The Rich Roll Podcast

Unlike other land mammals, humans are not natural-born swimmers. Our evolutionary ancestors learned for survival. Now it’s one of the most popular activities in the world. So why do we swim? What is it about water that seduces us despite its dangers? A lifelong swimmer reared by swimming parents, this week’s guest couldn’t shake this question. What she discovered is far more compelling than you might imagine. Bonnie Tsui (@bonnietsui) is an alumnus of Harvard University, where she did not swim but instead rowed crew—and graduated magna cum laude in English and American Literature and Language. In 2009, her book American Chinatown: A People’s History of Five Neighborhoods won the 2009-2010 Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature and was a San Francisco Chronicle bestseller and Best of 2009 Notable Bay Area Books selection. She has been the recipient of the Lowell Thomas Gold Award for travel journalism and the Jane Rainie Opel Young Alumna Award at Harvard University. In 2017, she was awarded the 2017 Karo