Publishers Weekly
04/22/2024
“Women swimmers have navigated tensions between athletics and performance, sport and spectacle, for generations,” according to this comprehensive debut history. Valosik, a synchronized swimmer and Georgetown University writing instructor, traces how women’s involvement in aquatic activities has evolved alongside societal attitudes since the 18th century, when norms around female modesty required that women wear long, bulky swimming gowns that “made even the simple acts of moving or floating in the water impossible.” Increased demand for entertainment at the end of the 19th century presented an opening for some women to become “ornamental swimmers” who performed in glass tanks for paying audiences. This combination of art and exercise eventually transformed into synchronized swimming, whose evolution Valosik charts from its origins in water pageants developed by the Red Cross to promote swimming skills to the sport’s debut at the 1984 Olympic games. Profiles of notable swimmers highlight how women’s sports intersected with larger societal currents, as when Valosik suggests that 19-year-old Gertrude Ederle’s 1926 swim across the English Channel, during which she beat the fastest man’s record by over two hours, helped make the figure of the female swimmer a symbol of women’s burgeoning political freedom. An incisive marriage of sports and cultural history, this is well worth diving into. Photos. Agent: Esmond Harmsworth, Aevitas Creative Management. (June)
M. G. Lord
"Swimming Pretty is so much more than a history of a sport—it’s also an engrossing account of how society has controlled and contained women’s bodies and ambitions throughout history. In deft prose filled with bizarre, often startling details, Valosik reveals the trailblazing athletes and entertainers who, in soggy corsets and petticoats, encouraged generations of women to find empowerment in the water."
Danielle Dreilinger
"Swimming Pretty plunges into the colorful, entertaining, inspiring, and sometimes enraging history of strong women who fought for athletic joy and the right to compete—cloaking their power in traditional femininity to do so. It will leave you breathless (and googling synchro videos)."
Ann Hood
"I have long been a fan of movie star synchronized swimmer Esther Williams but never knew she was just one of many pathbreaking pretty swimmers who date as far back as the nineteenth century. . . . Chock-full of history and personal stories, this is a fascinating, eye-opening book."
Lynne Cox
"An amazing story about the evolution of swimming, how synchronized swimming became a kaleidoscope of political and social change, and how artistic swimming became recognized as an incredibly athletic, beautiful, and world-renowned sport. I loved this fascinating book."
starred review Booklist
"Mention ‘swimming pretty,’ and readers of a certain age may associate it with classic Hollywood pageantry in which synchronized swim performances featured glamorous mermaids creating intricate patterns on the silver screen. In this fascinating, extensively researched history, Valosik (who took up synchronized swimming as an adult) addresses a longstanding question: is it art, show business, or sport? . . . a plethora of fascinating facts combined with groundbreaking developments throughout the years will captivate readers curious about a sport that requires skills, stamina, and strength and that deserves respect."
Library Journal
06/21/2024
Expert synchronized swimmer Valosik, who also teaches writing at Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, admirably unravels a centuries-spanning narrative about synchronized swimming's rise from music-hall water tanks to the Olympics. Though early practitioners during the Renaissance and Enlightenment eras were men, women later redefined synchronized swimming with demonstrations of grace and strength in the water. Valosik's narrative is rich with the stories of swim stars such as Annette Kellerman, who defied Victorian norms with her aquatic prowess, and Esther Williams, whose "aquamusicals" dazzled Hollywood. Beyond entertainment, women swimmers influenced wide-ranging societal changes in the United States, like the design of more sensible swimwear and the creation of lifesaving programs and formalized swimming education, which reduced drowning rates and inspired generations of women athletes. Synchronized swimming's journey, from performing in aquariums to reaching Olympic glory, is a testament to these swimmers' resilience and the transformative power of sports. VERDICT A timely tribute to the glamour and athleticism of the pioneering women of synchronized swimming and their efforts to legitimize it as a sport. For readers who enjoy sports history and popular culture and for fans of Jordan Whitney-Wei's Katharine Whitney Curtis: Mother of Synchronized Swimming.—Sara Holder
Kirkus Reviews
★ 2024-03-20
The long path to female equality has involved many byways, and one of them has been in the pool.
Valosik is editorial director at Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, and she is also a masters synchronized swimmer, so she is well situated to tell the story of women swimmers from the late 19th century to the present. Swimming for women first became popular in Britain in the mid-late 1800s, and several women became famous in vaudeville acts. Some moved to the U.S. and attracted huge crowds. An Australian woman called Annette Kellerman became famous for acrobatic swimming but was also a strong voice in the drive for equal rights. There were popular group performances in the string of world fairs in the 1930s, although the key evolutionary step was adding music, which set synchronized swimming apart from other forms. Many male commentators were dismissive, partly because they did not understand the demands of it and partly out of straightforward sexism. However, as the author shows, Hollywood saw the potential, especially with the emergence of Esther Williams, a former swimming champion. She invented many of the crucial moves, and the aqua-ballet movies in which she starred became more and more spectacular. Williams, hugely popular in her heyday, demonstrated the capability of women, a critical issue when most women were confined to the home. Synchronized swimming was finally acknowledged as an Olympic sport in 1984 (the publication of this book marks its 40th anniversary). Valosik notes that the sport has recently become even more difficult, requiring feats that are increasingly complex and dangerous. Throughout this fascinating narrative, the author emphasizes the necessary blend of physicality, creativity, and grace, making readers want to pay special attention to the sport in the forthcoming Paris Olympics.
With firsthand knowledge, diligent research, and colorful prose, Valosik provides an engaging, energetic history.
