Tough Girl: An Olympian’s Journey

“Tough Girl” recounts two journeys taken almost sixty years apart. One is the coming-of-age story of a rambunctious and closeted Northwest swimmer during the 1950s as she learns to train, race and ultimately compete for gold in the 1960 Rome Olympics. The other follows her memories and meditations along the Camino de Santiago in 2012 as alone she comes to accept the end of a decades-long relationship.

Carolyn Wood, born and raised in Portland, Oregon, won a gold medal in swimming in the 1960 Rome Olympics at age fourteen. Ms. Wood’s work has appeared in Teachers as Writers and Elohi Gadugi Journal. This is her first book.