Grayson: A Hall of Fame Swimmer's Moving Memoir About a Life-or-Death Rescue of a Baby Gray Whale

Open water swimmer Lynne Cox relates a story from her childhood when she encounters a baby whale. She accompanies the baby whale on a real but seemingly magical swim while effort abounds to facilitate a reconnection with its mama. A beautiful story full of grace. (Then perfect antidote for a world gone mad… read it and feel the love.)

I loved this book. It taught me so much about the ocean and what lives there. This is a story about a world class long distance swimmer and an event that was so life changing when she was 17 years old. It is a story about her and a lost baby grey whale (hence the name Grayson) and how she helped the baby find it's mother. She and Grayson became great friends during the long and difficult efforts she took. This book is wonderful for reading by a child all the way through to the elderly. The book is itself, easy to read and comes in a small easily handled style. I've passed it along to the family next door and plan to then pass it to a teacher of 7th grade who was very interested. Enjoy this experience.

Grayson is a must read for everyone. I have to admit that this is not a book I would have chosen on my own. It was our book club's selection for January. I am so thankful and feel blessed that I had the opportunity to pick this up and read it. The story is true, inspirational, has good suspense and yet a very pleasing ending (not giving anything away the book description will tell you that it ends okay). Four of us at book club have daughters in upper elementary/middle school and all said we were going to encourage our daughters to read it as well. It isn't just an animal story, it is also a human story about dealing with problems and the lessons that can be learned while doing so. It would be a great read aloud for a teacher.

oddsandhens.wordpress.com Is it really a book about a baby whale? Sure, if you judge it by its cover. Lynne has shared with us a personal memory of swimming with a baby whale separated from its mother. She describes all of the vibrant sea life and the swimming experience in a way that almost transports you there (why yes, how could I forget how annoying sand in my suit is...). The total time spanned in the book is just less than a few hours of one morning, and probably takes less to read, but Lynne grows and experiences years of lessons. A notable characteristic of this book that at times felt rather cloying, especially if you took it in context, are the plentiful life lessons presented right in the text as part of her seventeen year old stream of consciousness. However, just take a pause and move below the surface (as Lynne often does in this tale) and reflect for just a bit longer. I want to share with you some of thought capsules to be consumed. Capsule # 1: Be patient. Wait. Nothing is all good or all bad. As a problem develops, so does the solution. [p. 133] Capsule # 2: Waiting is as important as the doing . . . it's painting the subject and the space in between; is the reading and the thinking about what you've read; it's the written words, what is said and what is left unsaid; it's the space between thoughts on the pages, that makes the story and it's the space between the notes, the intervals between fast and slow, that makes the music. . . [p.103] Capsule # 3: Use your heart. it is love that surpasses all boarders and barriers. It is a constant and endless sea. Speak ... with your heart and ... will hear you. [p.82] Capsule # 4: It's always difficult to swim against the tide . . . because the ideas that could result might cause something to change. . . if I didn't move outside my comfort level, how would I ever experience anything new, how would I ever learn or see or explore. [p 80] Capsule # 5: Sometimes ... the important things take time, sometimes they don't happen all at once, sometimes answers come out of time and struggle and learning. [p.73] Capsule # 6: ... it's the process of doing that makes things clear. If we don't start, we never know what could have been. Sometimes the answers we find while searching are better or more creative than anything we could have imagined before. [p.56] Capsule # 7: a thought is energy and as it is transmitted it is multiplied. Thoughts can can be either positive, negative or neutral ..... affecting ht way other people think. If I thought negatively, I would put out negative energy. But if I thought positively, I would put out positive energy, expanding the possibilities of what could happen. It is very much like actors improvising. If they work together.... respond to one another in a positive way they keep their skit ... moving forward..... as soon as someone puts forth soothing negative, the improvisation shuts down. [pp 47-48] Is this really a book a about a whale? That is for you to decide. Be patient, it will be the space between the words on the page. Take from here what you will but use your heart, find the tide to challenge and by doing find clarity, maybe where you least expect it.

Grayson is a wonderful true story of a woman's early morning work out in the ocean (in the dark) and her encounter with "something very large being in the water with her". When she comes back to the pier, she realizes that it is a baby gray whale, still nursing, and now separated from the mother whale. The story is about how she stays swimming and bonds with the baby enough to have it swim with her back to where the mother might be. The story is so well told that you will feel as though you are in the water next to her and the baby whale. I will want to read this aloud to children and play it in the car on a road trip. I bought this book for my son (also a swimmer) and my husband to read. We do not live near the ocean but I will take this with me to reread any time I have the chance to go near one again.

This is one of those books that will keep you on the edge of your seat from the very first page. It is not only a fascinating book, but it is so beautifully written that you will not want the book to end. Lynne Cox is a modern day heroine. As an author, she follows in the steps of the Pied Piper and readers will happily follow her story from start to finish. As a record-breaking swimmer, she is a true role model for men and women. Anyone who wants to conquer their fears and achievers who need an extra bit of motivation, read this book. Be forewarned. Once you start reading it, you won't be able to put it down. Thrilling and exhilarating, there just aren't enough superlatives for this book. I'm recommending it to my book club. Joanne Greco Rochman

LOVED IT.

Ein Buch über eine Freundschaft zwischen einem Wal und einem Menschen, welche sich immer wieder im Meer schwimmend begegnen. Einfach aus dem Leben gegriffen und berührend.

Great book - beautifully written. Plus excellent customer service from London Bridge Books.

This is a most delightful read for all ages.

The book cover was dirty all over