how female athletes must ‘win with humility,’ whereas men can be braggy about it, and all the other stupid media, low pay, etc. female athletes must go through. I love that Ledeky’s mom was a swimmer in the 1960s / early 1970s and went to one of like, 2 colleges that had a women’s team at the time, and Title 9 happened right in the middle of her college stint and OVERNIGHT her mom got a full ride. Anyway. I really enjoyed this read, it was wholesome 💙
P**Y
Well written, intelligent, inspiring, relatable, and enjoyable
Ms. Ledecky’s memoir is extremely well written, intelligent, and, most importantly, reflective of her authentic human kindness that is clearly built upon her open and steadfast faith and her effective integration of her unique talents into the world of those around her. I would recommend it to anyone who seeks a boost of inspiration. I am particularly appreciative of the fact that Katie authored all of this herself, as no ghost writer is listed. Perhaps Ms. Ledecky has a future in writing following the eventual close of her professional athletic career, if she were to so choose! Vis-à-vis her own recording of her book, I find that she has succeeded at her very first effort in this domain, as it’s an easy, enjoyable, relatable listen at any time of day. Thanks so much to her for sharing her story with us and for gently challenging us all, through her present example, to share the very best of our own intrinsic human gifts with others in quite a disciplined, yet balanced and thoughtful manner.
C**S
Inspiring Read from One of Swimming’s Greatest Athletes
Just Add Water: My Swimming Life was an excellent and inspiring read. As someone involved in competitive swimming, I especially enjoyed hearing about Katie Ledecky’s training, mindset, and journey through both the highs and challenges of her career. The book does a great job balancing personal stories with insights into the dedication and discipline required to compete at the highest level. It feels genuine and motivational without ever coming across as overly polished or unrealistic. Whether you’re a swimmer, sports fan, or just enjoy athlete memoirs, this is a fantastic read that offers a lot of perspective and inspiration.
K**Y
Katie fan!
I have been a fan of Katie’s for years. She is incredible and such an inspiration for young swimmers. This book highlights her hard work and dedication to the sport. It is geared more towards young adults/adults so I don’t recommend this for younger kids.
K**O
A great athlete who is still one of us.
What makes one of the most successful athletes in history who she is and who she became. Fascinating insights, we are all humans and can excel with the right mindset. Great athletes can be still be great people and spread motivation and the love of sports.
A**S
Amazing book for swimmers or non swimmers
We waited for a long while for this to come out.. such a honest pure read… our 10 year old looks up to this swimmer and this book came to us at a very important time. One of the best books I’ve read..
R**L
Boa compra!
O livro é ótimo. A compra foi feita sem problemas e a entrega cumpriu o prazo estipulado. Recomendo.
A**Y
Very motivating for young swimmers
My daughter is into swimming and Katie is her role model. It's a very motivating book which talks of all her experiences and many instances where she lifted herself up after being down in adverse situations to win in the end.
J**E
Great book for road trip
A great read by Olympian Swimmer Katie Ledecky 😊 I took it on my recent interstate road trip and it was great, absolutely loved reading it and it was well worth the wait I had imposed on myself (not to read it, even though I had received it via post a few weeks before the trip, and to just wait until we actually got in the car and started our road trip before I could start reading it). So well worth the wait! I will definitely read it again 😊
Trustpilot
2 months ago
2 weeks ago