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, ced, 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 profound biography."
--People Magazine
"Anthony Ervin is a lot of things. He is an open book and a
closed circuit, a body fueled by a brain, an old man with a young
soul. He is the American Dream. He is, once again, improbably, an
Olympic champion."
--Yahoo
"[Ervin's] story is an amazing comeback tale."
--Huffington Post
Every four years in the Olympic cycle the surge of national
interest in swimming grows, and with it a desire to be captivated
by its stars. This book tells the dramatic, surprising, and
sometimes provocative path that Anthony Ervin has taken to become
one of those captivating Olympic heroes. Not your typical sports
memoir, Chasing Water also contains arresting black-and-white
drawings and a graphic story extra, as well as an inventive and
mercurial narrative style that morphs chapter by chapter to
reflect Ervin's restless, multifaceted life.
Ervin won a gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games at the
age of nineteen. He is an athlete branded with a slew of titles
including being the first US Olympic swimmer of African American
descent, along with Jewish heritage, who also grew up with
Tourette's syndrome. He shocked the sporting world by retiring
soon after cling two world titles following the 2000 Olympics.
Auctioning off his gold medal for charity, he set off on a part
spiritual quest, part self-destructive bender that involved Zen
temples, fast motorcycles, tattoo parlors, and rock 'n' roll
bands. Then Ervin resurfaced in 2012 to not only make the US
Olympic team twelve years after his first appearance, but to
continue his career by swimming faster than ever before.