The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water

Name: The Plunge: Maverick Swimmers, an Unlikely Quest, and the Transformative Power of Cold Water
Brand: Simon & Schuster
SKU: 9781668055861
Price: 36.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$36.00

Product Variants

Review Quotes:
"The Plunge is not only entertaining and well-researched, it is also a jubilant exploration of a chilly topic, cold-water immersion and swimming." --Booklist (starred)

"Thrilling...a high-spirited take on the unexpected rise of a frigid and fascinating sport." --Publishers Weekly (starred)

"Mesmerizing. Chris Ballard does a deep dive into one of the most controversial health, fitness, and athletic crazes of our time. I still loathe cold water, but I loved this book." --Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Think Again and Hidden Potential, and host of the podcast Re: Thinking

"A brrrillant book! Ballard artfully explores the culture, physiology, and utter beauty of cold water swimming, a journey of exploration, joy, and enduring friendships. So warm in the utter cold. I couldn't put the book down!" --Lynne Cox, author of Swimming to Antarctica and Grayson

"Before reading The Plunge, I'd have rather sawed off a leg than submerged myself in 30-degree waters. But Chris Ballard's book is--like an icy plunge--inspiring and invigorating. It also happens to be engrossing, masterful and life-affirming, all the hallmarks of one of America's best writers." --Jeff Pearlman, New York Times bestselling author of Only God Can Judge Me

"A deeply human book that shows us when we breathe through the shock and embrace the discomfort, we change our relationship to fear, to pain, and to ourselves. Ballard knows what it means to be alive." --Jim Murphy, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Inner Excellence

"Loads of vicarious chills and thrills." --Kirkus

"A fascinating exploration of cold water plunging and swimming, from casual ice baths to extreme races in freezing waters. One of my all-time favorite sports journalists has written a book that is extraordinary in every sense of the word." --Rowdy Gaines, three-time Olympic gold medalist and NBC Olympic swimming analyst

"The Plunge isn't just about cold swims, but rather an honest look at what happens when you step into cold water and learn to stay calm, training your nervous system so no matter where you are you show up steadier--in work, in training, in relationships. Simple practice. Real strength." --Laird Hamilton, Big Wave Surfer

"An immersive look at the most immersive sport of them all. Chris Ballard is the perfect companion as he takes the reader through the history, the science, the psychology, the personalities, the dangers and--most of all--the benefits of taking The Plunge. And after reading, don't be surprised if you find yourself tempted to join him. Every sport should have a book this good." -- Glenn Stout, author of Young Woman and the Sea

Biographical Note:
Chris Ballard, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for two decades, is the award-winning author of four books, including One Shot at Forever, and has contributed to National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. Reporting Plunge took him from cold plunges to competing alongside Olympians at the Ice Swimming World Championships.

Publisher Marketing:
Born to Run meets Why We Swim and Breath in a globe-spanning work of immersive narrative nonfiction that dives into the hidden world of cold water plunging and swimming--and what it reveals about the human body, mind, and need for connection.

"Mesmerizing...I loved this book." --Adam Grant, #1 New York Times bestselling author

When award-winning Sports Illustrated writer Chris Ballard receives a cryptic text promising to extend his athletic life, he has no idea it will lead him into a parallel athletic universe--one populated by record-breaking grandmothers, obsessive scientists, rogue visionaries chasing Olympic legitimacy, and everyday people willingly plunging into freezing water together, a realm that subverts the idea of what "elite" athletes are supposed to look like. What begins as curiosity becomes a three-year reporting journey across continents, from the saunas of Finland and seas of Ireland to Norway, England, and Boston.

Blending adventure journalism with rigorous research, The Plunge traces humanity's long relationship with cold water--from the ancient Greeks and Victorian sea bathers to polar plungers and modern laboratories studying stress, resilience, and mental health, a lifeline for those "drowning on dry land." Reporting from the front lines of emerging science, Ballard explores how brief, voluntary cold exposure can sharpen focus, elevate mood, reduce inflammation, stunt cortisol, and retrain the body's stress response, creating a rare state of being both calm and alert.

Along the way, Ballard introduces pioneers like legendary distance swimmer Lynne Cox, follows Ram Barkai's improbable quest to bring ice swimming to the Olympics, and charts a global movement that's surged from fringe ritual to mainstream phenomenon. As his reporting deepens, so does his participation: Ballard graduates from cold plunges to competing alongside Olympians at the Ice Swimming World Championships. Along the way, his body and outlook change in surprising and measurable ways.

Unfolding through vivid scenes and unforgettable characters, The Plunge is a story of endurance, science, and human connection, an exploration of why, in a climate-controlled, screen-saturated world, so many people are choosing to seek out discomfort--and what becomes possible when we do hard things together.

Review Citations:

Kirkus Reviews 04/15/2026 (EAN 9781668055861, Hardcover)
Publishers Weekly 05/04/2026 (EAN 9781668055861, Hardcover) - *Starred Review
Booklist 06/01/2026 (EAN 9781668055861, Hardcover) - *Starred Review

Contributor Bio:Ballard, Chris
Chris Ballard, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated for two decades, is the award-winning author of four books, including One Shot at Forever, and has contributed to National Geographic and The New York Times Magazine. Reporting Plunge took him from cold plunges to competing alongside Olympians at the Ice Swimming World Championships.