Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Her astounding feats as a long-distance swimmer in the ocean first brought national attention to Lynne Cox of California. Headlines followed in her wake through the years as she swam the Cook Strait, the Strait of Magellan, the Bering Strait and the Cape of Good Hope.
The capstone of Cox's achievements came in 2002 when she successfully swam to Antarctica, a swim that took place in icy, 32-degree water. That feat led to another, a best-selling memoir titled "Swimming to Antarctica" that revealed Cox's considerable talents as a wordsmith and as an observer of the natural world.
Comes now a prequel of sorts called "Grayson" (Alfred A. Knopf, 148 pages, $16.95) that recounts a transformative event in the ocean for the 17-year-old swimmer. Cox was on a training swim off the coast of Southern California when she was shadowed by what turned out to be a baby gray whale separated from its mother.
Cox, already tired from her exertions, determines that she must stay in the water in order to prevent the 18-foot whale she names Grayson from following her to the shore and its death. The question is whether the whale's mother will return before the swimmer succumbs to hunger and exhaustion.
"Winds gusted to 20 knots and tossed up more waves," Cox writes. "The waves were hitting me in the face. It was hard to breathe, and I could barely see a foot in front of me."
Random House has big hopes for Cox's tiny book, with a coast-to-coast book tour and hefty first printing of 100,000 copies. This endearing memoir and real-life fable is being marketed in a small volume that looks like a twin sister to Mitch Albom's "Tuesdays With Morrie," another endearing memoir and real-life fable.
Cox should be swimming onto the best-seller list again.
Lynne Cox discusses "Grayson" at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the University Book Store, 4326 University Way N.E.; 206-634-3400. Also: 7 p.m. Wednesday at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park; 206-366-3333.
To see more of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, for online features, or to subscribe, go to http://seattlep-I.com.
© 1998-2006 Seattle Post-Intelligencer. All Rights Reserved.
