Summary
In 1970s Cincinnati, Kim’s overwhelmed, financially stressed parents dragged her and her four younger siblings into swimming-starting with a nearby motel pool-as a way to keep them occupied and out of their way. When Kim was eleven, they began leaving the kids at home with a sitter while they traveled the Midwest, where they sold imported wooden ornaments from their motorhome. But when Kim’s six-year-old brother crashed his new Cheater Slick bike and the babysitter deserted the children, what…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781647422554 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1647422558 |
| Author: | Kim Fairley |
| Publisher: | She Writes Press |
| Imprint: | She Writes Press |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 352 |
| Release Date: | 11 October 2022 |
| Weight: | 476g |
| Dimensions: | 216mm x 140mm |
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Critics Review
2023 International Book Awards Finalist in Sports2023 Independent Press Award, Distinguished Favorite for Memoir2022 Finalist for the Hearten Book Award for Inspiring and Uplifting Nonfiction“Swimming for My Life gripped me from the first chapter. KimFairley has an important story to tell, and she tells it beautifully aswell as accurately. I am impressed by her willingness to revisit herlife choices, seeking to understand, not justify, her decisions. Thestruggles she faced in the pool barely compare to the challenges shefaced out of the water, and the lessons she learned are important onesfor all of us.”—John Naber, Olympic swimming champion, broadcaster, and author of Awaken the Olympian Within“Swimming for My Life is a memoir of a childhood riddled withevents most would never speak of. Fairley’s pure, raw honesty keeps youwanting to read, page after page, as she starts to question whether sheis living her dream or someone else’s.” —Dara Torres, twelve-time Olympic medalist in Swimming and author of Gold Medal Fitness and Age is Just a Number“… a must-read for all parents who every day leave their children in the care of others.” —Donna de Varona, Olympic Gold medalist, author, broadcaster, and member of the Executive Board of the USOPC “Kim Fairley has drawn a poignant and vivid portrait of how her eatingdisorder developed in the perfect storm: neglectful, demanding parentingand the harsh, grueling, pressured atmosphere of competitive swimming.This compelling book will make you squirm, pray, and applaud Kim’sresilience.” —Judith Rusklay Rabinor, PhD, consultant for The Renfrew Center Foundation and author of The Girl in the Red Boots: Making Peace with My Mother “Thank goodness there is a writer like Kim Fairley who has the skills,talent, and heart to bring us into the world of ultra-competitive sportsfor children. Pulled along by her propulsive writing style, with an eyefor emotionally evocative details, you experience her plight… .Five stars and highest praise for this page-turning book, I couldn’t putit down!” —Lindsay C. Gibson, PsyD, author of Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents and Recovering from Emotionally Immature Parents
About The Author
Kim Fairley
Kim Fairley writes about her wacky family and how life can be filled with countless unexpected surprises, illuminating joys, and sorrowful heartbreaks. She also writes about healing from deep loss and her experience as a competitive swimmer during the early years of Title IX. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, attended the University of Southern California, and holds an MFA in Mixed Media from the University of Michigan. Kim lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
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