An early-morning workout becomes an enchanting adventure when a record-holding swimmer reunites a baby whale and its mother. An inspiring, irresistible story for all ages, from the beloved author of Swimming to Antarctica.

It’s five o’clock in the morning and still dark. Swimming outside the wave break off the Catalina coast, training for her next long-distance swim (she has already crossed the English Channel twice), 17-year-old Lynne Cox senses that something is following her. She worries that it might be a great white shark.

Instead, it’s a baby gray whale, separated from its mother on their journey to the Bering Sea 8,000 miles away. Lynne needs to leave the water to rest, but she knows that if she does, the calf will follow her onto shore and die. To save its life, she must reunite mother and calf in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean.

Miracles happen now and then. Sometimes we recognize them when they occur; sometimes it takes years of experience to understand. Looking back on that chilly morning, a beloved author and inspirational speaker shares her personal story of love, hope, loss, and faith.

“Truly for people of all ages, Lynne Cox’s adventure . . . becomes a parable and an experience, thanks not only to the author’s great and generous spirit, but through her immense gift for describing nature.”

“Grayson is moving and thrilling in its simple language as Cox laments the inadequacy of words to express profound feelings but demonstrates the exhilaration of the effort.”