Achieving the Impossible by Lewis Gordon Pugh
(Simon and Schuster, 2010)

On the 22nd of May 2010, Lewis Gordon Pugh completed a 1km swim across Lake Pumori
under the summit of Mt Everest. It took him 22 minutes and 51 seconds. The water temperature was 2 degrees centigrade.
He did it to draw attention to the impact of climate change on the Himalayan region. He did it to change our world.

'By swimming in vulnerable ecosystems, I want to draw attention to the impact of our actions. I hope that through my swims, and the filming and reporting of them, I can act as the eyes of the world. So, whether I'm swimming around islands which are fast disappearing due to rising sea levels, or swimming across parts of the Arctic which were previously frozen over, I will swim - and stand for the future of our planet.'

From his childhood in England to his family’s relocation to South Africa; his time in the British SAS to becoming the first person to swim at the North Pole in temperatures that would kill a normal person Achieving the Impossible is his story in his own words. It is inspiring, entertaining and utterly thrilling.

You can meet Lewis Gordon Pugh at Kalk Bay Books this wednesday evening June 23rd at a special reading from his book. Please rsvp to 021 7882266.