Young Woman And The Sea: How Trudy Ederle Conquered the English Channel and Inspired the World

The exhilarating true story of Trudy Ederle, the first woman to swim the English Channel, and inspire a new era for women in sports

By age twenty, at the height of the Jazz Age, Trudy Ederle was the most accomplished swimmer in the world. She’d won Olympic gold and set a host of world records. But the greatest challenge remained: the English Channel. Only a few swimmers, none of them women, had ever made the treacherous twenty-one mile crossing. Trudy’s failed first attempt seemed to confirm what many naysayers believed: No woman could possibly accomplish such a thing.

In 1926, Ederle proved them wrong. As her German immigrant parents cheered her, and her sister and fellow swimmer Meg helped fashion both her scandalous two-piece swimsuit and leak-proof goggles, Trudy was determined to succeed. “England or drown is my motto,” she said, plunging into the frigid Channel for her second attempt at the crossing. Fourteen hours later, two hours faster than any man, and after weathering a gale and waves that approached six-feet, she stepped onto Kingsdowne Beach as the most famous woman in the world.

Based on years of archival research that unearthed Ederle’s memory from obscurity, Young Woman and the Sea brings to life the real Trudy Ederle, the challenges that came with her fame, and the historic mark her achievement made for all women athletes who followed. 

What did it take for a butcher’s daughter from New York to conquer the world’s most dangerous waterway and become a global icon?

• The First Woman to Swim the Channel: Follow Trudy Ederle’s record-shattering 1926 swim, a feat of endurance that beat the men’s record by two full hours and made her the most famous woman in the world.
• Jazz Age America: Immerse yourself in the Roaring Twenties, from the shores of New Jersey to the coast of France, as a young woman from a German immigrant family rises to international stardom.
• A Pioneer for Women’s Sports: Learn how Trudy’s determination—and her scandalous two-piece swimsuit—shattered stereotypes and inspired a new era for female athletes everywhere.
• A Definitive Biography: Based on years of deep archival research, this compelling account brings the true story of an American icon back to life for a new generation.