Chasing Water: Elegy of an Olympian, Paperback

Here Ervin and swim trainer and journalist Markides combine talents to create a biography that is part first-hand narrative by Ervin, with Markides filling in the details and providing context. The formula works, pulling readers into Ervin s experience of the thrill of victory and search for meaning. . . . Featuring more depth, breadth, truth, and the effects of reckless choices than found in traditional athlete biographies, this gripping account is just in time for the gear up to the Rio 2016 Olympics. Readers will understand the psyche and life of elite athletes as never before, then cheer Ervin on in his attempt to make another Olympic team. --Library Journal A celebrated Olympian recounts how he rose to the top of his sport, crashed, and found redemption. . . . This book, which tells his story through a narrative that interweaves the former gold medalist s memories with commentary by his friend and colleague Markides, reveals the extreme highs and lows that characterized Ervin s remarkable life and career. . . . The author never flinches at revealing his less-than-perfect past, and the humility he demonstrates at coming to terms with his own egotism and personal shortcomings makes the book frequently compelling. A provocative and refreshingly honest redemption memoir. --Kirkus Reviews Markides smartly combines his own journalistic account with a parallel narrative in which Ervin . . . explains his life and style. Some talents simply defy explanation, however, and Ervin may be in that category. . . . The story of his comeback at 31 (ancient for a swimmer) is rendered more amazing by the contrast with what went before. --Booklist "For Anthony Ervin, the stretch between his two greatest athletic achievements two Olympic gold medals included a suicide attempt, a period of homelessness and a stint in a rock band. Jobs found, then lost. Too much drinking, too many drugs. Depression. Confusion. And then, a kind of rebirth."--USA Today "An inspiring, humorous and often