Just Add Water

 By- Katie Ledecky

    I do not always watch the Olympics but if I have the opportunity, I do what I can to watch the swimming. I am not much of a swimmer however, the USA swim team has been intriguing for the last several Olympics. Ever since Michael Phelps stepped on the blocks, but I have always been a bigger fan of Katie Ledecky. I was watching live for her very first swim in 2012 and the announcers were talking going on and on about the other swimmers and how excited they were to see which one wins. The announcers only vaguely mentioned her in the finals because of her age, but I asked myself, boy wouldn't that be something if she shocked the world and won. Needless to say I saw this book at my local book store and was going to purchase it if only I remembered my wallet. I returned a few weeks later and it was no longer on the shelf, so my search continued.  A few months later I found it at my local target and had to pick it up.

    The book is obviously about her life and aspects of her training and career that she wanted to share with the world. It is always interesting to read autobiographies, you never know what to expect. There is so much about famous and notable people that we do not know, as well as the stuff we do know. We get to hear their perspective of events and feelings straight from the horses mouth. In Katie's book we get to hear about her drive, even from a young age. We learn that not only did she want to beat everyone she raced but she always sought to improve and beat her own achievements. She also shares the relationships in her life that are important to her and the effect they had on her personally and the effect on her career. The relationships vary from family, friends, coaches, and teammates. We especially get a look at how she handled stress, victory, defeat, fame, and also how she handled the pandemic. 

    An absolutely fantastic book, you never know when you read autobiographies whether it is written by the actual person or a ghost writer. While I do not have proof, as I was reading it felt genuine, as though it was written by Katie, herself. Katie is a college educated and smart individual and it is definitely within her capabilities to write this book and the connection to her story was evident in the writing. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves Olympics, swimming, female athletes, or athletes in general. Even if you are not interested in any of those things you should still read about this remarkable woman.