The Olympic swimmer reveals the wild and challenging journey that took place between two gold medals.
Anthony Ervin is an Olympic swimmer who won the gold at nineteen-and that may be one of the least interesting things about him. An athlete of Jewish and African-American descent who is also a practicing Buddhist, he auctioned off the medal he won in Sydney to help raise funds for victims of the 2004 tsunami. He had grown up battling Tourette's syndrome, and later struggled with suicidal depression, drinking and drugs, and a period of homelessness.
This blend of memoir and biography, written by Ervin in collaboration with trainer Constantine Markides, is part spiritual quest, part self-destructive bender involving Zen temples, fast motorcycles, tattoo parlors, and rock 'n' roll bands-revealing the journey that preceded his remarkable 2016 Olympic comeback as the oldest individual gold medal winner in swimming.
