The Three-Year Swim Club

The Untold Story of the Sugar Ditch Kids and Their Quest for Olympic Glory

Author: Julie Checkoway

New York Times bestseller. For readers of Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken and Daniel James Brown's The Boys in the Boat. The inspirational story of a group of impoverished children who were transformed into champion swimmers.

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None of the barefoot children had ever laid eyes on a pool. Their only experience in water was playing naked in the filthy irrigation ditches that snaked down from the mountains and into the sugar cane fields. And the coach knew nothing about coaching and couldn't swim a lap to save his life. But, against all odds, and during a period of history marked by virulent racism and the Second World War, the children embarked on an unlikely path that led them to become celebrated swimmers from LA to London, and real-life American heroes.

Critic Reviews

“Tense, vivid and inspiring - KirkusCheckoway's ability to set a scene is uncanny and accomplished. Her top-notch skill as a researcher allows her to bring to life the long-forgotten saga - Publishers WeeklyA truly rewarding read - Belfast TelegraphAwe inspiring - Northern Ireland Newsletter”

Tense, vivid and inspiring - Kirkus

Checkoway's ability to set a scene is uncanny and accomplished. Her top-notch skill as a researcher allows her to bring to life the long-forgotten saga - Publishers Weekly

A truly rewarding read - Belfast Telegraph

Awe inspiring - Northern Ireland Newsletter

About the Author

Julie Checkoway is an author and documentary filmmaker. She graduated from Harvard College, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. She is the recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts individual artist grant and fellowships at writers' colonies, including Yaddo. Her writing has appeared in the New York Times, Salt Lake Tribune and Huffington Post.

More on this Book

In 1937 an ordinary school teacher on the island of Maui took a group of under privileged children, most of Japanese ancestry, and trained them to become Olympic swimmers. He called his plan the 'Three-Year Swim Club' and he succeeded in producing true American heroes whose story has never been told.None of the barefoot children had ever laid eyes on a pool. Their only experience in water was playing naked in the filthy irrigation ditches that snaked down from the mountains and into the sugar cane fields. And the coach knew nothing about coaching and couldn't swim a lap to save his life. But, against all odds, and during a period of history marked by virulent racism and the Second World War, the children embarked on an unlikely path that led them to become celebrated swimmers from LA to London, and real-life American heroes.